What is your full name?
Fr. Matthew Hood

What is your current Assignment/Parish?
I am the Chaplain for Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry, which serves Wayne State University, University of Michigan – Dearborn, and the surrounding campuses.

What is the greatest gift about being a priest?
It is following God’s will for my life, being a minister of the Lord’s mercy, and seeing the power of God’s grace at work in people’s lives.

What would you say to a young man discerning the priesthood?
I would recommend finding a spiritual director to talk to about discernment and begin making a daily habit of prayer.

How can people at your parish best support you?
Please pray for the college students that we serve. Young people today are looking for answers and most often looking to things that will not satisfy the deepest desires of their heart. The work of sharing the Gospel with college students is challenging but also incredibly important.

How do you see the Holy Spirit working in the Archdiocese of Detroit?
We are still in a time of receiving the graces of Synod 16 and Unleash the Gospel. While challenges do lie ahead, the only answer is to resolve ourselves to living in a missionary mindset.

Describe the first moment you knew God was calling you to the priesthood.
I was in the adoration chapel at my home parish, St. Joseph in Lake Orion, and I was praying with the Scripture passage about Jesus calling the disciples along the Sea of Galilee. When Jesus said, “come and follow me” it was clear that he was talking to me and calling me to follow him as a priest.

What should all young people know about discerning a vocation?
Beg the Lord for a greater awareness and openness to his will for your life. God’s plans for your life are infinitely greater than anything that you might have in mind. If you don’t offer him the freedom to show you those plans, then you will never know how God is calling you to follow him.