Fr. James Porter
I was born on January 5th, 1992 to James Porter, Jr (1957-2010) and Denise McCanney in Detroit, Michigan; I have no siblings. Growing up, I was from a young age immersed in the life of the Church. My father was Catholic, and my mother was not (though she helped at parish festivals and Lenten activities. At age 7, my parents divorced and, due to the turmoil that often accompanies divorce, I haven’t seen my mother since. However, my father was quite active in the Catholic faith and instilled this faith in me at an early age. While the term “vocations” was never mentioned at home, my father was always talking to me about the importance of following the Lord’s will for your life. His love for the Eucharist and the Blessed Mother was certainly an initial catalyst that made it a little easier to discern the priesthood. We moved from Detroit to Oklahoma when I was 14, and I entered the seminary when I was 18. After attending Conception Seminary College for four years, I obtained my bachelor’s degree in philosophy. After four years at Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary, I will obtain my master’s of divinity in May of 2019.
When I was in fourth grade, I began to altar serve at the parish in Michigan. Serving at the altar and seeing the joy that the priest had when he was celebrating Mass first gave me the idea that “maybe I could do that.”
As I pointed out earlier, my father had a great love for the Eucharist and Our Blessed Mother Mary. Those devotions were passed down to me through osmosis. In the seminary, these devotions would be stoked like a great fire, as I came to learn the meaning and impact of the Catholic claim that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist and the role of Mary in the life of Christ, the Church, and in each one of our lives.
Some of the most influential people in my life in directing me in God’s will have been priests. The first priest I think of is the priest back in Michigan who first ignited the spark in my soul for the priesthood. The second priest that had more of an impact is Fr. Martin Morgan. He was the priest who gave me advice when I was wondering about God’s will for my life in 9th grade and, in my Senior year of High School, literally asked me if I still wanted to be a priest. Without him asking, I honestly don’t know if I would’ve considered the matter further. He also helped me to get in contact with Fr. Matt Gerlach, who was the Vocation Director at the time. He helped get me involved with a discernment group, which helped me to see that there were other guys who were considering the Priesthood, as well. Both Fr. Matt and Fr. Morgan were helpful to me after my father died and helped me to persevere in the seminary when it would’ve been easy to leave.
Lastly, Fr. Bryan Brooks was helpful in forming me to be the man of God who lives for others that I hope I am today. Between my 2nd and 3rd year of Theology, I took a Pastoral Internship at the Church of the Madalene, which meant that I lived and ministered in the parish. Fr. Brooks showed me in various ways what it means to be a priest, both in his fidelity to the Sacraments (especially Reconciliation), and his fatherly care and love for the people of God. I count myself blessed to be entering a presbyterate with such Priests!