Denver Newsroom, Jun 12, 2020 / 12:02 am (CNA).- Peyton and Connor Plessala are brothers from Mobile, Alabama. They’re 18 months— one school grade— apart.
Despite the occasional competitiveness and squabbles that many brothers experience growing up, they’ve always been best buds.
“We’re closer than best friends,” Connor, 25, told CNA.
As young men— in grade school, high school, college— much of their lives centered around the things you might expect: academics, excurriculars, friends, girlfriends, and sports.
There are many paths the two young men could have chosen for their lives, but ultimately, last month, they arrived at the same place— lying face down in front of the altar, giving their lives over in service to God and the Catholic Church.
The brothers were both ordained to the priesthood May 30 at Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Mobile— in a private Mass, because of the pandemic.
“For whatever reason, God chose to call us and he did. And we were just fortunate enough to have had the foundations from both our parents and our education to hear it and then to say yes,” Peyton told CNA.
Peyton, 27, says he is most excited to begin helping out with Catholic schools and education, and also to begin hearing confessions.
“You spend so much time in seminary preparing to be effective one day. You spend so much time in seminary talking about plans and dreams and hopes and stuff that you’ll do one day in this hypothetical future…now it’s here. And so I can’t wait to begin.”
‘Natural virtues’
In Southern Louisiana, where the Plessala brothers’ parents grew up, you’re Catholic unless you declare otherwise, Peyton said.
Both Plessala parents are medical doctors. The family moved to Alabama when Connor and Peyton were very young.
Though the family was always Catholic – and raised Peyton, Connor, and their younger sister and brother in the faith – the brothers said they weren’t ever a “pray the rosary around the kitchen table” kind of family.
Apart from taking the family to Mass every Sunday, the Plessalas taught their children what Peyton calls “natural virtues”— how to be good, decent people; the importance of choosing their friends wisely; and the value of education.
The brothers’ consistent involvement in team sports, encouraged by their parents, also helped to school them in those natural virtues.
Playing soccer, basketball, football, and baseball over the years taught them the values of hard work, camaraderie, and setting an example for others.
“They taught us to remember that when you go and play sports, and you have the Plessala name on the back of your jersey, that represents a whole family,” Peyton said.
‘I could do this’
Peyton told CNA that despite going to Catholic schools and getting the “vocation talk” every year, neither of them had ever really considered the priesthood as an option for their lives.
That is, until early in 2011, when the brothers took a trip with their classmates to Washington, D.C. for the March for Life, the nation’s largest annual pro-life gathering in the U.S.
The chaperone for their group from McGill-Toolen Catholic High School was a new priest, fresh out of seminary, whose enthusiasm and joy made an impression on the brothers.
The witness of their chaperone, and of other priests they encountered on that trip, moved Connor to begin considering entering the seminary straight out of high school.
In the fall of 2012, Connor started his studies at St. Joseph Seminary College in Covington, Louisiana.
Peyton also felt the call to the priesthood on that trip, thanks to the example of their chaperone— but his path to the seminary was not quite as direct as his younger brother’s.
“I realized for the first time: ‘Man, I could do this. [This priest] is so at peace with himself and so joyful and having so much fun. I could do this. This is a life that I could actually do,’” he said.
Despite a tug toward the seminary, Peyton decided he would pursue his original plan to study pre-med at Louisiana State University. He would go on to spend three years there in total, dating a girl he met at LSU for two of those years.
His junior year of college, Peyton returned to his high school to chaperone that year’s trip to the March for Life— the same trip that had started the tug toward the priesthood several years earlier.
At one point in the trip, during adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Peyton perceived God’s voice: “Do you really want to be a doctor?”
The answer, as it turned out, was no.
“And the moment I heard that, my heart felt more at peace than it had in… Maybe ever in my life. I just knew. In that moment, I was like, ‘I’m going to go to seminary,’” Peyton said.
“For a moment, I had a life’s purpose. I had a direction and a goal. I just knew who I was.”
This newfound clarity came at a price, however— Peyton knew he would have to break up with his girlfriend. Which he did.
Connor remembers the phone call from Peyton, telling him he had decided to come to seminary.
“I was shocked. I was excited. I was extremely excited because we were going to be back together again,” Connor said.
In the fall of 2014, Peyton joined his younger brother at St. Joseph Seminary.
‘We can rely on each other’
Though Connor and Peyton had always been friends, their relationship changed— for the better— when Peyton joined Connor at the seminary.
For most of their life, Peyton had blazed a trail for Connor, encouraging him and giving him advice when he got to high school, after Peyton had been learning the ropes there for a year.
