Matthew Arbuckle, 39
Home parish: St. Joan of Arc, Kokomo

Please tell us a bit about your family background and hometown.

My parents, Jim and Marian, have been married for 48 years.  My father grew up near Russia-ville — which is where I grew up — and my mother grew up in New York City. I am the youngest of five (two brothers and two sisters), and there are seven nieces and two nephews, all of whom live in either Kokomo or Carmel.

Where did you go to school and church? What activities were you involved in?

I grew up attending St. Joan of Arc Parish in Kokomo, and with the exception of sixth and seventh grades at St. Joan of Arc School, I attended Western School Corp. through high school. College was at Marian College in Indianapolis, where I graduated with a degree in business administration. Some activities through high school included varsity football, CYO basketball and volleyball and National Honor Society. I am a fourth-degree Knight of Columbus.

What jobs did you have before entering the seminary?

The last couple jobs I had before seminary were managing a car rental office in Indianapolis for a few years, then working for the Kokomo Hearing Center as a sales rep., covering roughly a half dozen offices in northcentral Indiana; this job I had for 3½ years before entering seminary.

What led to your decision to become a priest? How did you feel you were called?

It was not so much a feeling of being called so much as an understanding that fulfilling my responsibilities to Mother Church include responding to her needs.  When I saw some of the priests in our diocese from other far-off continents, there was a realization that maybe I was being asked to give more of myself to the Body of Christ. Those priests’ example of humble sacrifice was very inspiring.

Who has inspired and encouraged you during your years of formation?

Christ crucified is the ultimate inspiration, and every crucifix is that reminder. Also, through this Year for Priests, I have been reminded of the life and model of priestly vocation of St. John Marie Vianney — the patron of parish priests. Closer to home, I am inspired by everyone in every parish who has so generously paid for my seminary education — this has meant no small sacrifice on their part; and every person in the parish who selflessly offers prayers for seminarians is a constant source of encouragement.  Frankly, there is no shortage of those who have been of inspiration and encouragement.

What experiences have affirmed your calling since entering the seminary?

There have been quite a few — from baptisms to burials, confession lines and lonely hospital rooms — they have all had a profound impact. But one has to look no further than reading the paper or watching the news to see how much the world is confused and hurting, and we also see how much the Church is hated and attacked. In the face of this antagonism, I am confident that the answer to the world’s confusion is Christ.

What do you look forward to in the next year as a deacon?

I look forward to only having one year of seminary remaining!  Along with that, I am excited to perform baptisms, proclaim the Gospel and deliver homilies. A deacon’s mission is ordered towards Christ the servant, and I am eager to participate in that mission.

Joshua Bennett, 29
Home parish: St. Maria Goretti, Westfield

Please tell us a bit about your family background and hometown.

I was born in Toledo, Ohio, and raised in a small southeastern Michigan town named Ottawa Lake. I am the oldest of three to my parents, John and Tina. My brother, Jonathan, is a year younger than me and my sister, Amanda, is 3½ years younger. My parents were divorced when I was 8 years old and my siblings and I lived with our mother in my childhood home in Ottawa Lake.

All of my grandparents are still living and when I was born all of my great-grandparents were living as well; my last paternal great-grandparent died in 2004. At last count, I was the oldest of some 21 grandchildren on my dad’s side of the family, with the youngest one having just been born a few weeks ago. I also have five cousins on my mother’s side of the family.

My hometown was very small and I went to a small school and graduated high school in a “large” class of 52 students. In high school, I was a letter winner in varsity football for two years and a four-year letter winner in track. I also participated in student government and was president of our National Honor Society during my senior year.

Where did you go to school and church? What activities were you involved in?

After high school, I attended Michigan Technological University in Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula and earned a bachelor’s of science in civil engineering. While at Michigan Tech, I was very active in the Undergraduate Student Government and was elected president of the undergraduate student body for my senior year. I was also a “die-hard” hockey fan and had season tickets for all four years that I attended MTU; however, I might be able to count on my two hands the total number of wins I actually witnessed by my alma mater.

It was also during my time at Michigan Tech that I entered the Catholic Church. Although I had been exposed to the Catholic Church and had even attended Catholic grade school in grades K-3, I had never received baptism nor had I been raised in any faith tradition. I began to attend RCIA during the fall of my senior year of college and was brought into the Church at the Easter Vigil just three weeks before graduation; it was a very blessed and hectic time.

