His boots were made for walkin’ the walk

He is: Father Robert Casey, ordained at St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein Seminary, in 1994. Fluent in Spanish, he is the former associate director and then director, in 1999, of Casa Jesus for Spanish-speaking men considering diocesan priesthood. Former pastor of Our Lady of Tepeyac, and now pastor of St. Barbara in Brookfield.

Early years: Grew up in St. Terrence Parish, Alsip. There wasn’t a Catholic school, so he was “a CCD kid” and altar server.  “My dad was a butcher, who worked for supermarkets. He apprenticed in County Wicklow, Ireland, and immigrated over here. My mom is a retired registered nurse.” He has two brothers and two sisters. “I grew up on a great block, Carolyn Lane. All the families kind of watched out for one another, and all the kids got along. We were the first families in those homes in Alsip. All of us talk about it with fond memories.”

The idea: “When I was a junior in high school I had to interview a priest or brother for religion class. I interviewed our pastor, Father Bill Lyons. At the end he asked if I’d ever thought of being a priest. I said no. I was one of the founders of our parish teen club, and helped with CCD. He started me thinking about it.

“I developed a connection with Msgr. Jim Hardiman. After graduating from Niles, I took a year to go away, thinking I’d become a Passionist priest.” He returned to Chicago six months later and after teaching for a while, decided, “I’m going to be a diocesan priest. I went to church that Sunday, telling Msgr. Hardiman, I had the application from Mundelein on my desk at home. He said, ‘It should be in the mail. You need to become a priest!’ He was a good influence on me.”

Feeding the spirit: “I have a group of priest friends who vacation together each year. We keep each other grounded because there’s a good honesty between us. We’re able to support and challenge one another. One of the things I started to do at Casa Jesus was define a space for prayer. I have a place in my room just for prayer and reading; not for TV or talking on the phone. It helps to have that divide.” He did a 30-day Ignatian retreat in 2009 at the Jesuit center at Manresa, La. “Ignatius was a very wise man and put together a wonderful set of spiritual exercises.”

Leisure: “I like to get outdoors, camping and back-packing. I’m trying to be a runner.

“Seven years ago I did the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, Spain – walking the 40-day pilgrimage. It changed me tremendously. I learned a lot about pilgrimage, which was fascinating. It is something you’re called to. I think there’s some sort of invitation before you end up on the journey. I read a book years ago about the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela and couldn’t shake the idea.

 “After I finished at Casa Jesus I had the opportunity to do it – and went off and walked from the Pyrenees over to Santiago and on to the coast. It was a life-changing experience. I wasn’t part of a tour. It was a matter of every morning, putting on your boots, putting on your backpack and walking.

“My experience ended up in three distinct parts. The first group of people I walked with were only going so far. So my second experience was on the plains of Spain -- very flat and dry. I was in a new group of people I didn’t know. I was in a more reflective place, where I wanted to be alone. The third part (I had taken a couple days off again and started up), was with a new group that I ended up going to Compostela with and on to the coast. I met some amazing people. It taught me a lot about myself.”

Reading: “I’m just revisiting ‘The Life You Save May Be Your Own,’ by Paul Elie. It’s biographies of Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, Flannery O’Connor, and Walker Percy -- looking at them from the perspective of their writing, but also their faith.”

Favorite Scripture: “From the Book of Joshua, 24-15, where he says to the people, ‘As for me and my household, we shall serve the Lord.’ That description has been on my mind lately, trying to build community in our parish. I’ve been drawn to how we need to be more ‘intentional’ in our faith and make the choice that this is what I want to do, be part of this church, this parish. I like that phrase of Joshua to the people, don’t be passive, but make the choice and follow through on it.”