Laboure Society
“Do not let your worries overtake you: let Jesus into your heart and He will do everything and more!”
Meet the rest of my class
My name is Joe McIntire. I am called to serve Christ and His Church as a priest with the Archdiocese of San Francisco. This is my story.
One of my earliest memories is of my grandparents giving me a crucifix. I was completely enamored by the image of Our Lord on the cross. As a young child, I loved the beauty of the Mass, and the kindness and reverence of the priests.
My parents did not have the same devotion to the Church. When my family moved to San Francisco, we stopped attending Mass, and I lost my early love of the Church. While I was in high school, my parents divorced. I became angry at the world, and deeply insecure about my own worth. Embracing atheism, I believed that “science” held the only truths worth knowing, and that I had no need for God.
In college, I met Ben. He was intelligent, successful, full of joy — and Catholic. I envied him, and we spent long hours arguing about philosophy. I began to see how unstable my own view of the world was, while Ben’s was logical, consistent, and could be defended by reason.
One day, Ben pointed out that I didn’t live what I claimed to believe. If I really thought nothing had meaning, then what is the point of life? I shot back that if Ben truly believed in God, he wouldn’t sin against his creator. Ben replied, “That’s the point!” He acknowledged his sins, but said the Catholic faith is trusting oneself to God in spite of them. The only people who had perfect faith and didn’t sin became the two key figures in Western civilization: Jesus and Mary!
This was a huge turning point for me, and the Holy Spirit rushed in. I felt hope! The Catholic Church offered a coherent explanation for humanity’s sorry condition and lack of belief, but also a purpose and reason to live and love life. Guided by the Holy Spirit, I began learning about the Catholic faith, and eventually returned to Mass and Confession. I then began visiting Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration. After years of despair and pain, I finally had an answer to life’s problems, and a relationship of love with my Creator; and with my Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
One night, listening to music, a hymn played that I hadn’t heard since childhood. Somehow, that moment of nostalgia united my present faith to my faith as a child. I remembered the reverence and service of the priests in my youth, and I realized that I wanted nothing more than to know Jesus and to bring Him to others as a priest.
As a diocesan priest, I want to help people meet and get to know Jesus personally; to help them understand that Jesus loves them infinitely. I am excited to bring that love of Christ to others as a priest through teaching, ministry, and the Sacraments.
Much of the world around us is very much the Wild West: it is secular, materialistic, even openly hostile to God. So many people are desperately seeking love and meaning, often in the bleakest places. I want them to know that Jesus is the Good Shepherd who loves them, and that they are worth so much more than they could possibly imagine in His eyes. We were lost but now we are found, all through His inexplicable and wonderful love!
Please pray for me and my fellow Laboure classmates on our vocation journey. Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have joem@rescuevocations.org.
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