What jobs did you have before entering the seminary?

Growing up I had several jobs with my family. My great-grandparents owned an apple orchard, so my first job was picking up apples which had fallen to the ground for 25 cents a bushel. My grandfather owns a heavy civil construction company and when I was older, I worked around the shop yard and eventually construction job sites. I remained working for my grandfather’s company during my summers in college. However, upon graduation from Michigan Tech, I took a position with Turner Construction Company, a national construction management/project management firm. In fact, it was my trip to Indianapolis for my interview when I had, for the first time in my life, crossed the border into Indiana. The next time that I would cross the state line would be when I moved down after Memorial Day in 2002 with what little belongings I had, and moved to Indianapolis to begin my professional career. When I moved to Indiana, I didn’t even have an apartment yet, but stayed with a co-worker until I could find something and get my bearings on the city.

I worked for Turner for just over three years before entering the seminary in the fall of 2005.

What led to your decision to become a priest? How did you feel you were called?

Well, firstly, the decision was not mine, but God’s; I was truly led to the priesthood by Jesus himself. I think that being a newly baptized Catholic with the challenges and excitement of moving to a new city, starting a new job and making new friends, kept me grounded and centered and eventually open to what God had wanted for me all along, because I had the desire and intent to keep my faith and to do that which was necessary to preserve it. One of the first things I did when I moved to Indy, even before finding an apartment, was to search out a parish. Eventually, I got an apartment on the north side of Indianapolis and was invited by a co-worker to join him and his family at St. Maria Goretti in Westfield. It was here, in this environment, amidst all multitude of crying babies and young families, that I first heard God calling me to something more than just Sunday Mass. I eventually started to go to daily Mass, and it was through my daily encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist that my will became ever more compliant to his Divine Will. Finally, I seemed to just know that God was calling me to be a priest and I did the natural thing and tried to run as fast as I could away from this calling. However, I could only run so fast for so long and, after a period of a couple months, I remember praying before going to bed and reading: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it” (Mk 8:34-35). After reading this, I said, “You win … I am yours” and instantly I felt a sense of peace that I had not felt since baptism and I knew that God wanted me to be a priest and I have been blessed to remain confident in God’s desire for me throughout my seminary formation and remain at peace as I continue to act in accord with God’s Will.

Who has inspired and encouraged you during your years of formation?

I was inspired by the priests of the Carmel/Westfield area when I moved here from Michigan. I remember going to daily Mass at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton at 6:30 a.m. and Father Brian Dudzinski’s reverence for the Mass and the fact that he would always make a point to say hello after Mass. I also remember Father Dominic Young at the 6:30 a.m. Masses at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and his obvious love for Scripture and his zeal for preaching God’s Word … even at 6:30 in the morning. I also had the example of Father Kevin Haines’ love of our Eucharistic Lord and Father Dale Ehrman’s spiritual insights into the Scriptures at St. Maria Goretti.

However, there were three priests, at three very different times in my years of discernment and preparation, that made significant impacts in helping me to see that God was in fact calling me to the priesthood:

Firstly, Father Thomas Poisson of the Diocese of Marquette, the retired pastor of St. Ignatius Loyola Parish in Houghton, Mich., where I entered the Church. It was at St. Ignatius where I began to attend Mass with the intent to become Catholic, and Father Poisson preached a series of “teaching” homilies on the beliefs of the Church and how they apply to our lives. The series of homilies was perfect for someone like me who was coming into this Catholic thing “wet behind the ears.”

Secondly, Father Robert Mazzola of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Assigned to the Catholic offices in downtown Indianapolis, he often said the daily noon Masses at the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul where I attended daily Mass for 18 months prior to entering the seminary. He was the first priest to invite me to participate in the liturgy, by asking me to lector at Mass, and he was the first priest to ask if I had ever thought about the priesthood. Father Mazzola also invited me out to dinner on several occasions and gave me the opportunity to experience priestly fraternity.

