Our Seminarians
Our Seminarians > Christopher Ryan Heanue
Christopher Ryan Heanue
Home Parish: Blessed Virgin Mary Help of Christians, Maspeth
Pastoral Year Parish:
Seminary: Cathedral Seminary Residence
"Do Not Be Afraid"!!! Just follow your heart and God will provide the rest.
A vocation to the diocesan priesthood is a special one; and as some have said, a vocation to the priesthood in Brooklyn “is a vocation within a vocation”. I believe that I am called to be a diocesan priesthood; because, I have a special love for the Diocese of Brooklyn. I feel that as a diocesan priest, I will be able to minister to families and form relationships with the faithful from the various neighborhoods that are part of the Catholic Church in Brooklyn and Queens. I love the diversity of our diocese; I love Brooklyn.
I entered seminary formation, technically speaking, the day that I entered high school seminary of the Diocese at Cathedral Preparatory Seminary in Elmhurst. I studied at Cathedral Preparatory Seminary for a full four years, and after graduation entered the college seminary formation program at Cathedral Seminary Residence of the Immaculate Conception located in Douglaston. I am working towards a major in Philosophy with a minor in Business Management at St. John’s University.
Life as a seminarian is a full-time job; as we hear quite often, “there is no vacation from our vocation”. Our schedule during the academic year is very demanding, and yet life in seminary formation has allowed me to experience a variety of cultures. In the college seminary, I have lived with seminarians from a variety of different cultures, for example men originally from Haiti to Pakistan. A day in the college seminary usually begins at 7:00AM in the morning with either Mass or Morning Prayer and concludes in the evening with Night Prayer at 9:00 PM; in between we take classes, have our meals ,and of course some free time.
During my junior year at Cathedral Preparatory Seminary, I took part in a retreat at the Major Seminary in Huntington; and for me, I discovered a love for the priesthood and a desire to be one. The retreat, for me was an opportunity of prayer, reflection, and a chance to meet other seminarians, especially those who were now studying theology. Come for overnights at the seminary. You will get to see that the guys here are not any different than anyone else; we like to have fun just as much as anyone else. To be a seminarian, means that you are willing to answer the call. You may not be sure of the answer, but you are willing to try to follow Jesus Christ.
I remember speaking with my parents about the possibility of me becoming a priest. At first, they were shocked about the idea of me becoming a priest; but they were very supportive to my decision. Have faith, and God will provide.