New priests for 2013

“(Becoming a priest) was a very peaceful thought that just
came to me and never really left,” Barnes said.

Barnes was born Aug. 26, 1985, and grew up in Denver. After
moving to Virginia halfway through high school, he attended
Paul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax, and it was there
that he first became dedicated to his faith. After graduating
in 2003, Barnes attended the University of Virginia in
Charlottesville, where he majored in history and economics.
While in college, he began thinking about his vocation.

“I began to think about it and discern and pray about it,” he
said.
When it was time to graduate, Barnes already had a consulting
job lined up in Washington. After signing the contract, he
realized he was being called to the seminary, so he talked to
the person who had hired him.

“I didn’t know what his faith background was, but I went in
and told him and his reaction was, ‘God bless you,’ and he
gave me a hug,” Barnes said.
The man told Barnes that he had looked at his resume again
before the meeting and had an impression he should become a
priest. Then he asked to be invited to Barnes’ ordination
Mass.

“That was definitely a confirming moment,” Barnes said.

In 2007, Barnes entered St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in
Wynnewood, Pa. After two years, Arlington Bishop Paul S.
Loverde asked him to study at the Pontifical North American
College in Rome, where he’s been for the past four years.

During the last four years, Barnes said he’s felt rewarded
knowing that he is on the path God planned for him. He also
has loved studying in Rome – especially being able to witness
the historic events surrounding Pope Benedict XVI’s
resignation and Pope Francis’ election earlier this year.

“I felt really blessed to be here,” Barnes said. “I’ve had a
lot of blessings in the seminary. Watching the pope get
elected was one of the most exciting nights of my life.”

The most challenging part of his time in seminary has been
remaining patient and taking things one step at a time until
he can become a priest. During his year as a transitional
deacon, he has been working with students in Rome as part of
the study abroad program for St. Mary College in South Bend,
Ind. His job included organizing campus ministry events,
Masses, catechetical nights and excursions in and around
Rome.

As he counts down the days until he becomes a priest, Barnes
most looks forward to working in a parish.

“(I’m excited) just to help bring people closer to God, to
share the love that God has with me and with everyone else
and to celebrate the sacraments,” he said.
For other men discerning a call to the priesthood, Barnes
suggests that they have the courage to follow God’s will for
their lives.

“Pursuing this has been really rewarding for me and I’m very
excited to be a priest,” he said. “(Don’t) be afraid of what
God has in store because He definitely has a plan and His
plan is way better than anything we could come up with.”

The ‘hardest, easiest
decision’

Deacon Brendan Bartlett gave
up a career as a federal agent to join the priesthood.

By KATIE BAHR
Catholic Herald Staff Writer

As the old expression says, “If you want to make God laugh,
tell Him your plans.”

Those words certainly ring true for Deacon Brendan Bartlett,
who spent years pursuing a career in federal law enforcement
before discerning a call to the priesthood in his late
20s.

“Everybody was surprised, but nobody was more surprised than
I was,” he said of his choice to enter the seminary.

Though becoming a priest was never something he envisioned,
Bartlett is eagerly awaiting his ordination June 8 at the
Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington and his new role
ministering to local Catholics.

The son of Dennis and Denise, Deacon Bartlett was born in San
Francisco in 1975. He has two younger brothers, two siblings
who passed away at birth, three nephews and one niece.

After his family moved to Virginia in 1987, Bartlett attended
seventh and eighth grade at Holy Spirit School in Annandale
and graduated from Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington
in 1993. From there, he studied psychology at James Madison
University in Harrisonburg, graduating in 1997.

Though the faith was always a big part of Deacon Bartlett’s
life – his uncle was a Jesuit priest and his father had spent
years as a Jesuit seminarian before getting married – he had
never considered the priesthood and instead pursued a career
as a federal agent.

“I had my own idea of what I wanted to do,” Bartlett said.
“My career track was everything I had been hoping for and
things were moving along well for me, but as it goes, I felt
like something was missing and I knew what it was.”

After college, Deacon Bartlett became an “on-again, off-again
Catholic” who didn’t attend Mass or practice the faith
regularly. In his mid-20s, he decided to make weekly Mass a
priority and recommit to his faith.

“Then this idea of a vocation started to blow up, so I went
with it,” Deacon Bartlett said. “It was one of those things
where I had these plans and God had a different plan and He
was drawing me closer and closer. (Going to seminary) was the
hardest, easiest decision I ever had to make. I knew it was
something I had to do, but taking that step was the hardest
thing to do.”

