MOSAIC Fall 2018 | Page 32

“ALL FOR THE GREATER GLORY OF ” GOD FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: FR. PETER RYAN, SJ You were born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Maryland with a lot of brothers and sisters. What was it like growing up in the Ryan household? I was raised in a traditional Catholic family of eight children, and my parents, Inez and Philip, passed on their very strong faith. My father was a professor at Georgetown Law School, and he later become a partner in a law firm. The job switch helped him deal with the tuitions that mount up when you send eight chil- dren to Catholic schools! What about your childhood helped form your young faith life? We went to Mass every Sunday, and after Mass was over, my father would of- ten kneel and pray for a while longer as other people were leaving. It was his way of getting quiet time with the Lord, which wasn’t easy to do at home with all the kids. I attended Holy Redeemer Grade School in Kensington, Md., for all eight years and 30 graduated in 1966. We used the Baltimore Catechism, which though not perfect was extremely helpful. In addition to Masses at school, the May procession every year made a real impact on me. We would kneel on the blacktop in a semicircle surrounding the statue of Mary, singing Marian songs and then crowning her. Later in life, when I was struggling, I would return to that statue and ask for Mary’s intercession. I’ve read you had a profound re- conversion experience while in college. Tell me about it. Despite my very solid Catholic back- ground, I let myself become too immersed in the secular culture of the 1960s and early ’70s and lived a sort of “good-time Charlie” college life. But deep down I was yearning for meaning and truth, and for a confirma- tion of my faith. Many of my friends were not going to church, and I was hanging on to my faith by my fingernails. One day, I went out to celebrate the Sacred Heart Major Seminary | Mosaic | Fall 2018 Interview by Mike Stechschulte Fourth of July with friends. I remember looking up at the beautiful fireworks but feeling empty inside. I found myself pon- dering questions such as, “Where am I going with my life?” and “Isn’t life sup- posed to have more meaning?” My inte- rior emptiness was a stark contrast to the magnificent fireworks. Driving home, I kept struggling with these questions, and I remember getting on my knees in my room and praying a prayer that I had never prayed or even heard before: “Lord Jesus Christ, please invade me with your Holy Spirit.” I prayed it over and over again. And then I went to bed. What happened the next day? When I got home from work that next day, I called a young lady I wanted to ask out, but before I could, she asked me if I wanted to go to a prayer meeting. Now, my intentions were good, but I didn’t ex- actly have a prayer meeting in mind! But I agreed.