shutterstock_547210543-3

Being open to God's Call

Twenty-five year old Peter Lennon is the Diocese of Broken Bay’s newest seminarian. He is half way through his first year of study on the road to priesthood at Good Shepherd Seminary, Homebush.
Peter grew up in a loving and devout Catholic family. He is the eldest of six children, and both his parents are doctors. Peter attended Our Lady of Dolours Catholic School and St Pius X at Chatswood for primary school, before his family moved to Cherrybrook and he attended Redfield College for his high school years.

“When I was young, I went to extra catechism classes with the nuns which helped me to know a bit more about the Catholic faith,” said Peter. “We prayed the rosary as a family, singing hymns and Christmas Carols, it’s a wonderful way to become more involved and appreciative of my faith. My family loves to sing!”

Since finishing school, Peter attended the University of Sydney studying a science and art degree. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do so changed courses quite a lot. “I studied a lot of different things, biology, chemistry, psychology, languages and then I ended up settling on philosophy,” said Peter.

Peter then became a part-time student and worked in an office. “I started going to some wonderful Catholic philosophy classes at night and discovered there was a truth that was discoverable there,” added Peter.

Peter Lennon 400He also took some time off to travel, went to a couple of World Youth Days, and worked as a lay missionary in Papua New Guinea for six months. “That was a fantastic experience, I’ll cherish that time for the rest of my life,” said Peter. “The Papua New Guineans are beautiful people, it was a real eye-opener in terms of people in such a different world, such a different environment. They have a beautiful faith and are still happy in such tough circumstances.”

When asked when he first had the call, or the inkling he wanted to be a priest, Peter laughed.

“I’ll tell you a funny story. As a kid, I think it was an Easter Mass, which can be quite long, I was wanting to talk, and I kept getting told be quiet. So, at the end of Mass, I declared ‘I want to be a priest, so I can talk during Mass!’

“My mum retold that story thousands of times in the following years. I got tired of hearing it, so then I became very firm in the decision that I was NOT going to be priest. All through my teenage years I was thinking ‘I am definitely not going to be a priest’ but it was that stubbornness and that resistance that started to give me a hint that maybe there was something there.”

“I kept hearing stories about saints and priests, people called by God. A lot of them were really stubborn and really resisting God and kept saying no. Even Jonah from the Bible, he ran the other way. These stories always made me think a little bit.

“Eventually I was getting towards the end of my teens, and I had a moment. I was just praying, I’d heard it was good to pray to ask God about my vocation, so I thought ‘maybe God is calling me?’. It was a small moment, but it was the beginning. In that moment I was open. I’m not saying that I wanted it, or that I was called, it was in that moment though that I realised it was possible. So I asked God ‘what do you want?’”

That was the beginning of a very long journey for Peter.

“It took a lot of prayer, a lot of resistance on my half, and a lot of patience on God’s half,” said Peter.

Peter’s parents were both very happy with his decision to become a priest. His younger brother has followed their career path in medicine and is now a doctor, so the pressure wasn’t on Peter as much to follow in their footsteps. “They are both very supportive,” added Peter.

Peter is one of six students in the First Year at the Good Shepherd Seminary in Homebush. One other student is from Wollongong Diocese, and the other four from Sydney Archdiocese. “They are a wonderful group of guys, we get along really well,” said Peter.

The accommodation is nice, with each student given their own room with a bathroom. “It’s pretty nice, I can’t complain,” said Peter.

The day starts with Morning Prayer in the Chapel at 7.00am, followed by Mass at 7.30am, then on to breakfast, and then classes.

Peter is enjoying his classes so far in First Year. “We study catechism and the documents of the Popes,” said Peter.

In the evening there is Holy Hour and Adoration before dinner at 6pm. Then some free time and then night prayer at 9.15pm. “We try and squeeze some extra study in between dinner and night prayer or on the weekend,” said Peter.

The weekend routine is a bit more relaxed, with Saturdays beginning with 8.00am Mass and then they are free for the day. “You actually have to get out, so you leave for the day, but need to back by curfew at 10.30pm,” said Peter.

Sundays start with 9.00am Morning Prayer, 10.00am Mass followed by brunch. Sundays are generally when guests come. “We can have visitors anytime, but Sunday is the day when most guests come,” said Peter. “It’s pretty relaxed most days, we can leave anytime we want and go to the shops or out for a coffee.”

Part of their experience at Seminary is doing pastoral work. Accompanied by their First Year Director, Peter and the other students participate in activities outside Seminary, including teaching SRE in State Schools, hospital visits and aged care facility visits. First year pastoral work has also included excursions to places like St Mary’s Cathedral and Catholic Mission.

“Next semester we’ll be doing nursing home visits on our own without our First Year Director,” said Peter.

There have been a few challenges adjusting to seminary life, but Peter is very happy. One of the challenges for Peter has been the required six hours a week of gardening. “It was definitely a labour at the beginning, but I’ve learned to appreciate it,” said Peter.