Michael Hickey
- Diocese/Religious Community Fort Wayne-South Bend
Degrees Pursuing at Saint Meinrad
- Master of Divinity
What attracted you to the priesthood? What first attracted me to the priesthood was watching the priest at Mass when I was a kid. I always wondered what he was doing up there. I began altar serving in seventh grade and was able to get closer to the altar and see for myself what was happening.
Additionally, being surrounded by many great priests as role models made the priesthood attractive. I remember seeing their love for Jesus, the Mass, and the people. I saw something there that I desired, and it was rooted in Jesus.
I was also attracted to the priesthood because of its service aspect. I have always enjoyed helping people, and it gives me life to do so. I saw all this in the priesthood, and the question popped into my head: Could I do that someday?
Who or what influenced you to begin study for the priesthood? I have two distinct moments—what I call my “first loves”—when I had clarity that, yeah, maybe this priesthood thing really could be for me.
The first moment was at my home parish, St. John the Baptist in Fort Wayne. I was in a side room of our adoration chapel when a woman walked in. The only words out of her mouth were, “I am lost.” After some time talking, she revealed that she had been going through a very low point in her faith (she was not Catholic). I invited her to Mass and walked her over to the church, where she sat in a pew while I ran up to go serve for Mass.
I couldn’t tell you anything about that Mass because I was consumed with a burning desire to invite her to become Catholic. After Mass, I met her again and extended the invitation. She broke down crying, and I introduced her to Father so they could talk. Then, Father handed me his stole. Maybe it was just for me to take back to the sacristy, but I saw it as a symbol of the priesthood. Inviting people to the faith is what priests do.
The second moment happened when I was working for a hospital police department. One evening, a woman came into triage having a psychotic break. She was crying and yelling, clutching her service dog so tightly that it began yelping. More officers arrived as we tried to take control of the situation and free the dog from her grasp.
She was scared and crying out, “Will you pray with me?” No one responded—then she looked at me and asked if I would pray with her. She wanted to pray the Our Father. As we began praying out loud together, she became calm and docile. We freed the dog and brought her back to the ER. I held her hand as we slowly walked to her room, praying the Our Father while the other officers followed.
Once in the room, she became agitated and scared again. I asked if she knew the Memorare prayer. She didn’t, so I prayed it over her, slowly and prayerfully. She told me not to stop because it was soothing to hear the words. I can still see her radiant, peaceful face in my mind—the power of prayer is real. She was then moved to another unit to receive treatment.
In both situations, I felt a deep openness and attraction to the priesthood. Just as a police officer is called to protect and serve, so too is a priest. I saw that parallel in my experiences, and it ultimately led me to seminary.
What were you doing before you came to the seminary? Before entering seminary, I was a public safety officer for Parkview Health Police Department, working evening and night shifts. My role involved helping visitors, patients, and staff in any way that contributed to a safe and effective healing environment.
Whether it was comforting families during difficult moments, responding to a crime in progress, cleaning vomit from a wheelchair, or handcuffing a suspect, my day was never short of thrilling!
Favorite saint and why? There are so many to choose from! Besides the Blessed Mother, I would say my favorite is St. Thérèse of Lisieux. She knocked down the door to my life during a retreat a retreat in my first year of seminary. Before that, I hadn’t thought much about her, but her life story is so compelling – it makes her a great role model. She is so awesome! I love her Little Way and her model of love and charity in midst of life’s challenges.
Favorite Scripture verse and why? 1 Peter 1:6-9. This passage reminds me that we will still have challenges to face in our lives, but we should rejoice in them. For through the challenges, we are tested, just like fire-tried gold. Our faith is more precious than gold and through our challenges we attain the goal of our faith: our salvation!
Hobbies? I enjoy listening to music and playing the bass guitar. I also really enjoy stargazing and astronomy (science in general). Additionally, I also like spending time with friends and family, target shooting, and watching sci-fi movies and documentaries.
What aspect of seminary life has been most rewarding? The most rewarding aspect of seminary life is sharing it with a great group of guys who are all working for the same thing! It has been a great pleasure to share this seminary journey with these men and continue that into my priesthood. A close second would be our ministry days because they allow us to “go out into the world” and practice what we preach.
What aspect of seminary life has been most challenging? The most challenging aspect is probably the academics. It is not a bad thing, but it challenges us to dive deeper into our faith. While challenging, the academics have often been rewarding, providing opportunities for contemplation and reflection during my Holy Hour.
One of my favorite things is going from a great class straight to Mass. We get to study the truths of the faith and then see it in practice in the Holy Mass!
Best advice you’ve heard in seminary? Don’t rush seminary. We may be eager to get out into the parish right now, but we are not in seminary to be ordained tomorrow. The seminary is a seedbed. Just as a seed takes time to be nourished and developed, seminary is a place to cherish the experiences, prayer, relationships, events, and yes—even the classes. Take time to embrace seminary and really enter into it, because how you are here is how you will be as a priest.