Lastly, Father Richard Doerr, the pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. He was the proverbial “straw that broke the camel’s back.” I had been struggling with God’s calling for me in my life and if I could do what he was asking me to do, and by sheer providence, I overslept one day and missed Mass at St. Maria Goretti, so I went to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel instead. It just so happens that God put me at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel on the day of Father Jeff Martin’s first Mass; however, I was not at Father Martin’s first Mass, but rather at the Mass immediately preceding it at which Father Richard Doerr preached the homily. Father Doerr’s homily reflected on Father Martin’s journey from his professional life through the seminary up to the cathedral, the day prior, where he had been ordained a priest – at which Father Doerr’s voice began to crack with emotion at his own realization of the profound work of grace that had taken place in Father Martin’s life and in our Local Church. Father Doerr went on to explain the importance of the priest and the priesthood and the need for all men to take very seriously their calling to the priesthood if God was indeed calling them. All throughout the homily, the church -- which was packed with a near standing-room-only crowd -- might as well have disappeared, as it seemed that Father Doerr was talking right to me, as if I was the only one there … A week later I contacted Father Brian Doerr about my calling to be formed in the seminary for the priesthood.

These three priests share two things in common: First, they all came along at exactly the right time in my life and on my path of discernment to help me to make my will like the Divine Will of God and, second, I doubt any of them realized at the time or even now the impact their actions back then had on me and continue to have on me to this day, which not only proves to me God’s Divine Providence at work, but it also shows me that these three priests have, in a special way, become true stewards of the Gospel and have become models of imitation.

What experiences have affirmed your calling since entering the seminary?

There have been numerous experiences during my five years in the seminary that have shown me that not only am I where God wants me to be, but that he wants me to keep going and to become one of his priests. Some of the most amazing experiences have been the random cards and letters that I receive from people I have never met who are offering prayers and sacrifices for me, so that I might become a holy priest. The fact that so many people are giving of their time, talent and treasure to help me to become a priest is a manifestation of God’s will, through his holy people, that he, too, desires me to become one of his priests.

What do you look forward to in the next year as a deacon?

I look forward to preaching and baptizing. I pray that I might be able to proclaim the Gospel effectively and bring people closer to Christ and prepare hearts and minds to receive the sacraments, and for those who are unbaptized, I pray that I may not only bring God into their lives through the Divine Word, but also bring them into God’s own life, as sons and daughters, through the cleansing and saving waters of baptism.

Sean Pogue, 28
Home parish: Holy Family, Gas City

Please tell us a bit about your family background and hometown.

I was born and raised in Fairmount, Ind. I am the youngest of five children. I have two older sisters and two older brothers. My father is the late Paul O. Pogue and my mother is Patricia Ann Pogue. Growing up in a small town in a county that is about 3 percent Catholic provided ample opportunity to witness to the Catholic faith. Though it was not until I went to college that I heard the word “apologetics,” I had been engaging in explaining and defending the faith in small ways since I was a child. I recall when I received First Holy Communion I had to explain to the kids at school what this was and why it was important when I brought in my rosary and scapular for show and tell. Though there were very few Catholics in my school (maybe a dozen or so out of 400 in high school), I found that most people were respectful of the Catholic faith even though they themselves did not believe in it or accept it. My hometown is small, but it is truly home. It resembles many of the communities of our diocese. I enjoy returning to visit my mother and to catch up with friends.

Where did you go to school and church? What activities were you involved in?

I am a lifelong member of Holy Family Church in Gas City. I received all of the sacraments of initiation there. I began serving Mass when I was 8 years old. My two older brothers were both servers and I wanted to follow in their footsteps. I served Mass each week until I graduated from high school. My oldest brother was the “head server” who trained us all. I took on this role in high school as well. During the summers, my mother and I would go to daily Mass and I would serve then, too. Mom would bring Communion to the sick and I would accompany her on these home visits. This had a tremendous impact on my vocation. She began doing this around the time I received First Holy Communion, which was very special to me as it is an important day in the life of every Catholic. I realized how important the Eucharist was to other people on these visits. I learned early on that Communion was more than just something we did on Sunday. I learned from my mother the power of compassion and the value of self-giving love. She has a heart of gold. I would later become an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion and would bring Communion to people myself. Additionally, when I was in high school I was a catechist. Attempting to pass the faith on to others challenged me to learn more. Mom and Dad were the catechists/directors of RCIA in our parish. I learned much from sitting in on my father’s RCIA classes. Though Dad never received any formal or university education in the faith, he was the most educated Catholic I have ever known. He was a voracious reader and he remembered everything he read. I learned from him the value of intellectual formation. He had a true love of knowledge, which is something that cannot be taught. I have tried to emulate this love. This is my memorial to him.

