I felt supported during my internship

    For many years I have been considering the possibility that God could be calling me to serve the church as a priest of Jesus Christ. My journey of discernment and formation toward this vocation was not the most direct, but the Lord has used the experiences during this time to prepare me for the priesthood to which he has been calling me.
    The day of my ordination to the transitional diaconate is one that I will always cherish with great joy. Through prayer and the laying on of hands, Archbishop Aymond ordained me for the ministry of service as a deacon in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. In the year that has passed since that day, I have experienced great joy of serving the people of God.
    I was privileged to serve as a deacon at St. Pius X Church in New Orleans for five months following my ordination. That diaconate internship allowed me a great opportunity for pastoral and sacramental ministry to the people of the parish.
    It was here that I performed my first two baptisms, preached regularly at Mass, visited and brought holy Communion to sick par­ishioners and led adoration and benediction in the weekly parish holy hour. These experiences were a great source of confirmation to me that God had called me to this vocation as a deacon and that he is continuing to call me to the priesthood.
    By the end of my diaconate internship, St. Pius X had become another home for me, and it was very difficult to leave such a loving and vibrant parish.
    Returning to Notre Dame Seminary for my last seven months of formation brought its own joys and challenges. It was difficult to leave behind the regular occasions for pastoral ministry, but the opportunity for prayer, study and brotherhood have been a great consolation. Now as I come to the end of my journey of seminary formation and look forward to ordination to the priesthood, I am grateful for all the ways the Lord has worked in me to prepare me for the vocation he is calling me to and to all the people who have supported me.
    I look forward with great anticipation to a life of serving the people of the archdiocese as a priest of Jesus Christ in whatever ways the Lord calls me to.
    I received wonderful news during Holy Week that Archbishop Aymond had decided that I would return to St. Pius X as parochial vicar for my first priestly assignment. I look forward to continuing the ministry that I started as a deacon and serving the people of St. Pius X Parish.
    Please pray for my brothers and for me as we prepare for our ordination to the priesthood on June 1. Pray that we may always serve the Lord and his people with loving and faithful hearts. Pray also for all priests and religious who serve the church and for those whom the Lord is calling to these vocations.

BIOGRAPHY
Age: 31
Birthplace: New Orleans
Home Parish: Our Lady of the Lake, Mandeville
Parents: George E. Hemelt and Susan Smith Hemelt
Education: St. Robert Bellarmine Elementary School; Jesuit High School (1999); St. Joseph Seminary College; University of New Orleans (B.A. in psychology); Our Lady of Holy Cross College (studied marriage and family counseling); entered Notre Dame Seminary in 2008.
Favorite Food: I love a good burger.
Tell us something people don’t know about you: “I play the guitar and the mandolin. The mandolin usually surprises people because it’s very small.”
Favorite Saint: St. Louis Marie de Montfort, St. Therese of Lisieux and St. John Vianney
Favorite Book (Religious and Non-religious):  “True Devotion to Mary” by St. Louis de Montfort. One of the best non-religious books I have read is “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Hobbies: Sports (playing and watching); music (playing, singing and listening).
Summer internships: Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Chalmette (2009); Institute of Priestly Formation (2010); chaplain intern at East Jefferson General Hospital (2011).
Diaconate Internship: St. Pius X, New Orleans
First Mass: June 2, 2 p.m., Our Lady of the Lake, Mandeville; June 9, 11 a.m., Our Lady of Lourdes, Violet.
First Priestly Assignment: St. Pius X, New Orleans, July 1.