Called by Name to be Christ’s Alone

Dcn. John Kenny, LC, was ordained to the transitional deaconate by Cardinal Dinardo on August 17, 2024, at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston Texas. He shares his vocation story below.

Howdy y’all, my name is John Kenny! I was born and raised in the mighty metropolis of Houston, Texas. I come from a large Catholic family, two boys and five girls. I am the third in the line up. I grew up playing a lot of sports, but I especially loved swimming and soccer. Family was very important and I think where I got my sensitivity to spiritual things was from my mom and dad. I would observe how they prayed at Mass, and I got the feeling that it really meant something to them. Also, I loved how they combined faith with fun things. My dad would usually take us to baseball games right after Mass, and my mom always knew how to combine faith with her love for the outdoors in the frequent camping trips we took as kids.

I remember that when I was around 13 years old, I would go with my mom and younger sisters to downtown Houston. We would go to this chapel of the Holy Cross Fathers on Main Street every first Friday. My mom would promise us donuts from Krispy Kreme if we went to confession. So of course I went. After doing this several times, I began to really enjoy the experience of receiving God’s mercy. At around the same time, I had gone on a retreat with the Legionaries of Christ. There I had met a young seminarian who was incredible at sports and who also knew how to speak to us on our level. The idea of the priesthood began to germinate in my heart, because at the end of the retreat, I thought to myself, “If I ever become a priest, I want to be like this guy.” So one time I went to confession in this small chapel in downtown Houston, but this time changed the course of my life. I made my confession and was trying to listen to the priest’s advice. But at one point, I felt this interior movement, an intuition, a voice in my heart that said, “John I want you to be my priest.” Called by name and called to be Christ’s alone.

From there I began to try and see where this call was leading me. As I continued to go to weekend camping retreats with the Legionaries of Christ, their dynamic style and deep spiritual life began to pull on me like a strong river current. I visited one of their minor seminaries in New Hampshire and I immediately felt at home. This was my place. So I changed schools, and went up to New Hampshire to finish my high school and live in a place that would be conducive to discernment. After four years there, I saw that God was calling me to enter the novitiate. From there this vocation has taken me all over the world, from Mexico to Italy, from France to Lebanon. God never disappoints and he uses you for things you could never imagine.

After many years of preparation and formation, I realized that I am a weak and poor instrument, but nonetheless chosen by God to carry His message of mercy. What is my great aspiration not only as a future priest but also a religious? To be someone who listens and generously imparts God’s mercy in confession, just as I received it.

I ask for your prayers, and be assured of mine. God bless y’all.