What jobs did you have before entering the seminary?

My first job was as a paper boy when I was 13 years old. In my family, this was the traditional “first job.” I also detassled corn one summer, which was another rite of passage in my family. When I turned 16, I applied for a job at the new Staples store in Marion before it opened. I then had the opportunity to be on a team that got the store ready for grand opening. I would work at Staples, in various stores throughout the state, for the next seven years. I worked there all through high school and college. I worked my way up the ladder, since becoming a retail executive was my ambition at the time. I was an assistant manager for about six months when I began to seriously discern a call to the priesthood.

What led to your decision to become a priest? How did you feel you were called?

I had thought about being a priest since I was in the third grade. I held on to this idea through high school. When I was in college, the thought of being a priest began to slip away as I began to think of other possibilities. I am thankful for this because as I tried to broaden my horizons, my understanding of priesthood also expanded. This scared me at first as I realized just how much sacrifice was involved. However, a few years later, I felt that sacrificing everything for a happy life is better than never taking any risks at all. It was not until my girlfriend at the time started talking about marriage that I realized that I needed to carefully consider how I wanted to spend the rest of my life. A few years later, I learned that more importantly I needed to do what God wanted for me in order to be truly happy. I felt I was called when I thought that I had already received everything I wanted. This is not to say that I had a fulfilling life, I just had narrow vision. You can get everything you want, but that is all you get. When you do what God wants, you receive what is beyond your wildest dreams. If I had to describe a moment when I felt most called, I would say that it was during the 2004 Frassati Conference during Eucharistic adoration. There was a moment when I realized just how empty my life had become because my desire for a career had consumed all my energy. In realizing how empty my life was, I also realized how full it could be. I told myself that God would be the center of my life from that moment forward. I then began to seriously discern a call to priesthood. I entered seminary a year later. 

Who has inspired and encouraged you during your years of formation?

I have been blessed to have many people in my life who have shown me the way. Each of the priests to whom I have been assigned for my summer assignments has taught me a valuable lesson in one way or another. Bishop Higi was the first priest to ask me to consider going to seminary. He did so in 1997 when I attended one of the “Operation: Andrew” vocation dinners at the bishop’s house. Prior to this, I had talked to priests about becoming a priest myself, but I always sensed a hesitancy from them about encouraging me to seriously discern. When I approached the diocese about going to seminary, Bishop Higi was very supportive. Father Dave Newton, pastor of St. John the Evangelist (Hartford City), St. Margaret (Montpelier) and St. Mary (Dunkirk), has worked with me since 1999, when he became pastor of Holy Family. I was in high school then and he has always encouraged me. Father Dave supported me in subtle ways, not pressuring me to make a decision or to choose one vocation over another. Some guys attribute their vocations to the persistence of priests in their lives. I am thankful that all of the priests who have influenced me have respected the central role of the Holy Spirit in the discernment of any vocation, and the necessary freedom for a person to respond. Father Ambrose Ziegler provided spiritual direction for me when I began the application process. He, too, has always been very supportive of my vocation. Father Paul Cochran, pastor of St. Mary, Alexandria, and St. Joseph, Elwood, has also welcomed me into his ministry. Though I have not been assigned to him, Father Paul has invited me to assist in various activities in his two parishes. Countless people, priests and laity alike, have been instrumental in my continuance in seminary. Formation is not easy and can be discouraging at times, yet the support of friends, family, priests and brother seminarians is invaluable in growing into a new identity.

What experiences have affirmed your calling since entering the seminary?

Experiencing new life in the birth of children and experiencing the death of people with whom I have worked has given me a sense of urgency to live a life of integrity and meaning. In walking with people in the moments that define their lives, I have learned that discernment is not done in a vacuum. Rather, being present at these events can serve either to encourage a vocation or even to discourage one. Even the events that have discouraged me have tested my resolve to commit my life to priestly ministry. I have learned that the events of our lives are occasions to encounter God in a distinct way.

