Fr. Casey Beaumier, SJ
Year for Priests: Q&A with Fr. Casey Beaumier, SJ
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In observance of the "Year for Priests" proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI for 2009-10, Chronicle presents a series of conversations with members of Boston College's religious community about the experiences, challenges and joys of their vocations. This issue: Fr. Casey Beaumier, SJ.How and when did you hear the call to become a priest?
Christ Jesus worked through a particular person to call me into the priesthood. I was an undergraduate student at Marquette, our Jesuit university in Milwaukee. I was studying to become a journalist and I was also a resident advisor for freshmen. At that time at Marquette every student residence had a Jesuit chaplain.
Our chaplain had a tremendous capacity for conversation and he made himself available to a great many of us. I enjoyed speaking with him and as those years went on I noticed that I thought highly of the way he lived his life. He loved God and spoke of God with familiarity. He was a teacher and was invested in many human lives. He lived a happy life and had good friendships. I decided that God was working through him to bring me to the Society of Jesus, so I entered the Jesuits right out of undergraduate study, in 1993. That chaplain is now the president of Boston College [William P. Leahy, SJ].
What is it about being a priest that brings you your greatest joy?
I love being a priest and I love being a Jesuit. What brings me great joy is spending my life for others. We Jesuits call that the greater good and that it is worth one's life! Our novice master said to us that the best ministry of the Society of Jesus is bringing excellent people together. I believe this to be fundamentally true.
Just look around Boston College. That is the thinking behind our having started the BC s'Upper T Club (look for us on Facebook): Any student can join it and the intention is to facilitate encounters among good people.
Presently, the greatest joy in my life is to serve as a teacher and chaplain at BC. Those are gifts that attracted me to the Jesuits and I love how the Lord has brought them back into my life again.
Was there ever a trying time for you as a priest and how were you able to get through it?
Sometimes I have experienced discouragement. No doubt about it, it's an interesting time for the Catholic Church. When I find myself overwhelmed or discouraged I am reminded as Paul says to the Romans, "All things work together for those who love God." That scripture brings me both peace and hope.
What do you do in your spare time? Do you have any hobbies?
I love to jog and the Chestnut Hill Reservoir is my destination. I live on Upper Campus in Fenwick with our freshmen so a lot of my time is spent in conversation. I enjoy giving preached retreats at our Jesuit retreat houses in the United States. These are based on the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius. I also love to canoe and to take groups on wilderness retreats to the international Boundary Waters in Minnesota and the Allagash River in Maine.
What advice would you give to a young man considering the priesthood?
Pay attention to desires that enter your heart in moments of leisure. See where your imagination leads you when you ponder the future. We believe that the Father speaks to every person through such holy desires.
To read our other installments of the "Year for Priests" Series, visit http://bit.ly/9v0Iza for a Q&A with Director of Campus Ministry Fr. Tony Penna, http://bit.ly/a9RyOK to read a Q&A with Center for Ignatian Spirituality Director Michael Boughton, SJ and http://bit.ly/agT04z to read a Q&A with co-director of the Film Studies Program Professor Richard A. Blake, SJ.