After spending three years in a religious order in Chicago,
Deacon Bartlett decided that was not for him, although he
still wanted to be a priest. He was accepted to be a diocesan
seminarian in early 2008 and spent the next year at St.
Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pa., before being
asked to study at the Pontifical North American College in
Rome by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde.
During his years in seminary, Deacon Bartlett said he’s
received intense spiritual formation and developed close
friendships with people from all over the country. He has
enjoyed living in Rome, where he was witnessed the
universality of the church and developed a real affinity for
the Holy Father. This year, especially, has been exciting, as
Deacon Bartlett witnessed Pope Benedict XVI’s retirement and
Pope Francis’ election and served as a deacon during Pope
Francis’ Mass on Easter Sunday.

“I consider it a real grace to have been able to do that in
my last few months in Rome,” Bartlett said. “It was a great
way to cap off the four years.”
As his ordination date draws near, Deacon Bartlett said he is
most excited about the sacramental ministries of celebrating
Mass and hearing confessions and being able to spend time
with the people of the diocese.

For other men thinking about the priesthood, Deacon Bartlett
suggests they keep an open mind and seek priestly role
models. Though becoming a priest never was something he
envisioned, the process has been incredibly fulfilling.

“I honestly can’t imagine doing anything else or any other
lifestyle at this point,” he said. “It’s not so much what I’m
doing as what I am.”

‘To be a man of God’

A random email helped Deacon
Jason Burchell stop running from his vocation.

By DAVE BOROWSKI
Catholic Herald Staff Writer

Deacon Jason Burchell’s grandfather served in World War II
and would tell him stories of piloting a B-24 Liberator over
Italy. It was heady stuff that stayed with him all the way
through seminary.

“I looked up to him,” he said. “I wanted to fly.”

Things didn’t work out entirely as planned.

On June 8, Burchell will join seven other ordinandi at the
Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington to be ordained a
Catholic priest.

Deacon Burchell was born Feb. 1, 1980, and raised in
Charlottesville. He attended Catholic middle school and
developed a love of athletics and sports. After graduation
from high school he entered James Madison University in
Harrisonburg to study kinesiology and sports management.

Inspired by his grandfather, he planned to go to the U.S.
Naval Academy in Annapolis to live out his desire to fly, but
he changed his mind.

After college he worked on a cruise ship with Royal Caribbean
for a while. He had been a devout Catholic, but his life
changed when he went on board the ship. There was no Catholic
Mass.

“I never missed Mass until the cruise ship,” said Deacon
Burchell.

Life on board ship was hectic, visiting dozens of countries
in just a few months. After about five months he tired of the
life and returned to Virginia to sell cars at his father’s
dealership.

Deacon Burchell said he was good at selling cars, but
something was missing.
He had a girlfriend, and he returned to James Madison to earn
a master’s degree in sports administration and coaching. He
went to work in Richmond as a YMCA aquatic director. During
this time he broke up with his girlfriend.

But a random email from an old acquaintance changed his
life.

“I hadn’t seen the guy in years,” he said.

The email was an advertisement for the military chaplaincy.
When Deacon Burchell saw the ad he realized he’d been running
from a vocation for a long time.

“I decided to take (chaplaincy training) seriously,” he
said.
He went on a discernment retreat with the military
archdiocese and realized then that this was what he wanted,
“to be a man of God.”

“I’ve been trying since (I was) 12 years old to figure out
what I wanted to do,” said Deacon Burchell.

He will enter the chaplaincy after three years of service as
a parish priest in the Arlington Diocese. It’s an agreement
between Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde and the Archdiocese
for the Military Services. He’ll serve as a chaplain and
Naval officer for at least a three-year tour. After three
years, the bishop will either extend his chaplaincy for
another three years or assign him to a diocesan parish.

“I’ve given this a lot of thought,” he said. “I can serve the
Lord in this capacity.”

His family is behind his vocation and will be there for his
ordination.

“Mom and Dad could not have been more supportive,” he
said.

His brother Joe is an Air Force pilot and his sister Julie is
married to an Army Judge Advocate General officer, so he’s
continuing the family military tradition.
With his ordination day getting closer he said he has no
doubts.

“I’m ready,” he said. “I’m excited to fulfill His will.”

Drawn to evangelization

Many people helped Deacon
Cavanaugh understand the Gospel, and now he wants to share
the good news with others.

By DAVE BOROWSKI
Catholic Herald Staff Writer

After Deacon Thomas M. Cavanaugh graduated from Bishop
O’Connell High School in Arlington in 1999, he didn’t
immediately go off to college like most of his contemporaries
– he went to Europe.

