This site uses cookies to store information on your computer. By using this site, you consent to the placement and use of these cookies. Read our Privacy Policy to learn more. ACCEPT

I Want To Be A Priest

It is 1957 and my first week of school at St. Teresa School in Woodside.  I had turned six in June and so was probably the oldest in the first grade.  Sometime during the week Sister Margaret Agnes had asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up and I had responded, “I want to be a priest.”  Sister made it her business to tell my mother immediately.  Mom told Dad and their quiet encouragement and support began that day and continued for the rest of their lives until I was ordained and beyond.

It is the spring of 1958 and the school and parish were busy preparing children to receive the sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion for the first time.  The date was set for June 8, a Saturday morning, at the 8.00am Mass.  I don’t remember if I ever knew, but either the pastor, principal, or Sister Margaret Agnes, realized that I would be seven years old by that date.  Pope St. Pius X, in 1910 taught that once a child had reached the Age of Reason (7 years of age), she/he should not be deprived of the Holy Eucharist for any significant amount of time, and in fact, should be encouraged to receive Communion frequently, even daily if possible.  So, I was the only child in First Grade who received Penance and Holy Communion that year.  That meant that every Sunday thereafter, during the rest of June and all through Second Grade I received Holy Communion while the other boys and girls had to just sit there. I also received every week on Sunday with my parents and every day when we were on vacation.  I credit my vocation to the priesthood to a full year more of receiving Our Eucharistic Lord with frequency.  I remember learning that only a priest could change ordinary bread and wine into the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  If only a priest could do that, then I wanted to be a priest!

Over the course of time, I thought about doing other things, but none too seriously, and always I came back to the priesthood.  I went to the high school and college seminary and to the major seminary at Huntington. I was ordained a deacon in January 1977 and assigned to St. Pius V in South Jamaica.  One year later, on the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, I was ordained a priest.  I stayed at St. Pius until June 1981 when I was assigned by Bishop Francis Mugavero to the Education Office of the Diocese.  I worked in the education apostolate until 1993 when Bishop Thomas Daily appointed me Director of the Seventh Synod of the Diocese.  In 1997 I was assigned as the Director of the Immaculate Conception Center and, in 2002, I was named pastor of St. Sebastian parish in Woodside.  Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio appointed me Vicar for Education in 2004 while continuing my work in Woodside.  When my four year term as Vicar was over, I was appointed as the Executive Director of the Futures in Education Endowment for Brooklyn and Queens.

I’ve had so many wonderful experiences as a priest over the years and I can honestly say that I have not had an unhappy day as a priest!

Msgr. Michael J. Hardiman

Msgr. Michael J. Hardiman ’78 is the Pastor of St. Patrick, Bay Ridge Brooklyn.



cbd gummies cz | cbd chewable gummies | cbd gummies hrm | cbd gummies rhode island | cbd gummies with 0 03 thc | hempified cbd gummies | cbd gummies reno nv | vera pure cbd gummies | 100 mg gummy cbd | what are just cbd gummies | cbd gummies scams | cbd gummie warning label | cbd gummies open now | aldi cbd gummies | healthergize cbd gummies | anti anxiety cbd gummies | non melatonin cbd gummies | amazon yuppie cbd gummies | free no cost cbd gummies | cbd gummies lactic acid | male enhancement kenya | doctor miami penis enlargement | bliss gummies for ed | comfired penis enlargement | 2 inch girth penis enlargement | cialis male enhancement | male enhancement cvs | non surgical penis enlargement | lyfe male enhancement pills | hardcore xt male enhancement | get trim life gummies | food that can enlarge penis | keto pills phone number | ketogenics keto pills | pro fast keto acv | weight loss pill alli | safe diet pills for men | trueform keto gummies | life style keto gummies | diet pills and anxiety | keto sour gummies tiktok | raven symone keto gummies | number one keto pills | keto gummies in store | rapid keto acv gummies | bioscience keto gummies oprah | are keto gummy safe | bigger loads male enhancement | summer keto acv | just cbd gummies for pain | willy male enhancement pills | keto last gummies | 30 mg cbd gummy cost | try complete male enhance | g6 keto gummy | cbd gummies elm grove wv | natrual penis enlargment | dr gundry keto gummies | total cbd rx gummies | walmart male enhancement pills | new keto pills | cbd gummies good vibes | male in enhancement | gnc keto gummies | cbd gummies mood | male penis girth enlarger | best diet pills cheap | cbd gummies hk | gaia herbs male enhancement | keto av gummies | cheap cbd gummies by bulk | peeps gummies review | easy forte diet pills | 4000mg cbd gummies | ashwagandha male enhancement | trim tummy keto gummy reviews | smilz cbd gummies bbb | natrual male penis enlargement | oral weight loss pills | dr oz cbd gummies for ed | penis enlargment at home | medical center weight loss | cbd gummies near us | penis enlargement canada | kelly clarkson gummy bear scam | nufarm cbd gummies dr oz | massive penis enlargment pill | lifeline keto gummies | bolt cbd gummies 100mg | no2 male enhancement | acc keto gummies | fda approved cbd gummies | enhancing underwear male | phenrx diet pills | cbd living gummies rings |