A dozen years ago as a high school student, Andrew Heidelbaugh was digging deeper into his faith and stepping out on a journey – one that has led to his upcoming ordination as a priest of the Diocese of Harrisburg this June 6.
It’s a path revealed to him by invitations from God, from family and from friends.
One invitation came from his grandfather, Deacon Ronald Nowak of the Diocese of Trenton, to attend a Catholic men’s conference in New Jersey along with his father, Michael. The experience sparked a flame in Andrew.
“That one conference showed me guys who really cared about their faith. They were passionate and not ashamed to share it, and it inspired me,” Deacon Heidelbaugh said in an interview with The Witness this week. “I started reading the Bible often, praying more.”
It was a deep dive for a high school student, especially one who was attending public school and had aged out of parish religious education classes. But something stirred within him.
Another invitation came from a classmate at Cumberland Valley who was getting ready to attend the diocese’s Quo Vadis Days discernment camp the summer before their sophomore year and was looking for a friend to join him.
The week of prayer, liturgy, conversations and recreation with priests and seminarians showed him for the first time that priesthood was an option. He hadn’t considered it before, even while growing up at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Enola and sharing a bond with his grandfather who is a member of the clergy.
“Quo Vadis Days put it right at the forefront of my mind as a possibility,” Deacon Heidelbaugh said.
Still, he had dreams and plans of being a husband and father and expanding his talents and interests in the world of professional rock climbing. Being a good, faithful, Catholic man was also part of that vision, just not as a priest.
“I wanted to do what God wanted of me, but I was trying to avoid thinking about the priesthood because I didn’t want to do that,” Deacon Heidelbaugh said. “After my time at Quo Vadis Days, I tried to avoid any thoughts about it and tried some mental gymnastics thinking I could make God change his mind.”
For sixth months, he attempted to push away the thought of priesthood, until one day he stopped fighting.
“I was sitting in my room at home one night and I said, ‘OK, Lord, it seems like you want me to be a priest, so that’s what I’ll do.’”
“Once I made that decision, there was a real and incredible peace that came over me and I was suddenly excited about being a priest,” he said. “That peace stayed with me throughout high school, and it was a blessing because I found peace in knowing what I was made for.”
After high school, he entered seminary, which “has stretched me in many ways,” Deacon Heidelbaugh said in the interview from St. Charles Borromeo. “You balance class time, studies, prayer life, meetings with formators, social time with the other guys. I’ve grown in confidence. In prayer and with the help of others, I’ve grown to experience the love of God for me.”
The message of God’s unconditional love is one that Deacon Heidelbaugh is eager to share as a priest with the people of the diocese, especially with young men and women and those who don’t live a life of faith or have a relationship with God.
“I have a soft spot in my heart for people my age who grew up without much faith or are dealing with depression, uncertainty or anxiety. I can see how much my generation has suffered from not having God in their lives and I pray about that a lot,” he said.
“There are things that everybody struggles with, things that everyone cares about in their lives…. In getting to use the gifts that God has given me, I think I can speak to that in a homily and have the gift and opportunity to reach people’s hearts,” he said.
Deacon Heidelbaugh is excited to bring Christ to people and people to Christ through the celebration of the sacraments. And he hopes to make connections with parishioners though common interests. He enjoys playing the guitar, rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles and rock climbing, and said, “If there’s no pickup basketball in the area where I’m assigned as a priest, I’m going to try to start it.”
“If people see or feel that priests are someone totally different from themselves, they might start to think they can’t be close to God themselves. It’s important to show that we’re normal people,” he said. “It’s the same for young men, who might not think seminary or priesthood is possible for them if they think priests are out of reach.”
He wants to share insights, too, with young men who are considering God’s call for their lives. He stresses that discernment is not a commitment.
“Some guys might think they’re signing their life away to go be a priest if they attend Quo Vadis Days or look at a religious vocation,” he said. “But don’t be afraid of going or having a conversation. Pray intentionally about what God’s plan is for your life and then listen for his voice. No matter your vocation, he will give you the graces for it.”
Deacon Heidelbaugh is the third member of his family with a religious vocation. Revisit last year’s article about them at https://www.catholicwitness.org/three-generations-three-religious-vocations/.
Deacon Heidelbaugh will be ordained to the priesthood on Saturday, June 6, at 10 a.m. at St. Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg. All are welcome to attend or watch the Mass via livestream. Visit https://www.hbgdiocese.org/event/ordination-to-the-priesthood-2/ for information.
(Photos by Chris Heisey and Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness.)
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
