On August 15, 2001, the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother, Andrew Sullivan, M.J., and Joseph Knoll, M.J., were ordained priests in Ponce, Puerto Rico, by Bishop Ricardo Suriñach, Bishop of Ponce, Puerto Rico. A week before their ordinations, the two members of Miles Jesu discussed the years leading up to their ordinations and the influence of the founder and General Director of Miles Jesu, the Very Rev. Fr. Alphonsus Maria Duran, M.J., on their priestly formation.
“He’s the heart of our spirituality,” Fr. Sullivan says of Fr. Duran. Fr. Sullivan highlighted three important elements that come from the founder of Miles Jesu which helped shape his formation as a Miles Jesu priest.
“One is our ideal of zeal,” Fr. Sullivan says. “Or we can say, in a broader sense, love: Our ideal is to be totally on fire for the salvation of souls. We do this in a practical sense, by helping each other. These are two important aspects of love: zeal for souls, and doing everything we possibly can for the betterment of each other. That spirit of love is one of the defining ideals of Miles Jesu.
“And I would say another one would be spiritual poverty. Under the ideal of spiritual poverty we seek to know ourselves as we are – in every way dependent on God. And God is everything for us. Not only do I see how small I am, but it’s also seeing how great God is. And from that self-knowledge comes a whole new understanding and, consequently, many different virtues: for instance sincerity and loyalty. Why are we loyal to the Church? We see that we need the Church to be saved.
“And the third one would have to be our ideal of availability. That’s a very distinguishing feature of what makes and identifies us. Under this ideal of availability we come with a heart totally open to the voice of God in a radical sense. It is common to come with a pre-planned agenda when following our vocations. Often this is not addressed but rather accepted as ‘God’s will.’ Not in Miles Jesu. With time and formation we learn to give ourselves to God and be open to any possibility in total surrender. What you are going to do is defined by what obedience asks you to do through the authority of the Church and the needs of the Church, and that becomes the way that you give yourself to God – through total availability.”
“We are all blessed, because we still have our founder with us,” Fr. Joseph Knoll said. “Everyone knows how Father is concerned about each individual. He looks at the person’s background, what the person needs to improve himself, what the person needs to become a good apostle, the good qualities the person has to promote. We go to our classes in the seminary and can learn very good and important things. But still, there are very few professors who are as precise as Father. Father is very clear. He speaks simply and precisely, and he can explain something to you about a very difficult subject, a difficult concept, in a way that you can understand. That’s a real gift that he has, being a teacher.”
Describing the focus that’s lived in Miles Jesu, Fr. Knoll explained, “We’re called to be saints – that’s the essential call. I’m called to be a saint. I have to be a saint. And the vocation is the way to sanctity. Whether God’s calling me to be a layman or calling me to be a priest, He’s calling me to be a saint, and the lay vocation and the priesthood are just the avenues to get to sainthood. So, from the beginning, all I knew was that God wanted me to be a saint. I just knew that I had to be available like the Blessed Mother was. Availability is one of the big, essential characteristics of being a member of Miles Jesu – being available to do whatever God wants and makes known through my superiors.
“And that’s what happened. I was in Chicago for 31/2 years, and Father General approached Andy Sullivan and me and asked us if we would be available, if we would be willing, to go to Rome and help the community there. We would help with the men who were in the community and also start taking courses in preparation for the priesthood. So I just responded, “Yes.” I didn’t take much time to think about it, because saying yes meant to be available. That’s what God was asking me to do and desiring His will made it easier for me. Also it came from my superiors, so I knew that God was speaking to me.”
Fr. Sullivan pointed out the importance of the lay character of Miles Jesu. “Over half the world does not even know Christ, and where are all the Christians? They’re in the world. Just like in the founding years of Christianity – where were all the Christians? They were in all the different professions of society.
“It’s the same today. The religious and contemplative orders rarely have the chance to talk to somebody who is an airline pilot about converting to Christ. The airline pilot very likely wouldn’t want to listen to them anyway. But imagine a Catholic airline pilot whose fellow co-pilots are a muslim and an atheist. He’s clearly got an apostolate within his work situation. I would say that the way of life as a consecrated lay person is on the cutting edge of the consecrated life that is needed today. That’s why the Holy Spirit is inspiring all different types of groups to develop this way of life. Miles Jesu is one of many of the lay consecrated ways of life.”
Fr. Knoll is looking forward to promoting vocations to the Miles Jesu way of consecrated life. “We can’t rely on the secular press and movies and television to promote good values to other people, so we have to get out and spread the word. Wherever I’m stationed, it’s going to involve vocation work, building up the communities, and helping the different apostolates whatever they may be.
“But I’ll strive to do it as a Miles Jesu priest should – from behind the scenes, not being a peacock or trying to be the focus of attention. That’s not the place, not the life, of a Miles Jesu priest, as we are a lay institute. We’re here to promote the spirituality of the laity, so I’m going to do my best to be a good Miles Jesu priest and appreciate the role of the lay person and help promote the Miles Jesu vocation, which is unique.”
(This article appears courtesy of Miles Jesu magazine. To learn more about the Catholic lay institute Miles Jesu, call 1-800-654-7945 or visit their website at www.MilesJesu.com.)