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A special agent for Christ

Gretchen R. Crowe | Catholic Herald

Fr. Mark E. Moretti, pastor of St. Thomas a Becket Parish in Reston, worked as a special agent for the U.S. government before being ordained a priest.

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Father Mark E. Moretti, pastor of St. Thomas à Becket
Parish in Reston, was just 9 years old when he received the
first inclination that he should become a priest.

The oldest of three children of John and Jean Moretti, Father
Moretti was born on March 28, 1958, in Washington, D.C. – one
of the rare natives of the transient area. Under the
direction of his “devout” parents and grandmother, he
attended regular Mass and Holy Hours.

Also assisting in his faith formation was his Catholic
education from St. Rita Parish in Alexandria, where he would
later be assigned as a parochial vicar; Bishop Ireton High
School in Alexandria; and Allentown College of St. Francis de
Sales (now DeSales University) in Pennsylvania. This exposure
to his faith formed him from an early age, especially the
example of the Sisters of St. Joseph at St. Rita, weekly
charismatic renewal prayer meetings at Ireton, and the
example of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales in Allentown.

But though his faith was high in life priorities, Father
Moretti chose a different path after graduating from college
in 1980. With a degree in politics, Father Moretti was
recruited by the U.S. Department of State as a special agent
for what is now called the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS),
which, according to its Web site, is a “global law
enforcement agency.”

“It was so easy that I just assumed that was the direction
God wanted me to go in,” he said. “It just seemed like
everything fell into place.”

Though conflicted and concerned that he was turning his back
on his true vocation, “God can take all kinds of experiences
and make them work out for the good,” he said. “The Lord just
kind of led me in the right direction. He wanted me to have
all those experiences in the government.”

In his position as special agent, Father Moretti traveled to
42 countries – all over Europe, the Middle East, Asia and
parts of South America – in 10 years. He learned management,
finance and how to deal with personnel – a lot of skills he
would use later while running a parish. He learned the
importance of listening to others and how to use the
information he gleaned for the promotion of good. His time
traveling alone gave him the opportunity to enhance his
prayer life – a factor that led him to finally follow through
on his dream of becoming a priest.

“I used that time to pray and make my decision,” he said.

In 1988, Father Moretti spoke to Father James R. Gould,
then-vocations director, about entering the seminary that
fall. At the last minute, however, Father Moretti decided to
complete one last assignment to Tunisia before entering Mount
St. Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg in 1990. Leaving his position
with the DSS, one that he loved, was a difficult decision.

“But ultimately I knew that it was the truth with a capital
T, so that’s what made it comfortable to make the jump to the
priesthood,” he said. And now “I couldn’t be happier. It’s a
wonderful life and I thank God for the priesthood every day,
unworthy as I am.”

Father Moretti’s years at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary were “the
five happiest years of my life” – even though he was bunking
with then-seminarian Father Richard Mullins (lower bunk) in a
construction park trailer for part of the time.

“I had been 10 years in the foreign service up to that point,
which had been rigorous and tough,” he said. After studying
political science as an undergrad, “here suddenly I’m allowed
to study theology, philosophy. It was like left bain, right
brain. I became like a renaissance man.”

The seminary introduced Father Moretti to a “tremendous sense
of brotherhood.

“Our class was very tight with each other,” he said. “We’ve
created friendships that have endured” – ones that he
continues to rely on.

“When you’re a parish priest you have to stay in touch with
other parish priests so you can continue to pray together, go
to confession together and recreate,” he said. “It’s a big
help. It’s that kind of priestly fraternity that keeps you
going strong.”

Since being ordained in 1995, Father Moretti has served as
parochial vicar of St. Mark Parish in Vienna (a paving ground
where he began his ministry), St. Rita (a return to his old
home and a reconnection with those who had nurtured him) and
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Lake Ridge (where he was
exposed to a larger parish environment and eventually began
his first tasks as administrator). In 2008, he was appointed
pastor of St. Thomas à Becket.

Though now a priest for longer than he was in government
service, Father Moretti still remains connected with the
State Department. In his spare time, the priest serves as
chaplain for the DSS. Because of his intimate understanding
with the nature of the work, he is able to reach out to
agents in a special way.

“It’s a hand in the glove,” he said. “We all speak the same
language. The agents feel very comfortable coming to see me.
We’ve all had similar experiences. There’s no learning curve
when they come to see me.”

The constancy of Father Moretti’s home life – his parents
have lived in the same house with the same phone number for
more than 50 years – has provided Father Moretti with an
example of stability, one that he values and tries to live
out in his own ministry.

“It’s the greatest gift of all to have that kind of stability
– family life that you can fall back on,” he said. “It gives
you such a sense of peace.”

When Father Moretti told his parents he would be studying for
the priesthood, their response was manifested in “tears of
joy.

“They knew I’d worked hard for that decision, that I’d prayed
hard,” he said.

His prayer was, and still is, a constant dialogue with God.

“You can’t stop praying,” he said. “You have the structured
prayer of the Church, but then in addition to that you have
to have a conversation with God all the time. I don’t do it
perfectly. I keep trying every day.”

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