Dear Disciples of Christ at Holy Spirit, St. Helen’s, and St. Mary’s,

My warm regards from Detroit. Please know of my continued prayers for you. Over these past weeks, I’ve been asking our Lord very intentionally how He wants me to serve you, where He wants to lead our community, and how He desires to sanctify us. As I continue to listen for His answer, my prayer is that you will join me in asking the Holy Spirit to descend upon our parish family and show us the way to the Father through Christ.

Last week, I had the chance to share a little about myself, my family, and a brief overview of my vocation story, how I experienced our Lord calling me to be His priest. This week, I thought I would share a little about why I am not with you at the moment, namely, my studies here in Detroit. In the early months of 2025, just shy of a year into my priesthood, Bishop McClory offered me the opportunity to return to seminary to pursue an advanced degree in the New Evangelization. I saw this not only as an act of obedience to our bishop, but also as an opportunity to continue my formation as a priest.

Priests receive a great deal of education in seminary, especially in philosophy and theology. We spend two years studying philosophy to understand the history and development of human thought, particularly in the Western world. It helps us understand where many of our “big ideas” come from, how they have developed over time, and what they actually mean. In many ways, philosophy serves as a handmaid to theology, helping us think more clearly about the truths of our faith.

Following those philosophy studies come four years of theology, where we immerse ourselves in Scripture, doctrine, morality, prayer, the sacraments, Church history, and much more. By the time I finished seminary, I had spent six years in academic formation. Yet one of the lessons seminary impressed upon us was that our education should never stop. We were encouraged not simply to study for six years, but to become lifelong students of the faith, continually deepening our understanding of what St. Augustine famously called the faith that is “ever ancient, ever new.”

For that reason, I saw this degree as a wonderful opportunity to continue learning and to remain intellectually sharp. I am also deeply passionate about the subject itself: the New Evangelization. Having come to know Jesus Christ as our loving Lord, who offers us salvation by drawing us into the very life of the Holy Trinity, I have a deep desire to find new ways of sharing that Good News; not only with those who are already in our pews, but especially with those who have never walked through the doors of a church. The New Evangelization is about discovering fresh methods and expressions for proclaiming with new ardor the same timeless Gospel to the heart of every person.

I look forward to being with you all at the beginning of August. Until then, let us continue to keep one another in prayer.

Peace, Fr. Steven Caraher