He was born in 1981 and raised in a Catholic family by
parents Mike and Susan. The family attended St. Agnes Church
in Arlington, but it wasn’t until Europe that he came to
develop his faith fully.

It was on a short trip to Rome in 2000 when he read the
Gospels and had what he called his “big conversion” in St.
Peter’s Square. It was where he finally came to know the
living God.

After his Rome experience, he became active in Young Life
International, a non-denominational youth ministry group that
brings the Gospel to adolescents around the world. He worked
in Ethiopia for a year with the group.

He returned to the United States and continued his studies,
first at Northern Virginia Community College and then on to
study philosophy and theology at the Franciscan University in
Steubenville, Ohio.

He returned to Arlington in 2005, enrolled at Marymount
University and earned a bachelor’s degree in theology and
art.

In 2006, after years of discernment, he entered Mount St.
Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md.

On June 8, Deacon Cavanaugh will be ordained a priest at the
Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, the culmination of
years of discernment.

In preparation for this day, Deacon Cavanaugh has been
serving at St. Philip Church in Falls Church.

In addition to working with priests like Fathers Denis M.
Donahue, pastor, and Luke R. Dundon, parochial vicar, he said
it was the emphasis on discipleship and evangelization at St.
Philip that inspired him.

Last September, St. Philip held an evangelizing event that
coincided with its parish picnic. It was a door-to-door event
where volunteers and seminarians went to homes in the
neighborhood in a spirit of discipleship.

“Our selling point was not ‘You really have to accept the
Gospel,'” said Deacon Cavanaugh.

It was an invitation to join the community at the St. Philip
picnic.

“Join the festivities,” were the key words of the day.

If people expressed an interest in the faith, the
parishioners were told to encourage that interest with prayer
and offer them a visit or call from a priest.
There were positive results from the visits; one neighbor
actually came to Sunday Mass.

His time at St. Philip is ending and as the time of his
ordination approaches, Deacon Cavanaugh said he is “immensely
joyful and excited.”
He said there were many priests who helped him find and
develop his vocation, but many lay persons too.

“Kip Vaile was the first (person) to really challenge me to
read the Gospels,” said Deacon Cavanaugh.

Vaile was a former supervisor who became his “spiritual big
brother.” The two still meet three or four times a year to
study the Gospel.

The man who was responsible for instilling a love of
evangelization was pro-life lawyer Sam Casey. They meet twice
a year to discuss discipleship and evangelization issues.

Cecelia Schmitt, former assistant for vocation promotion in
the diocesan Office of Vocations, taught him the interior
life of a disciple of Christ.

“We would pray for each other,” Deacon Cavanaugh said.

Finally he credited his mother and father.

“If there’s any goodness in me, it’s because of what I
received from my parents.”

‘Get off the fence’

After a career fundraising for
parishes, Deacon Christopher Hayes found his
vocation.

By KATIE BAHR
Catholic Herald Staff Writer

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.”

A search for happiness

Deacon Mike Isenberg left a
good job and comfortable lifestyle for the priesthood.

By DAVE BOROWSKI

Catholic Herald Staff Writer
On June 8, the eve of his 32nd birthday, Deacon Mike Isenberg
will be ordained a priest at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More
in Arlington. He said it’s the culmination of a lifelong
search for happiness.

Deacon Isenberg was born in Buffalo, N.Y., to parents Joan
and Bob. The family moved to Herndon when he was 4 years old.
A few years later, the family settled in Dumfries, where he
attended public school and eventually Seton School in
Manassas.

After high school, he enrolled at Virginia Tech in
Blacksburg, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in
computer engineering in 2003.
His training as an engineer offered him the potential for an
affluent lifestyle. He went to work for software consulting
firms first in New York then in Tampa, Fla.
But even with increasing economic prosperity, Deacon Isenberg
was not satisfied.

“I was searching for happiness by buying things,” he said.
“(But) I wasn’t happy.”
While in Tampa, he spent a lot of time praying and reflecting
on his life. He went to daily Mass and prayed at eucharistic
adoration chapels. The prayer and reflection were slowly
drawing him to the priesthood.

He realized what had been missing in his life – a total
commitment to a priestly vocation. He called Father Brian G.
Bashista, Arlington diocesan director of the Office of
Vocations, and told him that he was interested in the
priesthood.
He applied and was accepted to Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in
Emmitsburg, Md., in 2006.

He spent two years studying at the Pontifical North American
College in Rome, returning to Mount St. Mary’s in 2010.

It took Deacon Isenberg seven years to arrive at this moment
– a bit longer than most discernment, so he took time off to
work in parishes including Holy Trinity in Gainseville, St.
Catherine of Siena in Great Falls and St. John the Apostle in
Leesburg. He said it helped him appreciate the role of a
priest.

