Diocese of Des Moines seminarian Connor Lynch joins Deacon Mark Campbell one month before his ordination to the transitional diaconate in Rome, sharing how a mission trip prayer for a sign was answered the very next day at Mass. Connor reflects on a summer at the Basilica of Saint John in Des Moines, where flourishing lay ministries showed him what a parish looks like when people are given room to run. He also offers honest counsel for anyone still waiting on an answer about marriage, priesthood, or religious life — and explains why perseverance in prayer matters more than the sign itself.
Connor Lynch, a seminarian for the Diocese of Des Moines studying at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, sits down with Deacon Mark Campbell to talk about his summer assignment at the Basilica of Saint John in Des Moines and the final year of his formation.
Connor describes what most inspired him this summer: the lay ministries taking root and flourishing at the Basilica under Fr. Trevor Chicoine — the Knights of Columbus "Sips and Saints" nights pairing craft beer with the lives of the saints, a movie night series alternating family and serious films, an upcoming Paint and Sip, a young adult ministry launching with socials and a well-attended spikeball night, and a homeschool network's Martha Women's Fellowship. Connor says he attended out of genuine interest, not obligation, because he wanted to learn "what makes the basilica breathe" — and points to a Vacation Bible School teen night with the School Sisters of Christ the King, water balloons included, as the kind of moment that sticks to the heart.
On formation: Connor is entering fourth theology, now called fourth configuration, his last year of seminary. He will be ordained a transitional deacon on October 1, the feast of Saint Thérèse, then complete a normal school year in Rome before returning to Iowa to be ordained a priest in late June 2027. With the propaedeutic year, the full process now runs up to nine years — which is why Connor says he's not seeing light at the end of the tunnel so much as reaching the starting line.
He also reflects on studying at the Pontifical Gregorian University alongside classmates from Africa, South America, Asia, and Europe, and discovering that the particularities differ but the Holy Spirit and the basic human experiences are shared. Asked when he knew, Connor recounts a mission trip to El Paso before college, a prayer for a sign, and the answer that came the next day at Mass — reinforced all week by people walking up to ask whether he'd considered the priesthood. He credits Fr. Chris Fontanini, who walked with his family through his brother Alex's cancer diagnosis, as the model of how a priest should care for his people.
For anyone still waiting on their own sign, Connor's advice: no prayer earns that grace, but perseverance in prayer keeps you open to it — and a delayed answer may itself be the Lord teaching you what you'll need later. Bring it to a spiritual director or priest.
Please keep Connor in your prayers ahead of October 1. Learn more about seminarians for the Diocese of Des Moines at dmdiocese.org, and about the Basilica of Saint John at BasilicaOfStJohn.org.
Heard on the Catholic Morning Show, weekdays at 7 a.m. Central on Iowa Catholic Radio. More at IowaCatholicRadio.com.
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