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| Father Daniel Bowen orderofmercy.org |
By Larry Peterson
Father Daniel Bowen, O. de M., distinctly remembers how
every Sunday when he was growing up his mom would take him and his two brothers
to Kingdom Hall. Their mom was a Jehovah’s Witness, and this was their church.
It was as far removed from the Catholic church as one could imagine.
Young Daniel believed in God but was filled with
doubts. By the time he became a teenager, he had decided he had enough of “church”
and told his mom he did not want to go anymore
His father told his wife that Daniel did not have to go if he did not
want to. Daniel seized the moment and stopped going. After all, he came first---all else came second.
The years passed by and Daniel more or less forgot
about God. Once in college, he became more self-absorbed about his own needs
and what might make him happy. Then he met a Catholic girl named Lisa.
Lisa told Daniel that if he wanted to date her, he
would have to go to Mass with her. He did, and he liked it. Then she introduced
him to Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. That was it. The young man, as the
saying goes, was “hooked.”
Eventually, Daniel and Lisa took different life paths.
The Holy Spirit had seized hold of Daniel Bowen and was not about to let go. On August 15, 2015, the Solemnity of the
Assumption, Daniel Bowen was ordained a priest. He now serves as Vocation
Director for the Mercedarian
Friars U.S.A.
You can find Father Daniel’s inspiring story HERE.
It is a beautiful story of a man who took his leap of faith holding hands with
the Holy Spirirt---ENJOY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now let’s ask Father Daniel some questions:
(Interviewer’s questions in Bold: Father Daniel is (Fr. D) responses in Italics)
When
and how did you receive your call to become a priest? Was there a moment in time
or an event when you heard the Holy Spirit calling you?
·
Fr.
D: “People began to ask me the question: Did I ever think about being a priest.
I hadn’t, and so I had to ask God about it. It took a few years to figure it
out, and then seminary to figure it out the rest of the way. No man knows for
sure until he is laying on the ground before a Bishop on the day of his
ordination. It is totally a Holy Spirit thing, and prayer is an essential part
of it all.”
Tell
me your number one reason for being a priest?
·
Fr.
D: “To know, love and joyfully serve God, and to love my neighbor as myself. To
be a servant to God’s servants. All for the glory of God and the salvation of
souls.”
What
attracted you to the Mercedarians? (The Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of
Mercy)
·
Fr.
D: “The Order was founded by the Blessed Virgin Mary, so this Marian aspect was
most attractive to me. Also, the 4th vow, the Redemptive Vow, the willingness
to lay down one’s life for another in danger of losing their faith - this “all
in” aspect always spoke profoundly to my heart.”
According
to the General Rule Of Survey from the Univ. of Chicago, in 2015, among those
18 to 34 years old, 30 % do not have any religion at all. Many do not believe
in God. Secularism seems to have infected many the world over. As the Vocation
Director for the Mercedarians, your job must present quite the challenge. How
is this going for you?
·
Fr.
D: “I am still working on getting my
wings, so to speak. Yes, it can be seen as a challenge, but I prefer to see it
as an opportunity. God still calls people to Himself. Christ’s death and resurrection
is completely relevant to every generation, even those who feel it does not
need to apply to them. First is helping others know that our Lord, the God of
love and mercy is real and necessary to live a life of complete fulfillment. To
help them realize the Christian faith is about relationship - God’s desires us
to be in an intimate relationship with Him. And then to facilitate an encounter
with Him. Once men know this, then they can begin to find what the mission and
plan that He has for their life. Could God be calling me to be a priest and/or
a consecrated religious? And if the answer is yes, then one is best to find out
if this is truly His calling, and if so acting on it.”
What
advice would you give to a young person who is considering religious life?
·
Fr.
D: “It is a great gift given by God to
some, not all. It is a precious calling to be intimate with God and others in a
way that no other lifestyle can match. It is a summons to love fully and
without holding back. To proclaim boldly to our world that not only God exists,
but He knows and loves us. That I am willing to forsake the goods of this life
and world, in order to embrace, here and now, the blessing that God desires for
us in heaven. My advice: Go for it!!! Do not be afraid, or put it off, go find
out if this is God’s will for your life. If it is you will have the best life.
If it is God’s will, then there will be a peace and deep, profound joy that
will be under it all.”
How
do you, as a priest, deal with negativity about the Catholic Church in the
media, when asked about it by a layperson?
·
Fr.
D: “Some people were negative towards Jesus in His life here on earth. It is no
different today. The Catholic Church is the body of Christ, yes there is a very
human element, but there is also a divine element present here, that should not
be so easily dismissed. For all her faults, and only the Lord knows why He
permits them, the Church is the most charitable and truth-bearing place on the
planet. She is the spouse of Christ, and so must be present to continue to
bring Christ’s authentic presence, so that all generations may have the
opportunity to encounter Him. Staying close to our Lord in prayer is key to
keeping one’s head above water, especially when our faults are clearly
manifested - keeping our hearts, minds, and souls on the Lord. Jesus, who is
the Way, the Truth and the Life.”
What
are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of your job?
·
Fr.
D: “Helping others to believe that the faith is real, and then to fully
surrender one’s life to it. Seeing people fall deeply and madly in love with
our Lord, and seeing that transformation take place is most rewarding.
Experiencing the good work our Lord is able to accomplish through people who
desire Him to work in their lives is a beautiful blessing. Challenging is
seeing those who fall away from the faith, or keep saying no to God, seeing the
resulting destruction this does to that person and to others and knowing how
much it hurts our Lord, this is challenging. But following Christ is a summons
to love, and it is an invitation that one must be free to choose or reject. Otherwise,
it really isn’t love is it?
THANK YOU Father Daniel for taking the time to do this
interview. May God bless you as you move forward in your priestly ministry.
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