FR. JORDAN
FETCKO
Diocesan Priest within the Priestly Fraternity
How/when did you know you had a vocation to diocesan priesthood?
I started seriously considering a vocation to the priesthood in my senior year of high school, and once I realized this was more than just a passing idea, I took the next step and entered seminary. Like many seminarians, I can't say there was a definitive moment when I realized that yes, this is my calling, but I'd say that by the end of my four years of college seminary (so about halfway through to ordination) I was more or less entirely certain.
When did you join the Dominican Priestly Fraternity?
I was already in contact with the Promoter of the Priestly Fraternities before I was ordained a priest (which was in June 2015), but I entered the novitiate period (which simply consisted of discernment and a few formation meetings) in September 2016, and I made my profession as a full-fledged member in February 2018.
Why did you join the Dominican Priestly Fraternity?
One significant factor in my discernment of the priesthood in general was the image of the priest as a teacher—not necessarily a classroom teacher, but certainly a teacher through his preaching, his catechesis, his pastoral counsel, and the example of his life. Getting to know the Order of Preachers more through a friend, now–Dominican friar Fr. Adrian McCaffery, I came to realize that the preaching charism and spirituality of the Dominicans really fit my own understanding and practice of my priestly ministry, even as a diocesan priest.
How does your Dominican identity inform your vocation and influence your ministry?
Preaching is and has always been my favorite part of ministry: it has been so enriching and a source of joy for me and many others. My life as a part of the Dominican Family has helped me see almost every aspect of my life as some form of preaching, whether I'm at the ambo at Mass, in the confessional with a penitent, visiting classrooms for even just a few minutes, or answering a quick question in the parish office. Everything is an opportunity to share Jesus Christ, by word and deed, with the world!
What’s the difference between a Dominican Priestly Fraternity priest and a Dominican Friar priest?
A Dominican friar is a priest who lives a religious life of poverty, chastity, and obedience, who participates in a common life with his brothers in a priory, and who lives according to the Constitutions of the Order; these are the priests you see wearing the iconic white habit, often teaching in universities or running Newman Centers. A member of the Priestly Fraternities, on the other hand, is not a "religious order priest" but rather a diocesan priest, obedient to his bishop; he generally continues to minister in the same way as your typical parish priest, but he professes to live his diocesan priesthood in a way that is enhanced and strengthened by the charism and spirituality of the Order of Preachers.
What’s your greatest joy about being a Diocesan Priest?
I love being "with the people," especially in the daily celebration of the Eucharist. A truly unique and beautiful grace of being in a parish is being a part of the week-to-week and day-to-day lives of the laity. When I preside at Mass each day, and when I hear confessions, and when I administer the other sacraments, I really am an instrument of God's continual saving action, not just to a particular group or demographic but to anyone and everyone who is seeking Christ. I can't imagine a better life than that!