Reverend Father Michael Buentello, Weekend Associate

My journey to the priesthood without a doubt begins with my family. God blessed me with a good family. I am one of eleven children: eight boys and three girls. My mother and father were the first to teach me about the Catholic faith. And even now that I am an adult they are still teaching me. I was brought up to pray everyday through their example. I have fond memories of the entire family praying the rosary on feast days and during Lent. Whenever we took a trip by car, we prayed the rosary, a practice I still do today. I have maintained a strong connection with all of my brothers and sisters. We are separated by many miles, but our faith has helped to keep us close. God and the power of prayer are frequent topics of our conversations.

In addition to my immediate family, my aunts and uncles along with my grandmother, complimented the religious teaching I received from my parents. Ours was a small town, Palacios, Texas, situated on the shores of Matagorda Bay which opens into the Gulf of Mexico. We all lived within a mile radius from each other. Faith in God was the center of our lives and kept us as a close and loving family. In our part of the world large families were common. At Sunday Mass we, the Buentellos, would occupy a pew. Nearby would be Aunt Toni and her brood of thirteen. Next to her would be Aunt Andrea and Uncle Paz and their nine children. Close to them would be Uncle Homer and Aunt Guillermina and their eleven children. In the church would also be Aunt Isabel, my mother’s oldest sister. Most of her twelve children were already grown and living elsewhere. Aunt Janie and Uncle Frank would be in attendance. Their four children were also grown and living elsewhere. There was also my aunt Rose who would be singing in the choir. She never married, but we were all her children. In fact, in the eyes of my aunts and uncles we were all their children. My grandmother held us all together. She had a warm smile and would daily pray the rosary three times: one for the family, a second for the safety of the fisherman who fished the Gulf of Mexico for thirty days at a time, a third for the conversion of Russia. I never knew my grandfather, a Spaniard, who had died before I was born; however, his presence was felt through the stories that were told of him. The lives of my relatives were consistent with what my parents were teaching us. What were they teaching us? We were to be good, hard working and to actively practice our faith in whatever career we chose.

We talked about church vocations at home. Even way back then my parents were talking about a priest shortage. They encouraged us to consider a vocation to the priesthood or to the religious life. I did feel a calling in my late teens but I did not take it seriously. I started college and the idea of becoming a priest would not totally leave me. I tried to suppress it by making deals with God. I have always enjoyed sports. My deal was that I would become a financial success instead of a priest and then build a gym in a neighborhood where children did not have a place to play. It would be a safe environment and I would be there. This dream would make me happy for awhile but it could not convince my soul that I was truly doing God’s will. I was not happy during this time period. Academically I was doing well. I went to dances and dated but there was always an emptiness inside of me. I was afraid of saying "Yes" to God. I realize now that I was thinking only of myself and my own happiness. I could not fathom how being a priest would make me happy. I was still praying for guidance and attending Mass during this period. God was answering my prayers but I did not like the answer, "Be a priest." I can be a very stubborn Texan.

I finally said "Yes" to God, and in the process found what I was seeking and also learned a few things about God. I found happiness beyond description and peace of soul. As a Basilian priest I have taught in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Houston, Texas; Rochester, New York; Merrilville, Indiana; and now Redford, Michigan. I have learned that God blesses us abundantly. Along the way I have met many saintly people who have made me a better priest. I learned that God did not need for me to build a gym. He has already inspired others to build them in the schools where I have been stationed. He just needed me in them. I have fun teaching my classes at Catholic Central, but when the bell rings to end the day, I have a big smile as I make my way to the gym or to the football field. I have also learned that God knows us better than we know ourselves. The very things that I was running away from was the very thing that would bring me happiness. I am still learning to place more and more trust in God. God is patient with me, and He gently keeps calling me to do His will, even when I am being stubborn.

I enjoy being a priest and being a part of people’s lives. I am happy when I celebrate Mass. My prayer is that I never take my priesthood for granted. I love my family now more than ever before; a priest friend said that would happen. I include them in my prayers and in my Masses. I have never regretted becoming a priest. Yes, there have been times when I have over extended myself, and times when I wish I could have given a better homily, etc. But God called me to this way of life, and He is my strength. I pray that I please Him in the work that I do.

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