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"I was a scared little boy," Fr. Doyle began, as he related his vocation story to about 30 Serra Club members at the General Membership meeting on Thursday, October 5, 2023, at Curé of Ars Church. "I have lived a lot of my life knowing well the spirit of fear and the spirit of "God, you stay over there. I'll figure it out and, just, you bless my plans for my life. Thanks." 

"When I was growing up, I was super blessed to grow up in a large Catholic family in Topeka. Both of my parents were physicians," he continued. "That's where my name comes from. St. Luke is the patron of physicians," he related. "I was the oldest boy."

Fr. Doyle shared the privileges with which he was blessed in his family life, including faithful parents, growing up in a family that went to Mass together every Sunday, and having the experience of consistent family prayer. "We were never pressured or forced," he observed, following with a reflection about his mother, who was a psychiatrist. "Every time my mom would say, 'It's time to get ready to go to Mass,' she was always intentional about speaking about Mass as if it was an honor, a gift, and a privilege to go." 

Fr. Doyle went to Hayden Catholic High School in Topeka, acknowledging that, "You name it, I was involved in it. The school play, the soccer team, baseball, as well." 

"I grew up with all kinds of dreams. I wanted to be a doctor. I wanted to play in the NFL. I wanted to travel the world, and do all these things," he recalled, adding, "When I would pray, I would say, 'Jesus, here's my plan for my life. Please bless it. Amen.'" As chuckles rippled through the crowd, Fr. Doyle continued, "I found myself praying in a way that was maybe really controlling." 

His post high school plan included going to Creighton University in Omaha, NE, and becoming a doctor, just as his parents had done. Fr. Doyle admitted he wasn't anywhere close to being a saint, but possessed an awareness that the Catholic Church was true and that Jesus is, in fact, present in the Holy Eucharist. 

"And I saw a lot of my friends walking away (from the Church)," he reflected. Everyone in the room could identify.

"That began to ignite something in my heart, that I began to pray about," he said. And so he began to talk to Jesus about his concern, "Jesus, you gotta do something! So many of my friends are leaving!"

Eventually, Jesus spoke very directly to Fr. Doyle: "I am trying to do something. I am trying to work through you." Fr. Doyle recalled Jesus' question to him at that time: "Do you want your plan for your life or are you willing to follow mine?"

Fr. Doyle related that, even as a priest, he sometimes finds himself several minutes into prayer realizing that "the relationship has been flipped upside down, because I find myself encouraging Jesus, advising Jesus, comforting Jesus, teaching Jesus, drawing out maps for Jesus," as knowing laughter now permeated the crowd. "Every once in a while, He holds up a mirror and says, "Which one of us is God?" More laughter!

After his time at Creighton, Fr. Doyle applied for seminary for the Archdiocese. He studied philosophy (2 years) at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, and then the unexpected happened. Archbishop Naumann asked Fr. Luke to go to Rome for his theology studies at the Pontifical North American College. He loved what he described as "the incredible experience." "But as I got closer and closer to that day of ordination, I recognized a fear growing in my heart." Like Peter on the stormy sea of Galilee as he was walking toward Jesus in the night, Fr. Luke admitted his doubt in Jesus' call at that time in his life. He recognized that he wasn't free to say yes at that moment.

About two years before he was to be ordained a deacon, Fr. Doyle left the seminary and returned to Kansas City, where he completed a Master's Degree through the Augustine Institute (Denver, CO) and taught the faith to seniors at St. James Academy. Fr. Doyle acknowledged the great gift and privilege it was to have taught nearly all of the current seminarians who are St. James graduates. Through the work, he realized Jesus' persistence in His call to Fr. Luke to be His priest in the world.

Another happenstance occurred. Fr. Luke became involved in the local School of Faith upon invitation to join a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It was there, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee (the very spot, he would later learn, that Jesus called fishermen, Peter and the sons of Zebedee) that Fr. Luke experienced "a very powerful encounter with Jesus." He described the encounter: "Very clearly, very simply, very gently, the Lord spoke to my heart in that moment. He said, 'You know, Luke, I've always been with you. I see your fear. I see your self-reliance. I see your knuckleheadedness and your stupidity. And I love you. And I invite you to follow me and to become one of my priests." 

Describing his response in the moment as not "exactly Christian," he said, "I told Jesus to take a hike. I had all these reasons. I'd listened enough."

Later in the same day the group returned to the very place on the seashore where Fr. Luke had heard Jesus' call. In the return, Fr. Luke learned that it was the exact spot where, for centuries before Jesus' time, fishermen would come and tend their nets. "And so this was the exact place where Jesus invited Simon Peter, and James and John, and Andrew to put down their nets and to follow Him, asking them to become his priests." A very powerful moment, indeed, for young Luke Doyle.

Fr. Luke returned to Kansas City after the Holy Land experience. He devoted himself to teaching RCIA at St. Michael's Church, to work with the School of Faith, and teaching at St. James. Fr. Luke again challenged Jesus in his prayer life, saying he told Jesus to prove during this time that His call was true. And He did so through the very encounters Fr. Luke had with students at school, participants in the RCIA program, and people with whom he worked in the School of Faith.

"I'm three years into my priesthood," Fr. Luke observed with joy in his countenance, "and I absolutely love it." Fr. Luke described the amazing gift of his vocation, saying he could speak into the joys of his vocation in many ways. "But if I was to name maybe one of them, it is to be able to celebrate the Mass every day." He went on, "My first Christmas as a priest, I was moved to tears, honestly, at the Midnight Mass, when it really hit me that my vocation is to be Christmas." He explained saying that, as a priest, his responsibility and his joy in life is to be able to be that sign of Christmas wherever he goes. "It's an amazing, amazing gift that Christmas happens in my hands every day as a priest. Christmas and Calvary happen every day in my hands, and it's an incredible gift."

As he spoke with such infectious joy, tears welled in the eyes of his listeners (well, at least one listener!)

Fr. Doyle took a moment to thank folks who prayed for him and encouraged him during his time away from the seminary. He thanked the Serrans for praying for vocations in the church, for "continuing to help Jesus in building a culture of vocations in so many hearts of our young people."

In his work at the Vocations Office, Fr. Doyle has experienced both joy and privilege in working with young men discerning a call to the priesthood. He spoke of the trials in our culture endured by young people seeking God's will, especially those considering a priestly or religious vocation. He described the persecution that takes place, the ridicule, the rejection, summing up his observations by saying, "The Church is at her best when she's little and when she's persecuted." 

"So for all that you do, and for all that you have done, thank you from the bottom of my heart. It's a tremendous joy and gift to serve the local Church here in Kansas City."

After a vibrant question and answer session, the meeting closed, as it always does, with recitation of the Prayer for Perseverence of Vocations. It seems appropriate to include that prayer here.

O God, You have constituted Your only-begotten Son supreme and eternal Priest for the glory of Your majesty and the salvation of mankind; grant that those whom He has chosen ministers and dispensers of His mysteries may be found faithful in fulfilling the ministry they have received. Amen.

God bless our priests and religious!