Fr. Matthew Whalen, LC

legionaries of christ

Fr. Matthew grew up in Arnprior, ON. He entered minor seminary at a young age with the Legionaries of Christ. He was ordained a priest for the Legonaries of Christ on Dec. 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, 2015. He is now working in Italy with his order.

Vocation Story

I grew up in what you might call a "hard core" Catholic family: family rosary every night, statues and religious pictures everywhere, and by the time I was 11, daily Mass. My mother had been a staff worker at Madonna House, a spiritual oasis many Catholic Canadians are familiar with, whose mother house in Combermere, Ontario, was founded by Catherine Doherty. There Mom received much of the solid Catholic spirituality I grew up with, along with my four siblings, Kathleen, Mary, Patrick, and Catherine. We're a rowdy crew, and from a young age my aspirations tottered between priesthood and rock star.

As a child I was inspired by the stories of Jean de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Jesuit martyrs who underwent torture and gave their lives heroically to bring the truth of Christ to the Huron and Iroquois people. "If I were to become a priest, that's the type of priest I'd want to be." And then I met the Legionaries. First I was struck by the cassock (like the "Blackrobes," a nickname given by the Hurons to the Jesuits) and then by their joy, enthusiasm, and above all their missionary and apostolic spirit. From the first I was impressed and attracted, but I resisted. After taking part in several of the Legion's retreats and camps, a friend of mine joined their high school seminary in New Hampshire, USA. I was shocked that he would make such a step at 12 years of age, especially given the distance from home, and I tried to ignore that sensation that I ought to be doing the same thing. But I couldn't. I asked a priest I knew about this whole vocation thing and how you knew, without getting to specific as to where I felt called, and he told me that if it was from God, it wouldn't go away. And it didn't.

That year I was invited to attend the summer program at the school in New Hampshire, and my parents supported the idea, but I turned it down. Nonetheless, I kept involved with the Legion's boys clubs, and tried to convince myself that I could be the apostle God wanted me to be where I was, that there was no rush, etc., but the sensation that the time was now just wouldn't go away.

Finally the year came around to another summer, and I was once again invited. After battling with it for several months, asking for signs and getting them but still resisting, I found myself kneeling before our Lord in the tabernacle at my parish after communion saying, "Lord, I don't know if this is what you want, but if it is, I'll do it." In that moment I felt a tremendous peace, and He seemed to be saying to me "Just give it a chance, and then I'll let you know."

So that's what happened. I ended up staying after the summer program and finishing high school with the Legion. I came back to Canada for two years of Novitiate in Cornwall, Ontario, and then made my first profession of religious vows at age 18. From there I went to Cheshire, CT for two years of Classical Humanities, and then to Rome for two years of philosophy. Next I was back in the US and Canada helping out as a Brother with youth and vocation work. I returned to Rome for a Master's in Philosophy, and while I was at it, helped out with youth work and catechesis in Florence. I then went on to Theology, and now I'm a priest!

It's been an amazing journey, and really it's just beginning. God has already allowed me to do things I never would have dreamed myself capable of, because when you let Him work in your life, He does, and He works wonders. To be an instrument in his hands to bring souls to Him and to bring Him to souls is an overwhelming gift. Please keep me in your prayers that I might be a docile instrument, a holy priest, and that I continue to allow Him to work in me as He will.