At the foot of the cross

DEACON KEVIN ALDEN SEAY

• Age: 30
• First Assignment: St. Catherine of Siena, Metairie
• First Mass and Masses of Thanksgiving: June 3, 4 p.m., St. Clement of Rome, Metairie; June 4, 9 and 11 a.m., St. Catherine of Siena, Metairie

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By BETH DONZE
Clarion Herald

When Deacon Kevin Seay takes on his first priestly assignment in July as the parochial vicar of St. Catherine of Siena in Metairie, he will have the rare luxury of returning to the same parish at which he spent his four-month internship as a transitional deacon.

The learning curve of having to master a lot of new names and ministerial logistics will be far easier, he said.

“It was a wonderful experience, having a ton of different activities thrown at you every day,” said Deacon Seay, who also was raised in Metairie – at nearby St. Clement of Rome and St. Angela Merici parishes.

“(My transitional diaconate internship) affirmed my vocation – being able to do the work and then finding fulfillment and peace in doing it. I think you kind of have to be a jack of all trades to do diocesan ministry,” he said, offering an example. “I don’t think I hung out with someone who was in high school since I was in high school (myself), and then at least once a week, there you are with high school students.”

Variety of priestly duties

Deacon Seay said the sheer variety of things a priest does on any given day came into focus at St. Catherine of Siena.

“One day, we went to a hospital to do a 50th wedding anniversary renewal of vows, and right after that, we did a funeral for an infant who had never left the hospital,” Deacon Seay recalled. As they were leaving the burial site, Father Tim Hedrick, St. Catherine’s pastor, received an urgent call from someone who needed some one-on-one time with a priest, and the day was capped off by a youth group meeting.

Deacon Seay’s other transitional diaconate experiences included assisting at the altar at Masses, greeting students in the car line, leading a study of “Mary and the Bible” for college students, preparing two couples for marriage and officiating at his first wedding in March.

“It was beautiful just being able to help them get deeper insights into what the sacrament of marriage is asking of them, and how it’s answering the needs on their heart,” he said.

Teaching the children

But Deacon Seay’s most memorable catechetical moment came while teaching St. Catherine’s 3-year-olds about baptism. He likened the sacrament to “a bath for your soul,” using a doll to show them how items such as candles, water, chrism and the white garment were used in Catholic baptism.

One student, who had yet to be baptized, but whose parents were looking into the sacrament, told Deacon Seay that he would have to ask his mother to get him a doll for his own baptism, “because he saw everyone pouring water on the baby doll,” Deacon Seay said, chuckling. “I was like, ‘No, we’re going to pour water over your head!’”

Deacon Seay, a graduate of Stuart Hall and Jesuit High School, said he is most looking forward to the priestly privilege of celebrating Mass and is grateful to his Pastoral Support Committee for giving him “specific feedback” on his homilies. He was advised to make his homilies “a little less heady” and more streamlined, with a centralized message.

“The biggest critique was that my funeral homilies were a little somber,” he said. “People actually are looking for a little inspiration and answers at that time.”
 
Deacon Seay said he also is looking forward to being assigned to a parish full time – and in a post that will last “longer than just a few weeks or a couple of months.”

“Working with Father Tim and living with Father Tim was a very good experience as a deacon. So, that’s not a worry,” said Deacon Seay, who said his parents recently told him that they have seen their son grow in the virtues of patience, kindness and self-possession.

He said his largest spurt of “spiritual growth” during his transitional diaconate year was “relying on the Lord and trusting in him” even more.

“You’re thrown into a lot of situations, just like anyone who is in the marriage vocation or who is a parent,” he observed. “It’s not like, ‘OK, here’s the training manual, just follow it.’ There are things that are new and pull a lot out of you.”
 
Inestimable debt

Deacon Seay’s priestly ordination prayer card features St. John Vianney’s Prayer for Priests and Psalm 16, whose refrain is: “How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?” As an illustration for the prayer card, he selected a poignant image depicting Mary and St. John at the foot of the cross.

“(Christ’s death on the cross) is the center of our faith and the center of the paschal mystery,” Deacon Seay said. “And then, just being able to see John and Mary at the foot of the cross – I think a lot of times, that’s where we’re (also) asked to go.”

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