What do you look forward to in the next year as a deacon?

In my last year of seminary as a deacon, I look forward to being in leadership at the seminary. I hope to be a positive influence on all of my brothers. I look forward to continuing in my parish assignment at St. Paul in Tell City, Ind. This past year I was a catechist there. I look forward to preaching, to baptizing and to ministering to people in the critical moments of their lives. I hope that this year will provide ample opportunity for me to prepare for life as a priest.

Anthony Rowland, 26
Home parish: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Carmel

Please tell us a bit about your family background and hometown.

I was born in 1984 at Long Beach, Calif., lived in Ohio for a few years, and then moved to Carmel in 1992. I lived there until I entered seminary.

My parents are both still living and I have seven half-brothers and half-sisters. I am the youngest of them all. My dad was in the Air Force and retired. After retiring, we moved to Indiana. My dad is working for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and my mom works for the Westfield Public Library. My half-brothers and half-sisters live all over. They live in Iowa, Texas, Arizona, Virginia, Indiana and Switzerland. I also have many nieces and nephews.

Where did you go to school and church? What activities were you involved in?

I went to Westfield schools from second grade through high school. I then went to Purdue University for a year where I was going to study electrical engineering. After one year at Purdue, I transferred to seminary and entered the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio. After graduating from the Josephinum, I went to Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., to continue my formation and study theology.

I was involved with many activities with the Church growing up. I went to both the middle school and high school youth programs at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. I was an altar server. During my years in high school, I would help out with Mass as a lector or as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion. I went on a number of retreats, as well as going to Destination Jesus each year while I was in high school.

What jobs did you have before entering the seminary?

I worked at the Westfield Public Library for a couple of years, and then worked at Barnes & Noble bookstore through high school and in the summer for a couple of years in college. I also worked at Purdue in the food service for about half a year.

What led to your decision to become a priest? How did you feel you were called?

My acceptance of God’s call for me to become a priest was ultimately decided upon in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. I did take a while to come to this decision. I can recall my first thoughts about the priesthood coming when I was in sixth grade. I did continue to think about it afterwards and prayed to God, asking him to tell me bluntly what he was calling me to do with my life. Although he did answer my prayer, I was still hesitant to enter seminary. I began to come up with excuses for why I would not be a good priest. I tried to do this for a while, but God is very persistent and compelling. I finally had to surrender myself to the Lord, and put my trust in him. One thing my Lord was teaching me through all of this is that I had to give all of myself to the Lord and not go part way. I needed to truly put all my trust in the Lord and wholeheartedly say, “Jesus, I trust in you.”

Who has inspired and encouraged you during your years of formation?

There have been a number of priests who have inspired me throughout my years of formation. They have encouraged me to not only have a strong prayer life, but also to be a truly faithful witness to Christ and his Church. Ultimately, my greatest encouragement comes from the Lord. When I may encounter difficulties or be stressed, my strength and encouragement comes from God,  although at times he does work through others.

My brothers and sisters in the faith have also borne witness to their support for me and this has also given me encouragement to continue in my formation. I am always grateful for the prayers that people offer to help the seminarians and priests to be good and holy men.

What experiences have affirmed your calling since entering the seminary?

I have been affirmed in my calling to be a priest through prayer and by those in charge of my formation. I have received much joy in my life and I am at peace with where I am and where I am going to be. When one first enters the seminary, he is still discerning whether God is calling him to be a priest. My greatest affirmation has been in prayer and the Lord has consoled me in my discernment. I eventually came to the point in my prayer where I had already received God’s call for me to be a priest and accepted it. I needed to move on with my prayer life so that I may be an effective priest of Our Lord for the people.

The people in the diocese have also affirmed me in the direction my life is going. They have spoken words of encouragement, support and assurance that I will be a good priest in service of Our Lord. I am truly grateful for their kindness and graciousness.

What do you look forward to in the next year as a deacon?

I look forward to serving the people and assisting the priests in any way that I can. I am especially looking forward to bringing people into the Church by the sacrament of baptism. I find that to be a tremendous gift through which people are able to receive many more graces from Christ through his Church. It is truly an exciting time for me in caring ever more in Christ’s flock. I am grateful and honored and hope that I and the faithful join more closely in our giving of glory and honor to God.