Different paths lead to same destination

Matt Albright: Real people
Meet Matt Albright. Scholar. Graduate student.
He listens to music. He likes going to movies, plays, restaurants and the symphony.
He stops home to see his parents and sister in North Canton when he isn't at school or working at his summer internship in Youngstown.
And, "God willing," he will be ordained a Catholic priest in the Diocese of Youngstown in May 2007.
"We're real people, too," he said with a friendly smile as he speaks of his four years of college seminary at Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus.
Albright, 23, is entering his second year of theology school this fall at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa. His third year of theology training will be spent working in a parish, and he will return to St. Vincent for his fourth year of study before receiving a master's of Divinity degree in the spring of 2007. He spent this summer as an intern at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Youngstown.
The "real people" comment comes as he recalls his studies at Josephinum, which included down time with his fellow students at one of the two social clubs on campus drinking beer, munching snacks, playing pool and watching wide-screen television.
What's different
The difference from most college experiences is that from the beginning he and his classmates were being groomed to be men of the cloth. In addition to the usual entrance requirements, they underwent psychological tests. In school, their behavior is observed and corrected if it seems improper.
The Josephinum uses a system of four formations: spiritual, human, intellectual and pastoral, or "SHIP," Albright noted. In school, he and his classmates had prayers twice a day and a daily Mass for the spiritual aspects. The human element was their personal development through grooming, manners and emotional growth, and theology classes and academics formed the intellectual.
The students' pastoral formation came through community work. Albright spent time working at soup kitchens, nursing homes and an afterschool club for inner-city boys and girls, where he helped the children with homework and taught religion classes.
Albright, who lived in Minerva and Alliance until age 12, when his family moved to North Canton, said he showed an interest in the priesthood early in life when at age 4 he pretended to say Mass using juice and crackers.
Gaining interest
As he matured, so did his faith. When he was a sophomore at Marlington High School, he became increasingly interested in prayer.
"I turned more toward adult prayer, real prayer," he noted. The interest "was the first indication that this was something serious."
At the same time, he became fascinated by the Mass and found himself really enjoying attending services.
Though he had some interest in architecture and computer-aided drafting, he focused on learning more about a priestly vocation. As a junior and senior, he visited the Josephinum in Columbus twice. After the first visit he still wasn't sure, but by the end of second visit, he had made up his mind.
"I kind of just knew I needed to do it," he said.
His parents were not surprised by his decision, because there had been indications all along of his interest, he said.
"They were really supportive all they way," he said.
Albright only told his closest friends about his plans, but that changed when his decision was announced at a dinner where he was honored for being in the top 10 percent of his class. Again, he found support.
"I didn't get a negative reaction. I was happy with that," he said.
Remaining realistic
Albright also is realistic about the drawbacks of life in the priesthood. He knows he won't marry, and that he may get lonely.
Most of his days are busy. "There isn't must time to think about it," he said. "There are other times you think about it. There are times when it is very lonely."
But, friendships have developed with other seminarians and priests, and since there are interests beyond the church, they do have time to dine out and go to the movies.
Back at school in Latrobe, he likes to go to the Pittsburgh Symphony or a musical such as "Les Miserables." Some of his friends like photography, biking or traveling.
Sundays, of course, are busy days, but Albright makes a point of getting out Friday afternoon or Saturday morning.
"There's less of a sense of a weekend. You have to make time for things that you like," he says. "You have to make time for things to balance out your life."
The job comes with one day off a week and four vacation weeks a year.
Even priests get some time off. Just like "real people."