Since being ordained to the transitional diaconate last June
at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, Deacon
Christopher Hayes has served at St. Joseph Church in
Dowington, Pa., while finishing his final year of theology at
St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pa.
Though he’s enjoyed taking on the responsibilities of a
deacon – including preaching and presiding at baptisms –
Deacon Hayes is ready to step into a new role at his
ordination to the priesthood June 8.
“When you’re a (transitional) deacon, you have one foot in
the seminary and one foot in the parish,” Deacon Hayes said.
“There comes a point, especially after six years (of
seminary), where you just want to get back home, get settled
and get to work.”
A parishioner of St. John the Apostle Church in Leesburg,
Hayes was born on Christmas Eve in 1969. A native of Northern
Virginia, he attended St. Ann School in Arlington and Our
Lady of Good Counsel School in Vienna and graduated from
Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington in 1988. After
studying theology and criminal justice, Deacon Hayes
graduated from Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg,
Md., in 1992.
He worked for several years at an inspection management
company before becoming a fundraising consultant to parishes
in 1999. For that job, he spent several years traveling
between dioceses to help parishes execute capital campaigns.
Though his faith was strong, Deacon Hayes never considered a
vocation until a life-changing experience when he was 33
years old. He was living in South Riding and working at a
startup company when his roommate, an old friend, became sick
with cancer. Because his roommate’s family lived in other
parts of the country, Deacon Hayes became a full-time
caretaker.
“Prior to that, I had my agenda laid out,” Deacon Hayes said.
“When you’re a full-time caretaker, all of that goes on hold
because you have to be attuned to the needs of the person
you’re caring for. Through that seven-month time period to
the point where my roommate passed away, that got me
refocused on the direction I think the Holy Spirit wanted me
to be focused.”
After his roommate’s death, Deacon Hayes returned to
consulting work, but began to seriously discern a call to the
priesthood.
“I was thinking about the people I knew and imagining them
coming into a relationship with God and the whole beauty of
hearing confessions and being available to people,” he said.
“The thing that makes a priest different from other lay
people is he’s the one who provides the sacraments.”
Deacon Hayes entered the seminary in 2007 and spent his first
two years at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus,
Ohio, before transferring to St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.
His desire to be a priest was reinforced a few years later at
a diocesan “Life is Very Good” rally in Woodbridge. Thousands
of teens and young adults were at the event, which included
confessions. Near the end of the night, Deacon Hayes
remembers seeing hundreds of teenagers lined up for the
sacrament. Standing with a group of other seminarians, Deacon
Hayes remembers wishing he could step in and hear
confessions.
“I could be a teacher or a fundraiser, but I could never jump
in line and hear confession,” he said. “If you have the Holy
Spirit leading people to confession, what a tremendous grace
to be the one put in that place to reconcile them to the
church.”
Now that his ordination to the priesthood is only days away,
Deacon Hayes said he is most looking forward to building
fraternity with his brother priests as they work together to
bring people to Christ. He also hopes to be able to preach in
a way that will enable Catholics to look at their faith from
a fresh perspective.
“I (hope to) come up with ways to present the faith to the
people in a way that doesn’t overwhelm them, but enables them
to grow,” he said.
When it comes to discerning a vocation, Deacon Hayes said the
best thing a person can do is take action, to “get off the
fence” and explore the options available.
“I was one who sat on the fence for many years,” he said.
“The longest journey begins with just having that courage to
take the first step to try it. And then just being patient
and letting God lead where He wants to take you.”
Bahr can be reached on Twitter @KBahrACH.