Now, for the first time, Connor felt in some ways like the “older brother”— being more experienced in seminary life.
At the same time, although the brothers were now pursuing the same path, they still approached seminary life in their own way, with their own ideas, and approaching challenges in different ways, he said.
The experience of taking on the challenge of becoming priests helped their relationship to mature.
“Peyton’s always done his own thing because he was the first. He was the oldest. And so, he didn’t have an example to go follow then, whereas I did,” Connor said.
“And so, the idea of breaking from: ‘We’re going to be the same,’ was tougher for me, I think…But I think in that, in the growing pains of that, we were able to grow and really realize each other’s gifts and each other’s weaknesses and then rely on each other more…now I know Peyton’s gifts a lot better, and he knows my gifts, and so we can rely on each other.”
Because of the way his college credits transferred from LSU, Connor and Peyton ended up in the same ordination class, despite Connor’s two year “head start.”
‘Getting out of the way of the Holy Spirit’
Now that they’re ordained, Peyton said their parents are constantly bombarded with the question: “What did y’all do to have half of your children enter the priesthood?”
For Peyton, there were two key factors in their upbringing that helped him and his siblings grow up as committed Catholics.
First, he said, he and his siblings attended Catholic schools— schools with a strong faith identity.
But there was something within the Plessala’s family life that, for Peyton, was even more important.
“We ate dinner every single night as a family, regardless of the logistics required to make that work,” he said.
“Whether we had to eat at 4 p.m. because one of us had a game that night that we were all going to go, to or whether we had to eat at 9:30 p.m., because I was getting home from soccer practice late in high school, whatever it was. We always made it an effort to eat together, and we would pray before that meal.”
The experience of gathering every night as a family, praying and spending time together, helped the family cohere and support each member’s endeavors, the brothers said.
When the brothers told their parents that they were entering the seminary, their parents were extremely supportive— even if the brothers suspected their mother might be sad that she would likely end up having fewer grandchildren.
One thing Connor has heard his mother say several times when people ask what the parents did right is that she “got out of the way of the Holy Spirit.”
The brothers said they are extremely grateful that their parents always supported their vocations. Peyton said he and Connor occasionally encountered men at the seminary who ended up leaving because their parents did not support their decision to enter.
“Yeah, parents know best, but when it comes to your children’s vocations, God’s the one who knows, because God’s the one calling,” Connor commented.
‘If you want to find an answer, you have to ask the question’
Neither Connor nor Peyton ever expected to become priests. Neither, they said, did their parents or siblings expect or predict that they might be called that way.
In their words, they were just “normal guys” who practiced their faith, dated throughout high school, and had a lot of varied interests.
Peyton said the fact that they both felt an initial tug to the priesthood is not all that surprising.
“I think every young guy who really practices their faith has probably thought about it at least once, just because they’ve known a priest and the priest probably said, ‘Hey, you should think about this,’” he said.
Many of Peyton’s devout Catholic friends are married now, and he’s asked them if they ever considered the priesthood at some point before discerning marriage. Almost all, he said, told him yes; they thought about it for a week or two, but it never stuck.
What was different for him and Connor was that the idea of the priesthood didn’t go away.
“It stuck with me and then it stayed with me for three years. And then finally God was like, ‘It’s time, man. It’s time to do it,’” he said.
“I would just encourage guys, if it really has been a while and it just sticks with you, the only way you’ll ever figure that out is to actually go to seminary.”
Meeting and getting to know priests, and seeing how they lived and why, was helpful to both Peyton and Connor.
“The lives of priests are the most helpful things in getting other men to consider priesthood,” Peyton said.
Connor agreed. For him, taking the plunge and going to seminary when he was still discerning was the best way for him to decide whether God was really calling him to be a priest.
“If you want to find an answer, you have to ask the question. And the only way to ask and answer that question of priesthood is to go to the seminary,” he said.
“Go to the seminary. You will not be worse off for it. I mean, you’re starting to live a life of dedicating prayer, of formation, diving into yourself, learning who you are, learning your strengths and weaknesses, learning more about the faith. All those are good things.”
The seminary is not a permanent commitment. If a young man goes to seminary and realizes the priesthood is not for him, he won’t be worse off, Connor said.
“You’ve been formed into a better man, a better version of yourself, you’ve prayed a whole lot more than you would have if you were not in seminary.”
Like many people their age, Peyton and Connor’s paths to their ultimate vocation was a winding one.
“The great pain of millennials is sitting there and trying to think of what you want to do with your life for so long that your life just passes you by,” Peyton said.
“And so, one of the things I like to encourage young people to do if you’re discerning, do something about it.”
