Dc. Joel Brackett, St. Vincent de Paul Church, Rogers

Attends Saint Meinrad Seminary in St. Meinrad, Indiana

I grew up in a Catholic family in Rogers, and was blessed with faithful parents who, since my earliest days, unveiled to me Christ’s truth, mercy and love.

As I matured, I questioned more and more the truthfulness of the Christian faith and turned toward the hollowness of falsehood and the transience of worldly ambitions. For years, I searched out satisfaction and despairingly entertained almost every supposed source. Yet our Lord, the Good Shepherd, runs most swiftly after his most distant sheep.

During my freshman year at Hendrix College, a Protestant teammate on my football team initiated weekly Bible studies with me. Through coming face-to-face with the person of Jesus in Scripture, prayer and study, he began to break into my world. I knew I could no longer run from him. I knew he alone was the source of life — and he became the center of mine.

Toward the end of my freshman year, Duwan, another Protestant teammate, began knocking on my door nearly every night to discuss Christianity along with the not-so-rare objection to my Catholic faith. The following summer, I, along with Duwan and my friend from the weekly Bible studies, attended a nine-week Christian program with hundreds of other college students. My friends continued to pose objections to my nominal Catholic faith, and I had no answers. I had become nearly convinced of the “errors” of Catholicism, and for months considered leaving.

Duwan and I chose to spend the following months studying Protestantism and Catholicism. He said to me, “We are either both going to end up Catholic, or we are both going to end up Protestant.” A new chapter in our lives soon began.

The Catholic faith stunned us. We discovered that Christ’s Catholic Church — his abode of truth, goodness and beauty — was our place of refuge. We discovered God’s hospital for broken humanity. We discovered our home. And in the heart of the Church, we found our vocations.

After Duwan entered the Catholic Church, we both began discerning the priesthood. I soon encountered Christ’s call to enter the seminary and became a seminarian for the Diocese of Little Rock in January 2019. Every day since, I have become more and more enamored with the life of priestly service, a life of sacramental participation in Christ’s sacrificial love for his flock. I hope and pray to one day be your servant as his priest, living out my vocation for the sake of your salvation and mine.

Each day in the seminary has been a learning experience whereby I have come to a deeper understanding of myself, my weaknesses and our Lord’s love for sinners. As I finish my final year before ordination to the priesthood, I beg your prayers for me and my brother seminarians, and I assure you of mine. Your continued support never ceases to amaze us, motivate us and bring joy to our most difficult days, for which I thank you greatly.

Dc. Joel Brackett is in the configuration stage of his priestly formation. During this stage, a seminarian models his life on the self-donation of Jesus Christ, shepherd and servant, as he prepares more immediately for holy orders. Joel is preparing to be ordained to the priesthood in May 2025. He is the son of Burke and Kristi Brackett of Rogers. His birthday is May 14. If you wish to offer your prayers, mail a birthday greeting or provide other support to Joel or any of our seminarians, please contact Georgina Pena in the Vocations Office at (501) 664-0340. This article was published Sept. 11, 2024. Copyright Diocese of Little Rock. All rights reserved. This article may be copied or redistributed with acknowledgement and permission of the publisher.