"I think that kids need to realize that vocations are possible even today. It will help for them to see someone younger who enjoys being a priest They will recognize that faith can be a young and vibrant thing for any youth."

In the dark, early morning hours Douglas Stanley, a law enforcement officer in Kingsville, Texas sat in his car outside St. Martin's Church drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. Inside the church his young son, Peter, was serving the 6:30 a.m. daily Mass being celebrated by pastor Father Kenneth Hennessy, an Oblate of Mary Immaculate, who was the pastor.

"My father is not Catholic but he is very supportive. He would bring me to the church every morning to serve Mass," said Deacon Stanley, who will be ordained to the priesthood this Saturday, March 16, by Bishop Edmond Carmody in Corpus Christi Cathedral. He will celebrate his first Mass of Thanksgiving that evening at St. Martin.

Peter's interest in the priesthood began at the young age of seven as he experienced the kindness and generosity of Father Kenneth. "When he found out that I was interested in the priesthood, he encouraged me to become an altar server," Deacon Peter said.

Father Hennessy continued to guide young Peter who later became President of the Knights of the Altar, (an organization for altar servers with 35-40 members at the time.) It was in that capacity that he held a seat on the St. Martin Parish Council, invaluable training for his future work. Peter went on to teach in the parish religious education program, ultimately becoming the program coordinator. These experiences, he relates, were a part of his character formation and drew him closer to fulfilling his desire to enter the seminary, which he did in 2000.

Peter describes his time at the seminary as the most challenging of his life. "The University of Dallas was very difficult for me, as, I think, I didn't have sufficient background but I learned to persevere. I look back on it as being a very good thing. My prayer life had to grow."

When he arrived there, he admitted he had "a superficial prayer life," and knew the Hail Mary, Our Father and the Rosary. But during the struggle at the university he learned the "prayers of the heart…those that just spring up from inside, not something memorized. Then my interior prayer life began to develop."

And then about six months after he entered the university, the clergy sex scandals broke out. "I had to face that these issues were happening in the church. I saw the humanity of the priests involved and how they could fail, and the implication of that failure, how it affected them and the people they were assigned to serve. I could reflect with humility on my own weakness and humanity. I had to look at the fact that I could fail and how would that affect those I was assigned to serve."

"Fortunately, I had the great blessing of being able to attend the June 2002 meetings of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as a sacristan. The purpose of the gathering was to draft and establish the Bishops Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. I was able to witness testimony of victims and clergy who were dealing with the issue. It was very sobering to witness to the response of the bishops in dealing with this. I felt it was the beginning of a great healing, one which will take time, but has begun."

Deacon Peter was asked by Bishop Carmody which of the ministries of the church appealed to him now that he is on the eve of his ordination to the priesthood.

"I would like to be in a parish where there is a school," he said. "Catholic Education is so important for children. They need to learn what it is to be a Catholic child and what is to be a Catholic adult." He reflects often on the good example set for him by his parents, Douglas and Angelica Stanley and his former pastor, the late Father Kenneth.