Deacon Isaac McCracken readies for ordination to priesthood, May 24
Isaac McCracken bows before the altar during his ordination to the transitional diaconate on March 19, 2023 at St. Maria Goretti Church in Arlington. (NTC/Juan Guajardo)
FORT WORTH — As the Church welcomes a new pope, Deacon Isaac McCracken is preparing to take on the mantle of a new ministry.
Following seven years of study and discernment, the 27-year-old is expected to receive Holy Orders to the Sacred Priesthood on May 24 in St. Patrick Cathedral. Bishop Michael Olson will confer the sacrament during an ordination rite steeped in tradition and symbolism.
“I’m really hopeful — getting a new pope for the Church and, at the same time, entering the priesthood,” said the recent graduate of the Theological College at Catholic University of America. “I’m feeling pretty excited about it.”
After his ordination, Deacon McCracken will celebrate Mass and the sacraments for parishioners at his first assignment as a priest at Holy Family Church in Fort Worth.
“That’s what we train for while we’re in seminary — giving homilies, anointing the sick, and hearing confessions,” he continued. “There are other parishes that need help. I’m looking forward to getting out to see more of the diocese and being with the people of God in a more particular way than as a seminarian.”
While earning a Master of Divinity, sacred theology baccalaureate, and graduate certificate in Latin, the former St. Vincent de Paul parishioner spent weekends serving the Hispanic community at Our Lady Queen of the Americas in Washington, D.C.
“It’s been a blessing,” the transitional deacon enthused. “It was a great way to practice Spanish. The people there really helped me speak more fluently.”
Born and raised in Arlington, the son of Joann and Gary McCracken felt the first spark of a vocation to the priesthood while studying economics at the University of Texas at Arlington. UTA campus minister Jeff Hedglen and other friends made at the university’s Catholic Center encouraged his faith.
“I saw the example of the younger priests who came to celebrate Mass with us,” Deacon McCracken recalled. “Growing up, I knew older, more reserved men who were good priests, but seeing the witness of the younger priests is something that really helped me discern.”
Putting aside plans to become a college professor, the soon-to-be priest entered the seminary in 2018 — a decision he continued to make, “one day at a time, one year at a time.”
To prepare spiritually for ordination, he carved out time earlier this spring for a retreat at the Benedictine Subiaco Abbey in Arkansas, where the peaceful foothills of the Ouachita mountains fostered prayer, reflection, and meditation.
“During the day, I’m keeping up with my spiritual practices and thinking about life as a priest,” Deacon McCracken said. “I’m eager to begin working at my parish.”
His parents are gifting him a chalice and vestments for his new ministry. He is also receiving a chalice that once belonged to the late Father Jim O’Toole, who died in 2020 after 56 years as a priest. A parishioner at St. Michael Church in Bedford, where the former military chaplain once served as pastor, donated the vessel back to the diocese.
“I remember him as a good confessor and homilist,” added the deacon, who got to know Fr. O’Toole as a teenager when the retired priest would visit his parish. “He was very happy, charming, and funny.”
With the day of his ordination to the priesthood nearing, the cradle Catholic is grateful for the years of support and prayers he’s received from his parents, priests, and parishioners.
“I’ve even heard from people in places where I haven’t been assigned. All of that has been really powerful,” Deacon McCracken observed. “The Knights of Columbus support seminarians in a special way and that’s been a real blessing.”
His seven years of instruction and training went by quickly.
“It seems as if I just entered the seminary yesterday,” he explained. “Now I’m counting down the days to my ordination.”