His experience with the other men studying at Mount St.
Mary’s was wonderful, he said.

“We jelled together,” he said of the friendship and
camaraderie that developed among his fellow seminarians.

For the past year, Deacon Isenberg has been assigned to St.
Agnes Church in Arlington. Once a week he teaches first,
third, fourth, and sixth grade at St. Agnes School, and it’s
something he loves.

Deacon Isenberg will celebrate his first Mass on his birthday
at Holy Trinity in Ashburn, his home parish. As the day
quickly arrives, he is trying to take in everything.

He said there have been many people responsible for helping
him find his vocation. He is especially thankful for the help
and friendship of Father Francis J. Peffley, then-pastor of
Holy Trinity.

“(Father Peffley) has been in and out of my life for 20
years,” he said. “He was very inspirational.”

Now that his ordination is just days away, he can reflect on
the events that have brought him to this point and what the
ordination will mean.

“I’m excited,” he said. “I don’t think it’s quite hit me
yet.”

A love expressed with
joy

Deacon Eric Shafer grew up
unbaptized but was drawn to the beauty of the Catholic
faith.

By KATIE COLLINS
Catholic Herald Editorial Assistant

Deacon Eric Shafer can’t get through more than a few minutes
without laughing. And it’s a contagious laugh. The
transitional deacon, who will be ordained a priest June 8 at
the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, seems to
communicate what Pope Francis referred to in a homily last
month as “the joy of being loved by God.”

“I’ve always had a joyful spirit about me,” said the
31-year-old Catholic convert during a recent interview. And,
he added, being with parishioners, serving them pastorally
and sacramentally, “really draws out that joy.”

Deacon Shafer was born Nov. 15, 1981, to Brenda and Jerry
Shafer. His father, who was in the Army, died when he was 16
and his mother remarried.
Although he grew up an unbaptized Baptist, he was attracted
to Catholicism even as a small boy. He remembers seeing
images of beautiful Catholic churches in movies and thinking
the Catholic Church was the real deal, that it was “The
Church,” he said.

After he graduated in 2000 from Fauquier High School in
Warrenton, Deacon Shafer attended Northern Virginia Community
College for a while, eventually moving to Charlotte, N.C., to
work for Wachovia Bank. He dated a Peruvian girl who was
culturally Catholic, and he thought about converting to
Catholicism to marry in the church.

The relationship ended in 2002 and he found himself still
considering conversion. It was a pivotal time for him.

Deacon Shafer had known he wanted to do some kind of service
work, either as a police officer or a firefighter, or to
follow in his father’s footsteps in the military.
The year after his breakup, he made the decision to join the
church and the Army.

He went through basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and
was stationed at Fort Drum, N.Y.

At the 2003 Easter Vigil, Deacon Shafer was received into the
Catholic Church. That night a decade ago was “the highlight
of my life,” he said.

The journey to that moment was a bit bumpy at times, he
acknowledged, but overall “it was a lot of fun.” Rite of
Christian Initiation of Adults classes opened up a whole new
world to him, and he was able to understand the details and
depth of the faith he’d felt so drawn to since he was
young.

As a new Catholic, the life of Blessed Pope John Paul II was
a special inspiration, and his death was another turning
point in his life.

“My desire to be a priest had always been there, but I really
didn’t recognize it until then,” he said. Inspired by the
pope’s holiness and strength, Deacon Shafer wanted to model
his life after him. “It was then that I really started to
think about the priesthood.”

While on leave from the Army in 2005, Deacon Shafer met with
Father Brian G. Bashista, Arlington diocesan director of
vocations, and started to consider a vocation more intensely.
He eventually enrolled in the Pontifical College Josephinum
in Columbus, Ohio, earning a bachelor’s degree in philosophy
in 2009. Deacon Shafer recently completed his final year at
Catholic University’s Theological College in Washington.

His diaconate year was spent at All Saints Church in
Manassas, the largest parish in the diocese. While at times
it was stressful to juggle demanding seminary and parish
responsibilities, Deacon Shafer knows balancing multiple
demands is part of being a parish priest – and it’s a job
he’s ready to jump into wholeheartedly.
“After so many years preparing, you want to do the things
you’ve been learning about, the things that God created you
to do,” he said.

“There are guys who struggle with doubt in seminary, but I
honestly felt this is God’s call for me. I didn’t always know
how it would all work out, but I felt really secure in the
call. It’s a grace and I’m so grateful for it.”

And along with gratitude, he’ll no doubt continue to answer
the call with a steady dose of laughter and much joy.