Fr. Chase Hilgenbrinck
Episode 172
16 MAY 2022
To serve Jesus he walked away from being a pro soccer player, having been with both the Colorado Rapids and then the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer. That followed four years of having played soccer in South America for teams in Chile. In two of his four years there he was selected the league’s Most Valuable Player at the fullback position. As a student-athlete he had made the United States Under-17 National Team and was a High School All-American before going on to Clemson University. In college he was a four-year starter and helped the Tigers to an ACC Championship and four NCAA tournament berths, including two Elite Eight appearances. He is the Vocations Director for the Catholic Diocese of Peoria in Illinois. Next week will mark eight years since he was ordained to the priesthood.
Notable guest quotes:
“We were altar servers at our parish, growing up, and certainly sports was at the center of our household, as my parents were both athletes and my brother and I both played college soccer.”
“My parents were big into teaching us virtue and what we were supposed to be about and that comes from… Catholic teaching that they were passionate about.”
“I think a lot of people think all this faith is fantasy stuff. It’s stuff that pious people make up and they want to believe to make themselves feel good. Well, I had to ask all those questions too about sports and about faith. I had to say, I want to be logical, I want to be real. If God is true, then He created truth and we have to follow this.”
“We were sometimes late for games. We sometimes missed meals with other families on Saturday nights, ya’ know, when all the traveling soccer teams go out to all the restaurants and all that and you have time with your friends. We missed a lot of those things because we were at Mass… And I complained about that. I was embarrassed often of my parents and of our faith because I said, ‘This is crazy and it’s not popular. Nobody else is doing this’.”
“In my freshman year of college, I made my first lifetime commitment and I tell people today it’s the most important commitment I’ve ever made in my life and it’s more than being priest. And that freshman year of college at Clemson I made the decision to be a practicing Catholic for the rest of my life.”
“There was no pre-signed contract. I bought a one way ticket and told my parents I wasn’t coming home.”
“I realized that the Lord was going to bless me. I had so much confidence in Jesus Christ and in his promises. I always read Philippians 4:13 before I played (a soccer match). I wrote PHIL 4:13 on my shin guard. That was the last thing I put on before I stepped onto the field.”
“(Being) a priest… is not an easy ministry. It’s not always a comfortable ministry, but it’s the most rewarding and certainly a ministry that’s leading people to Jesus Christ and his heart.”
“It was me trying to figure out how to navigate God’s Will for my life as I was living out my will.”
(In Chile) “I started finding myself after (soccer) practice walking into Catholic churches.”
“I have to come before the Lord… and say… soccer was the way that I would’ve written my book. The priesthood is the way that You would write this book.”
Related link:
