Fr. Adam Streitenberger, while Associate Pastor, St. Francis DeSales, Newark
Reflecting on his Journey to the Priesthood and his First Year as a Priest

“I love teaching high school!”

Fr. Adam Streitenberger, one of the newest priests in the diocese, was ordained in May, 2007. Fr. Streitenberger teaches theology at Newark Catholic High School in addition to his responsibilities as Associate Pastor of St. Francis DeSales parish in Newark.

He enjoys the teaching because it allows him to be part of the
teens’ lives.

“I love teaching high school. Working with the youth and passing on the faith to the next generation. I find it rejuvenating to be around them. I had no idea I would enjoy this much.”
Fr. Streitenberger teaches three classes and has two preparation periods each day.
“Even though I am teaching part-time, it feels like full-time. I celebrate Mass at 9 and then I am at the high school from 9:45 until 2 p.m. Then back in the parish, I have meetings, marriage and baptism preparation, annulment work and I sometimes give talks.”

His Journey to the Priesthood

Fr. Streitenberger, age 27, grew up in Waverly, Ohio and began thinking about a call to the priesthood in junior high school, but the call materialized for him while he was at Waverly High School. Fr. Streitenberger is the youngest of seven children.

He entered seminary at the Pontifical College Josephinum in 2000 and went on to Mount St. Mary’s seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland where he received a Masters in Arts and Systemic Theology and a Masters of Divinity.

After seminary, Fr. Streitenberger asked Bishop Campbell for the opportunity to work in a parish with a Catholic high school. He currently teaches World Religions and Introduction to Theology to juniors at Newark Catholic High School.

Asked how he balances it all, he says that while in seminary he worked on time management – a skill that is critical for today’s priests.

Joys of the Priesthood

Fr. Streitenberger is involved with many ministries in his parish; he is on call for emergencies at the Licking Memorial Hospital. He is also the Chaplain to the Knights of Columbus and attends their meetings when he can.

When asked about his favorite aspect of the priesthood, he replies, “I love Mass and Confession. The Eucharist is the basis of our lives and it is a profound joy to be involved in the consecration. My act of participation in Confession is also a great honor.”

He is somewhat surprised at how much he enjoys preaching;
something that he explained can be stressful in seminary because
seminarians are graded on their homilies.

“The biggest surprise for me is that I enjoy preaching. It can be a lot of work to prepare, but it is freeing to announce the church’s
teachings. I do a lot of my homily preparation during my daily Holy Hour.”

Holy Hour and Morning Coffee

St. Francis DeSales, Newark, celebrates Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament most days from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fr. Streitenberger spends time before the Blessed Sacrament each day before celebrating Mass.

“I have to have my Holy Hour and morning coffee.”

“I need a Holy Hour everyday to survive. I couldn’t preach without it and it is essential for me as a priest. I can do anything the Lord puts before me with that prayer time. I believe it is important that the people of the parish see me praying before the Blessed Sacrament as it emphasizes the importance of prayer in our lives.”

When asked how parishioners have responded to him as a new priest, he says, “The people here are very good supporters of priests. They are loving, kind, and understand how fragile the vocation is and that we need their support. We have wonderful lay support.”

A Devotion to Our Lady

Fr. Streitenberger also has a devotion to the Blessed Mother. “I consecrate each day to our Lady. Our Lord and Lady are taking care of me; if I consecrate my day to her she guides me to her Son.

He explained that part of our call as Catholics is to devote ourselves to the Blessed Mother and that she always leads us to her Son.

“A true Marian devotion is love for our Lady that sets us on fire for Christ. If she is our highway to Jesus, we should not hold back.”

Support and Relaxation

Fr. Streitenberger also understands the importance of depending on his priest brothers’ friendship and support to grow as a priest.

“A group of us meet monthly on a Sunday evening and Monday in Carey, Ohio. We are busy being priests, but it is important to make that time for brother priests and also to take a day off from the parish.”

Fr. Streitenberger enjoys reading and researching church history. He has started running and may begin hunting and fishing thanks to encouragement from his classmate, Fr. Yokum. He also hopes to put in a vegetable garden this summer.

“In seminary you are working all the time. The priesthood is busier, but it is the kind of work where you have to pace yourself. With so many responsibilities, I am finding it is important to pursue a hobby on my day off when the tendency is to crash.”

A Secular Franciscan

On April 20th, Fr. Streitenberger made his Profession into the St. Pio of Pietrelcina Fraternity, a Secular Franciscan Fraternity headquartered locally at Holy Family Church in Columbus.

St. Francis of Assisi is one of his favorite saints along with St. Boniface and St. Peter Canisius.

“All three of these saints helped rebuild the church during difficult times. St. Francis is probably my favorite because he helped rebuild the church and relied on Christ and Christ alone.”

Advice to Seminarians

When asked what advice he would offer seminarians in preparing
for the priesthood, he suggests four habits: “Make a Holy Hour a
habit, form a priest support group, get a spiritual director, and take a day off.”

The Priesthood: The Greatest Gift

In summarizing his first year as a priest, Fr. Streitenberger says, “Being a priest has been great! It is the greatest gift of my life. It is a humbling and joyful gift because the priest is Christ to so many people."