One Year of Priesthood: A Conversation with Fr. Peter An

On Friday, June 27, 2025, the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Fr. Peter An was ordained to the sacred priesthood by Bishop William T. McGrattan at St. Mary's Cathedral in Calgary. One year later, as he celebrates the first anniversary of his ordination, we asked him to reflect on the joys, challenges, and graces of his first year of priestly ministry. His thoughtful answers offer a glimpse into the heart of a young priest and the deep joy of following Christ's call.

What has surprised you most about being a priest?
Perhaps the amount of joy that it brings me. The priesthood is not without its struggles and adversities, just like any other vocation. But the assurance that I am abiding in the will of God offers me the kind of joy and peace that the world cannot take away.

Was there a moment this year when you thought, “Wow, I’m really a priest now”?
Some time after being ordained, I booked an appointment with a priest from another parish for confession. After he absolved me, he asked me to hear his confession. I remember thinking, "...right."

Can you share a pastoral encounter or experience from this year that has stayed with you and why?
The people of God who sincerely love the Lord and the Sacraments continue to remind me of the fullness of the ministry that I live. The people who confess with contrition and the people who reverently receive the Eucharist make me think that if God called me to the priesthood for even one of these people, my vocation is already full and complete.

How has celebrating the sacraments changed your relationship with Christ?
While I remain the same person in the way I talk, walk, etc., when I celebrate the sacraments, Christ acts through me in persona Christi Capitis, and the sacramental reality is the Lord's. When I say the words "This is my Body... This is the chalice of my Blood," or "I absolve you from your sins," it is Christ who speaks. Each time I say, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof" with the people, I am reminded of how unworthy I am of this mission and grace, the reality that this gift is for God's people, and it draws me into deeper surrender and service.

How has priesthood changed the way you see people?
It is very easy for anyone to complain about others, rather than contemplating and reflecting on the wounds of others. Such wounds may be expressed and revealed through their actions, words, and behaviours. The love of Christ cuts to the heart of our pain and longing and calls us to His Sacred Heart. As a priest, this yearning of the people has become much more evident for me, and it calls me to a greater depth in attentive and authentic listening.

What would you say to a young man who is wondering whether God might be calling him to the priesthood?
Jesus calls His disciples with a simple phrase: "Follow me." Within these words is the universal call for us to follow and imitate Christ in the way that He revealed and lived. Does your heart yearn to follow and imitate Him in His ministry as a shepherd? As a divine physician? Does your heart resonate and burn with His pierced Sacred Heart? Then follow Him.