[…]
Kudos to Bishop Barron!
Amen!🙏
It would be nice if the Bishop could be a little less of a cheerleader for Trump? Balance anyone?
Who would you rather he be a cheerleader for? President Kamala Harris?! Not likely, or for any other Democrat because almost all of the Democrats involved in politics or who currently serve in office are PRO-CHOICE, even to the point of allowing abortion through all nine months! (One exception is Dan Lipinski in Illinois, who served as Representative to Congress from 2005-2021, when radical Democrats who hated his pro-life stand and other conservative-leaning stands forced him out of office, no doubt with the votes of many dead Illinoisians. I know there are a still a few pro-life politicians in the Democratic Party–but only a few. Those dead Illinoisians vote for their extremely-liberal Democrat friends! (Actually I hope those dead Illinoisians are HAUNTING the Gov. Pritzker and his pals!)
First Lady Trump has been a Catholic all her life, and IMO, she is responsible for Donald Trump’s departure from his past “pagan” ways (which were often publicized in the tabloids–and were true!) and his entry into U.S. politics, including running for President. He could have spent all his time playing golf and attending rich people parties, but he chose to give all that up and serve his country.
Donald Trump has been a supporter with large financial donations to various charities and “good causes” for decades. E.g., years ago, a figure skating coach started a club in Harlem (NYC) for African American, Hispanic, and other girls who lived in Harlem. She spent her own money, and if you know anything about figure skating, it’s one of the most expensive sports–a pair of good figure skates will cost several hundred dollars, even a few thousand dollars, and a good coach will earn a salary of around $40-$80/lesson or more. The coach used all her savings and much of her income to try to keep the club afloat, and eventually, started appealing to various wealthy people in NYC. Pres. Trump (who for some reason has an interest in figure skating that he doesn’t publicize), stepped in and paid the bills for this organization for several months, and eventually other celebrities (possibly because of his involvement) got involved–and now the Board that helps govern and fundraise for FSH consists of other wealthy people, movie stars, and even Al Roker–who also attends the FSH ice shows and occasionally the competitions. FSC in Harlem has seen 99% of their skaters graduate from high school and avoid run-ins with the law or with drugs, and a sizeable percentage of these skaters (mainly girls) go on to earn college degrees and even advanced degrees–and then start giving back to the organization that gave them hope and helped THEM become high achievers. I think this act of charity, never publicized, makes it obvious that Donald Trump is worth “cheering” for, and I can’t help but wonder what other organizations he has stepped in and personally “Saved” with donations and encouragement. Oh, I know, he’s far from a moral paragon, but…he has been willing to step up and give up a retirement of golf and relaxation to spend many hours every day and even risk his life serving his country.
Also, please remember that none of Pres. Trump’s 5 children have been involved in any type of scandal or questionable behavior, and during his first term, when various media moguls started questioning Barron’s mental state (there was even conjecture among liberals and Democrats that the quiet young boy might be mentally-ill or worse), First Lady Trump moved herself and Barron OUT of the White House into their private apartment at the top of Trump Towers and had the boy schooled there–and obviously, Barron has turned out to be a fine young man. I remember at a funeral of one of family’s relatives died, Barron took his father’s arm and helped him up onto a curb at one point during or perhaps after the funeral–just a little gesture of kindness and respect, but what a difference between Barron Trump and Pres. Biden’s wayward son! Barron apparently ran the campaign to young voters during the 2024 campaign, and he was very successful.
You may not feel up to “cheering” for Pres. Trump, but recognize, please, the good things that he accomplished in his first term, and all the good things he HOPES to accomplish in his second term–barring constant interference and scandal-mongering from the Democrats “serving” (themselves?) in public office.
Trump is a disaster. A pseudo Fascist trying to institute a dictatorship. Barron is a Bishop thus should not be va cheerleader for either party.
Bishop Barron has an authentically Catholic intellectual and spiritual center from which he operates and so he will be a voice of reason and moderation on the Commission which might otherwise drift toward theocratic overreach and/or be dominated by an idolatrous form of Christian nationalism that needs to be checked. If he were any less Trump-friendly, he would not even have a seat at the table. Bishop Barron will make a sound, rational, principledcase for religious liberty and freedom of conscience, which is what we need–not a brash MAGA triumphalism that energizes secularists.
When Cupich and Tobin were cheerleaders for Biden were you as concerned? And serving on a commission is hardly cheerleading. Barron didn’t give TV interviews during the campaign like those two cardinals did.
People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. How about bringing a little balance to your own perspective before judging others?
I see Bishop Barron beat up on regular basis by folks on either extreme, William. To me that suggests he’s balanced.
