From Aleteia
By Caitlin Bootsma
Fr. Chris Lawton, CSP, a palliative care doctor, now ministers to people on the margins of faith.
When the Paulist Fathers were founded in 1858, their mission was straightforward: to be American missionaries to their own countrymen. Today, Fr. Chris Lawton, CSP, says their charism remains the same, but in a modern context -- they are “seeking to invite those who might be on the margins of faith.”
The Paulists were the first community of priests to be founded in the United States. Their founder, Servant of God Isaac Hecker, was what is often called today "a seeker." He tried many different religions, Fr. Lawton explains, but found his home in the Catholic Church. He became a Redemptorist priest, but when his plea to his European superiors was rejected to minister to the United States, he asked to be released from his vows.
At the invitation of Archbishop John Hughes of New York, Fr. Hecker founded a new community in New York in 1858, taking on pastoral care of a parish. From the start, Fr. Hecker was “attentive to people outside the walls of the Church.”
Today, Fr. Lawton says, the Paulists still are reaching out to those who might not feel welcome.
Fr. Lawton’s encounter with the Paulists
Fr. Chris Lawton was ordained as a Paulist priest in 2024, but he didn’t know the Paulists the first time he thought about this vocation. He credits knowing a priest as a beloved family friend during his high school years in Milwaukee, as one reason the priesthood occurred as a possible path.
But like many young people, he didn't feel ready to join the seminary, and he went on to Harvard for college and then to New York City for medical school. It was there that a friend gently recommended the Paulists as priests he should get to know. Within a few years of going to St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, he got involved in young adult ministry.
He says he felt at home in a “diverse community that felt very united.” There were a lot of young people, as well as staff who were relatable, and preaching that was relevant to daily life. The future priest found himself compelled by the way the Paulists celebrated the best of faith and culture.
But it was really the prompting of someone at the parish that made him start discerning priesthood again more seriously. Just the simple encouragement -- “I hope you at some point consider Paulist priesthood. I think you’d make a really wonderful priest” -- made a big impact.
God uses gifts in every stage of life and vocation
For Fr. Chris, the transition from working as a doctor in palliative care to formation for the priesthood was somehow natural.
He explains, “The reason I was in healthcare was about being with people in vulnerable settings, dealing with life and death.”
“So much of what I got into healthcare for was present in the interactions of ministry.”
Healthcare trained Fr. Chris “to sit with suffering, loss and unresolvable questions.” It was clear to Fr. Chris that God was using his already-present gifts for accompaniment in a new way.
Paulist spirituality in the modern world
Today, Fr. Chris works in a parish in New York City. Along with parish ministry, Fr. Chris says the priests can be found in national ministries, as speakers, and in a variety of media, such as Paulist Press, Paulist Productions, and Busted Halo.
The order strives to live out Fr. Hecker’s vision for what the Church could be in the United States -- “unity amidst diversity.”
Whether it's on social media or in a homily, Paulists often preach about what is going on in the world -- such as movies and cultural trends -- and try to find the good in them. They seek to joyfully welcome people on the margins of faith and to emphasize how the Holy Spirit works uniquely in each person’s life.
Discerning vocations
To men who may be starting to consider the priesthood, Fr. Chris’ first piece of advice is to talk to a “faithful person you can truly trust,” whether that is a spiritual director or someone else you know from church. He also encourages people not to be afraid to discern, but also to continue to “live your life – the Holy Spirit will not leave you behind.”
Speaking of the Paulists in particular, he says, “Come when your heart feels that you’ve had the chance to be in the world. Because Paulists are in the world.”
He emphasizes that time spent out in the world can give future priests valuable experience when they step into ministry and have to accompany people in the often hard realities of life.
Want to get to know the Paulists? They can be found online almost anywhere -- Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. A great place to start is their website at paulist.org or their vocations site beapaulist.org. On the main website, you’ll also find Paulist parishes.
Fr. Chris particularly extends the invitation next time you're in New York City to come to St. Paul the Apostle located at 60th and Columbus, where the pastor hopes to be “the friendliest parish on the West Side.”
This article is brought to you by the Paulist Fathers.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are subject to deletion if they are not germane. I have no problem with a bit of colourful language, but blasphemy or depraved profanity will not be allowed. Attacks on the Catholic Faith will not be tolerated. Comments will be deleted that are republican (Yanks! Note the lower case 'r'!), attacks on the legitimacy of Pope Leo XIV as the Vicar of Christ, the legitimacy of the House of Windsor or of the claims of the Elder Line of the House of France, or attacks on the legitimacy of any of the currently ruling Houses of Europe.