What is your full name?
Fr. Andrew John Dawson

What is your current Assignment/Parish?
St. Joan of Arc in Saint Clair Shores

What is the greatest gift about being a priest?
Being in a position to witness the faith of God’s people can be really quite humbling. It is evident in their willingness to bring to me, standing in the place of Christ, some of their deepest struggles and joys, not at all because of me, but because of their faith in Jesus Christ. And it never ceases to amaze and surprise me that the Lord allows me to stand before a congregation and be His mouthpiece, and that He works through me in the celebration of the Eucharist.

What would you say to a young man discerning the priesthood?
You can discern, pray, and think yourself to the point of never committing to step out into the deep and allow the Lord to show you what He has in mind for you. But those early steps, talking with a priest or attending a Discernment Weekend are not any kind of commitment. Even entering a program of formation or beginning a seminary program is simply opening yourself up to the grace of God in assisting you to discover the awesome plans He has for you, whether that be priesthood, religious life, single life, or marriage and family life. Discerning a vocation sincerely — with God’s help and the help of priests, a formation team to support you, and brothers who are also discerning — can only lead to a good outcome.

How can people at your parish best support you?
Prayer is an obvious answer, but it means more than people know! Thank you for those prayers. Keep coming to Mass and Confession and invite others! In the midst of all the difficulties our world presents, people’s commitment to the sacraments, sometimes in the most trying of circumstances gives me hope. They recognize that the moments in which it is hardest to see God at work are precisely when we need God the most. Faith is tested in fire. It is inspiring to see.

How do you see the Holy Spirit working in the Archdiocese of Detroit?
Certainly, through the intercession of Blessed Fr. Solanus Casey. But I am constantly amazed at the generosity of so many lay staff and volunteers within our parishes who work tirelessly in parish ministry — many, many hours, unpaid or under-paid, because they have taken up the call to go on mission and they passionately care about the people of God. I think too of the uncounted blessings and answers to prayer that are the result of the many hours of Adoration being offered in the Archdiocese around the clock.

Describe the first moment you knew God was calling you to the priesthood.
I vividly recall sitting bolt upright in bed one night, in the early hours of the morning. I had only been a Catholic a few months but people had been suggesting I should be a priest. Out of apparently nowhere, that night, came the realization of why I had never responded to any of those suggestions or had brushed them off with a joke. I suddenly knew that it was because I had been unwittingly asking myself the same question. But the first time I knew one hundred percent that God was calling me to be His priest was as I got up off the floor after the Litany of Saints during my Diaconate Ordination and sat in the deacon’s chair. My ninety-nine-point whatever percent I knew was now one hundred percent. It just seemed right. When you step over the gap in faith, God will bridge it for you.

What should all young people know about discerning a vocation?
If the idea doesn’t go away, at some point you must give God a chance and take that step, maybe into a formation program. After that, don’t allow the discernment to take the lead. The first priority must be your relationship with God. Grow that, and God will show you His love for you and your desire for Him in response. That will help you know His plan for you. Discernment is primarily about relationship, not vocation. A vocation is the fruit of a better knowledge and understanding of that relationship. It took me two years of seminary to understand that — I wasted a lot of energy on the impossible task of trying to “figure out” my vocation up to that point, as though we can ever “figure out” the mind of God. Don’t try to figure out your vocation — Let God show you!