From Rock n' Roll to Rectory

FOR ORANGE COUNTY CATHOLIC
DIOCESAN NEWS

From Rock n’ Roll to Rectory

The the following was written in anticipation of my ordination to the priesthood for the Diocese of Orange, in California, May 10, 2006.

My decision to enter the seminary in 1997 came as a surprise to some, and my ordination to the priesthood two months ago came as a surprise to others. This seems to be a trend in my life. My mother had just given birth to my brother, Robert Manson, on May 25, 1971 at Westminster Hospital when she was told for the first time she was having twins! Can you imagine that surprise? I was born seven minutes later. My brother Brian was trying to celebrate his 2 birthday that very same day and my brother Dan, 7 years old a the time, wasn’t sure what to make of it all.

I am the son of Joe Manson, an Irish immigrant, and LaRue Manson, a native Californian. My family was very active at Blessed Sacrament Church and Blessed Sacrament School, which was staffed by a vibrant Irish community of Columban priests and nuns. The heart of my priestly vocation can be found precisely at this intersection of family and Church.

I grew up in an environment where Christ was constantly present. Home, church and school life were interconnected. From an early age I sensed that Christ was alive, present and somehow active in and around me. I learned about charity and the devotional life and how the two must always work together.

I enjoyed soccer, football, basketball, playing guitar and singing. In addition to my baseball card collection I also collected A New Priest’s Vocation Story holy cards. I was intrigued by the lives of the saints. Perhaps it comes as no surprise to you that at the end the 8th grade I told my parents I wanted to enter the seminary to become a priest. (I must admit I was torn between becoming a priest and a professional soccer player. After Father McGuinn informed me—much to my disappointment—that I couldn't be both, I settled on the priesthood.) This is where the story takes a long and unexpected turn.

My parents, together with the parish priest and the school principal, decided that it would be in my best interest to first attend a nonseminary high school. Following my brothers’ lead, I entered Mater Dei High School. With 1,200 girls in one school, I quickly suffered from a serious case of “amnesia;” that is to say, I completely lost any and all recollection of ever wanting to become a priest! Friends, sports, music and just being a teenager only added to these symptoms. I played soccer my freshman year, was very involved in the music department, played guitar and sang in a rock band. Meanwhile, the Catholic community and environment at Mater Dei helped me to keep God a part of my life. In 1989, at the end of my senior year at Mater Dei, I once again approached my parents to share my big plans for the future. (Deep breath). “I’ve decided not to go to college,” I said. “Instead, I’m going to continue playing in the rock band.” (Parents gasp!). The way I saw it then was: I love music; life is about doing what you love and so I would become…a musician.

I worked as a waiter during the day and played music in clubs at night. We had the rock “look” (one that definitely would not have met the dress code at Mater Dei) and the rock sound! Fame was just around the corner, or so we thought. After a few years of playing clubs in Orange County, Los Angeles, and San Diego, the unthinkable, the unimaginable occurred to me for the first time: there was the possibility—ever so slight—that our band was not going to “make it.” (I gasp)

With my hair pulled back in a ponytail, I got a “real job” working part-time with my brother for a finance company while continuing to play the clubs at night. I quickly learned that a steady paycheck and weekends off weren’t such a bad way to live after all! I quit the band and became a businessman. I worked six years for a Fortune 500 company in California, New Jersey and Chicago. Living on the 39th floor of my Lake Shore Drive apartment and working next to the Sears Tower in Chicago as an associate account executive, life had turned out really well. I was making good money, traveling to Europe in the summers and to California for long weekends.

In the winter of 1996, when I was 25 years old, I decided to write some goals and objectives for the coming year. This simple project proved to be life-changing. I had already achieved more than enough to know that more of the same—money and status—were not the answers I was looking for. I was dating and assumed it was just a matter of time before I found the “right one” and got married; however, this prospect didn’t seem to bring me much consolation. After reflection, I realized that I had not allowed God to be a part of my life for a long time. I returned to the sacrament of reconciliation after many years and began to attend Sunday Mass regularly. Eventually, I started to go to Mass during the week on my lunch break and got involved with some local charities.

I loved my job, Chicago, and working with the elderly. My life was back in order. (Note to self: always watch out when you invite God into your life). Once again, something unthinkable and unimaginable happened to me: I started to feel intrigued by the priesthood. I had no idea why I felt this way until at some point the “amnesia” subsided and I remembered for the first time since I was 15 that I had once wanted to become a priest. Imagine that surprise! The desire to become a priest returned and it continued to grow within me. At the same time, the thought of becoming a priest scared me. I tried to convince God he had the wrong guy. “I’m not the priest-type,” I said. I just wanted to be a good Christian husband, father and businessman. God pursued.

I entered the seminary in 1997 and completed six years of priestly formation in Boston before returning to Orange County in 2003 and completing my studies. I am very grateful to the parish communities of Blessed Sacrament, San Francisco Solano, St. Hedwig and Immaculate Heart of Mary where I have lived, learned and discerned my call to the priesthood. With the support and guidance of family, friends and many Catholic organizations, I was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Orange on June 10. I am currently serving as a parochial vicar at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in La Habra.

God loves to surprise us and to do the unthinkable and unimaginable in our lives. It is important to remain open to God’s will at every stage of our lives. Might God be calling you the priesthood or religious life?