Austrian priest Luca Fian, 28, ordained on 29 June for the diocese of St Pölten, preached on 14 August at Maria Rain parish in his home diocese of Klagenfurt about his difficult journey to the priesthood.
The homily was streamed on YouTube.com. Fian entered the seminary of the Diocese of Klagenfurt in 2015, where he suffered what he calls "abuse of power and bullying".
His mental health deteriorated: "I went home from university to the seminary, lay down and slept because I was in so much pain and so tired that I couldn't study, let alone get up." At a low point, he decided to leave the seminary.
During his last interview with the rector of the seminary, the rector asked Fian why he wanted to become a priest. Fian said: "I want to administer the sacraments to people."
The rector replied: "We don't need priests for that." Fian left the meeting in tears.
He decided to finish his university studies as a layman and become a religious teacher or work for the railway.
After graduating in 2021, he was still haunted by the idea of the priesthood. He asked the bishop of Klagenfurt, Josef Marketz, 69, to re-enter the seminary.
Monsignor Marketz replied that, according to the rector, it would be impossible for him to ever be ordained. The bishop offered Fian a position as pastoral assistant, which he accepted. But Fian wanted to become a priest.
He asked for an appointment with Monsignor Alois Schwarz, the bishop of St Pölten, a more "conservative" diocese in Austria. Monsignor Schwarz replied that he should come the very next day and spent four hours interviewing him.
Fian was accepted as a seminarian. Monsignor Schwarz ordained him a deacon in October and a priest in June. Source
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