CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte has 45 men enrolled in various stages of study and formation for the priesthood. Clement Akerblom, a member of St. Ann Church in Charlotte, is among those studying at St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly.
To help the faithful of the diocese come to know him and his discernment of the priesthood, the Catholic News Herald recently interviewed Akerblom:
CNH: When did you first hear the call to a vocation to the priesthood?
Akerblom: I heard Our Lord call me to follow Him at World Youth Day in Krakow in 2016. At the time my family and I were living in Sweden, and that following year I grew deeply in my faith with my friends in our local parish youth group and the national Swedish young Catholic association.
I didn’t hear Our Lord call me to the priesthood specifically until my fourth year here at St. Joseph College Seminary. It is clear to me now that Our Lord was preparing me to say yes, to become a priest one small step at a time. This was a great grace: I entered seminary not to become a priest but in order to continue following the Lord. This is very important because it gave me the freedom to enter seminary simply to be with Our Lord. My call to the priesthood came later, once I was ready to hear it.
CNH: Who did you first talk to about your interest in the priesthood?
Akerblom: I spoke to my father and mother when the idea of going to St. Joseph’s first came to me. As it became clearer that God was calling me to enter the seminary, I spoke with Father Timothy Reid, my pastor, and Father Jason Barone, the diocese’s vocations promoter at the time. I also spoke with my friends about it, but the seed grew slowly and I remember mostly keeping the idea between me and the Lord.
CNH: How did you go about discerning where you felt called to explore a possible vocation?
Akerblom: As I began to believe with greater clarity that Our Lord was calling me to enter St. Joseph’s, I was drawn to spend more time with Him in silent prayer. I am deeply indebted to Mrs. Kathleen Potter, may she rest in peace, for the Perpetual Adoration Chapel at St. Gabriel’s. It was there that God prepared my heart and mind to say yes to Him. There I found the silence I needed to listen to Him. This was during the early spring of my senior year at Providence High School. I used to go to the chapel at night after work.
CNH: How and when did you reach out to the diocesan Vocations Office?
Akerblom: I was given the opportunity to meet with Father Reid, St. Ann’s pastor, for spiritual direction when I felt a draw to the priesthood after serving a Mass which he celebrated so reverently. This was during the late winter of my senior year in high school. He saw clearly that God was calling me to the seminary, and helped me set up a meeting with Father Barone.
CNH: Tell us about your discernment process in the seminary.
Akerblom: As Father Matthew Buettner, the seminary’s spiritual director, would be glad to hear me say, a daily Holy Hour in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament is necessary for the flourishing of a vocation to the priesthood. We enter seminary to follow Christ, and the first thing we should do every day is spend a substantial amount of time with Him. The breviary and the rosary are the foundation of my Holy Hour. These two, combined with the practice of Lectio Divina and daily spiritual reading, culminating in the silence of mental prayer, have become the structure for my spiritual life. It was in the silence of prayer that I first heard the call to seminary, and it is in that same silence today that my faith, hope and charity are strengthened. Silent prayer ought to be an integral part of every Catholic’s daily life.
CNH: What advice do you have for a man who might be thinking about the priesthood?
Akerblom: Firstly, formation at St. Joseph College Seminary is intended to recreate the man. To be a good priest, religious or husband, you must first be a good man. At the college seminary we are given the opportunity to be reformed as young men under the guidance of St. Joseph. You don’t need to be certain that God is calling you to be a priest. If you love Him and He leads you to St. Joseph’s, know that you will first have the opportunity to become a man. With such a foundation, you will be able to discern if God is calling you to be a priest.
Secondly, it is important to remember that all young men have a natural vocation to marriage. Grace perfects nature, it does not destroy it. Young men should be attracted to young women, and the seminary is a wonderful place to order your loves so that you are free to love God first. The seminary’s motto is “Noli Timere” (“Do not be afraid”). Do not be afraid to follow the Lord; He orders all things sweetly.
Finally, I encourage young men to come spend a day with us at the seminary. God’s will is not discerned in the abstract, it is particular and concrete. A day of prayer, sports, studies and good food in the house of St. Joseph will be good for you – regardless of your vocation.
CNH: Looking back on your discernment journey to this point, what do you think has helped you the most to discern God’s will for your vocation to the priesthood?
Akerblom: The relationship I have been given to Mary and the grace I have received from her through the rosary drew me to Our Lord’s presence in the Blessed Sacrament. Together the rosary and the Eucharist led me to desire to know and follow Christ, and are today the foundation of my spiritual life. Serving Holy Mass, moving to Charlotte from Sweden, the faith of my parents, St. Joseph’s intercession, my friends in high school (both in Sweden and Charlotte), youth group and soccer – to name a few – were and are important for my discernment, but they all flowed from the rosary and the Blessed Sacrament.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
Your DSA contributions at work Seminarian education is funded in part by the annual Diocesan Support Appeal. Learn more about the DSA and how to donate online at www.charlottediocese.org/dsa.