If both extremes attack you, you must be doing something right.
“‘What [Tolkkinen] and her colleagues fear the most are confident and assertive religious people who refuse to stay sequestered in private'”.
Example: Bishop Barron.
May his tribe increase.
But, but, sputter, sputter! We DO have an “established” national religion!
The subterfuge has been that Congress didn’t establish it. Rather, under the other two Executive and the Judicial Branches of government, Secular Humanism is now established. Note previous Executive Orders, decisions of the United States Supreme Court, e.g., Obergefell v. Hodges and, formerly, Roe v. Wade; and the more recent DEI agenda under the Department of Education and school bureaucracies at the State level.
The First Amendment restrains only Congress from establishing a national religion, but the Founding Fathers never guessed at the need to restrain the other two branches of the federal government, or the States.
The Religious Liberty Commission is not setting the clock back; it’s setting the clock right.
I have to agree with Mr. Beaulieu above that Secular Humanism is the de facto state religion, and not just in the U.S.
I would love to see Bishop Barron elevated to the Cardinalate. Loads of respect for him.
I’d like to see that, too. Bishop Barron does a great deal of good & he does much good behind the scenes also.
Sometimes when you read the comments you understand that projection isn’t just for devices in movie theatres.
Sheesh.
The valued signal from Bishop Barron rings true to the masses.
I must disagree with his appointment to Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission. Aligning with Trump’s leanings toward an autocracy could be enough, but his immoral penchant, spewing lies and hatred, resulting in violence, further darkens the image of a convicted felon, which should make any man of the cloth take pause. Moreover, hundreds of thousands of citizens demonstrating across the country, decrying the harsh and unlawful tactics.
Trump’s flawed mass deportation will never reach its goal. There are 11 million migrants in the US. VP John Donald Vance, a Catholic convert, said we will deport one million per year. 11 years? I ask Why are ICE “officers” wearing masks? Seems like there are ICE agents in every city. What is that costing us?
Moreover, the appointment of Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (Chair) also causes me concern. Patrick has been a stalwart in trying to eliminate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Critical Race Theory that are used to advance people of color. “Color blindness”? Also, Affirmative Action. I may be wrong, but all seem to hit on one note: suppression of non-whites. The voices for these classes seem to echo louder. “Driving brown beware” I admit I am not deeply educated on the subjects. So, please correct me.
Bishop Barron: Dictator “Relativism is a poison. It attacks our most human capacity, the capacity to seek and know the truth, including the moral truth. A dictatorship of relativism imposes by real cultural force (and even by political force) a no-standard standard, a command that all must imbibe this poison.”
The First Amendment to the Constitution prevents Congress from establishing a national religion — a position Barron agrees with — the second clause in the amendment bars Congress from interfering with the free exercise of religion.
Bishop Barron: Fight hard against any formal establishment of religion, but fight just as hard for the right to exercise religion in the public space.” Right on!
Recent news. Trump’s/Noem’s ICE runs rampant, AGAIN: ICE Masked Border Patrol agents detain a landscaper Narciso Barranco, after repeatedly hitting him and throwing him to the ground. He is the father of three sons who are all U.S. Marines.
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/santa-ana-landscaper-detained/
The Catholic Church has been very vocal regarding Trump’s mass deportation plan. I would like to know Bishop Barron’s opinion.
I ask Why are ICE “officers” wearing masks? ”
*****
What do you guess law enforcement agents wear masks for? Who might want to retaliate against them?
mrsc. I think you hit on the essence of my post. However, your eyes might be wide shut. I don’t mean to be rude, but I cannot find anything to support your hyperbole, just the opposite.
Reuters: Every day, in communities nationwide, police officers do their jobs with a high degree of transparency: The public can see the officers’ faces, badge numbers, rank and, in most instances, even their last names featured on uniforms. Though many cops are forced to deal with threats and violence, there isn’t a police department in the United States that allows officers to wear masks or hide their identities while they carry out day-to-day duties.
Thanks for your reply.
Bishop Barron stands head and shoulders above so many in the episcopate with his depth theological insight and his common sense. He is an authentic gift to the Church, domestically and internationally. He requires a more significant responsibility for the benefit all of us. We can be grateful that his voice is heard on the Religious Liberty Commission.
God willing, his talents will soon be recognized by a significant advancement in Church leadership.
God reward him.
morganD above – James David Vance.
An argument is only as strong as its weakest “fact”.
Sorry, Cleo. My keyboard is a challenge. I meant John Donald Vance.
Thanks.
The “Excited States” has many national religions – greed, lust, envy, etc,…..