His plan was business; God's plan is priesthood

Sam Lucero gives the second of five reports in our Catholic Herald on the men to be ordained later this month.

Jason Lavann entered Marquette University in 1997 intending on a degree in economics and a business career.

But something happened on the way to financial success: a required freshman philosophy course at Marquette set in motion a paradigm shift.

Thomas Kuhn doing Thomas Aquinas' work.

"The tenor in the business world was profit-driven and I had deeper life questions that I felt weren’t being addressed," said Lavann.

Soon he'll be a pastor, and never concern himself about organizational income and expenses again.

He switched his major from business to philosophy and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2001. ...

As Lavann’s spiritual life blossomed, he made another connection important in Catholic life: charitable service. It was this dimension of the faith that finally led him to discern the priesthood.

"I had a friend who was a Catholic Worker at Casa Maria ...

Who apparently didn't harp on "justice, not charity".

Although his heart is in parish ministry, Lavann is also interested in youth ministry and Catholic-Jewish relations.

Priests seem to like having "ministers" around the parish. Maybe we could start having "rabbis" too. They could give actual answers to questions, which our priests and parish ministry are often averse to doing.

"I remember something Bishop (Richard J.) Sklba once said," stated Lavann. "He said, 'Ordination gives you permission to learn how to become a priest.' It's something now, as I stand here, that I'm taking to heart. ..."