Spotlight: Fr. Bill Peckman

Fr. Bill Peckman pastor at St. Clement Parish, St. Clement, MO ordained June 6, 1997.

1) What motivated you; how did you decide to enter the seminary?
There was a deep feeling this was what God wanted for me.  I spent a lot of time in spiritual direction and spent a lot more time in prayer.   The calling that I was feeling deep within was being affirmed by the support I received from the parishioners at St. Patrick,  in Laurie where I was volunteering. I visited shut-ins and taught catechetical sessions.  The people of the parish kept telling me I had the gifts to do this and should continue using these gifts.  That seemed to be moving me toward entering seminary.     

2) Describe seminary life including some good points and some challenging moments.
Challenging moments:  I was a very independent person. I was a boss in my former way of life, and now I had people over me evaluating me. Being the boss and then not be the boss anymore was challenging. When I moved from my apartment to the very small dorm room, I had to downsize quite a bit and that was a challenge.   Good points:  I began to learn for the sake of learning and not for the sake of grades. When I made that academic transition, the learning took on a whole different meaning.  In seminary, I made friends with whom I am still friends. Our Rector, now Archbishop Lucas of Omaha, was wonderful in helping us to grow into men of prayer and supported and challenged us as we moved through the seminary system toward ordination.   

3) Talk about your ordination day and first mass
I was so nervous with both the ordination and first mass, but it was a good nervousness of anticipation of what was to come much like, I suppose, a married couple feels on their wedding day.  I do remember during my ordination that the Litany of the Saints when I was lying prostrate on the floor, the moment was quite overwhelming.  Msgr. Wenting preached the homily at my first Mass. He gave an awesome homily on vocations which set the tone for me.

4) Describe a/some significant moment(s) in your priesthood.
I have so many significant moments, how would I begin to choose?  Every day is filled with "Wow" moments where I come into contact with God's grace. So often when I am teaching, I receive these "wow moments" when a student really gets what I am trying to communicate. One of the biggest wow moments, to name a specific event is to be part of Fr. Shetler's journey to the priesthood.   Other significant moments come when I say to myself, "I would never have thought I would be working with this in my priesthood."  Just the other day, I was visiting day care centers to see how we might develop our day care center.  If someone in seminary said I would be visiting day care centers to set one up, I wouldn't have believed it!  

5) What keeps you going in the priesthood? Where do you draw your strength?
I love what I do even on the hardest day.  That's why I have so many irons in the fire, because I do love it.  It is awesome to watch God's grace work in all situations especially in those situations where so many doubt God's grace could be present...and then it is so evident His grace is there in our midst.  I draw strength from sacraments, prayer and more prayer and my priest friends. 

6) What are the most important aspects of your life and work as a priest? 
Prayer and sacraments are first. Without those, I am a social worker with a roman collar. Once I have prayed and celebrated the sacraments, then I know the rest of my day as a priest is attending to those in need especially the shut-ins and youth.  It gives me life to go into a person's home and offer them the sacrament of the Eucharist, anointing, reconciliation, or just to visit with them. the other place I receive life and is so important to my priesthood is teaching in a classroom. Ministerial work gives me life.  Administration is draining but necessary to the work of the church.   

7) What kind of man does it take to be a good priest?
He needs to be a man of prayer, a man of deep faith, a man of conviction, a man of his word, a man who is willing to listen even if he cannot grant what the people want, and a  joyful man.  

8) How can we/how do you foster vocations to the ministerial priesthood?
The priest cannot be afraid to talk about it and the priest must have some contact with the youth.  He cannot wait for the youth to come to him.  Every priest must be aware of the image of the priest he brings to the classroom, the playground or any other place there are youth. Never yell at a youth, ever.  

9) Some are reading this webpage who are discerning seminary. What do you want to say to them?  
A few things: 1) Get a spiritual director. 2) Don't make it a primary worry what your friends and family will think and 3) Don't try to go it alone. 4) And very importantly:   Don't decide to be a priest before going into the seminary.  Seminary is to discern God's will not have it validated.

10) Favorite
            Prayer:  Prayer of Serenity
            Saint:  John Chrysotom
            Scripture Passage:  Mk 10: 42-45 -- Jesus summoned them and said to them, "You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt.43 But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; 44 whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. 45 For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."