Six priests, five years: Father Brett Metzler
Father Brett Metzler elevates the chalice at the TCU Purple Mass on March 7, 2026, at Holy Family Parish in Fort Worth. (NTC/Rodger Mallison)
On May 22, 2021, six men were ordained priests for the Diocese of Fort Worth. Five years later, Father Brett Metzler shares his memories and experiences.
THE FIRST FIVE YEARS: My first year I was finishing up my licensure degree in systematic theology. The next year I was appointed vocations director full time, and for the last three years I’ve been chaplain at Nolan Catholic High School and assistant chaplain at TCU in addition to vocations director.
It feels like it went very fast, but so much stuff happened — so many different people, so many different sacraments, so many different kinds of ministries. So much happens in a day.
It feels like I was ordained yesterday, but you do so much as a priest. It doesn’t feel longer, it just feels bigger.
MEMORIES FROM MAY 22, 2021: I remember after Bishop poured the [Chrism] oil on our hands, consecrating our hands, we all went back to the sacristy. It was the first part of the liturgy where it was just us together and we were all cleaning our hands. It was a cool moment of brotherhood, a “we made it” moment.
Sources of strength: Holy hour has been essential. In that intimate time with the Lord each day, He does speak directly to your ministry and offer a lot of words of encouragement, helps reframe things that are difficult or when you experience discouragement.
The brotherhood of priests has been extremely helpful. I feel like I can go to any of the priests in our diocese for support. As soon as we entered into the presbyterate and got ordained, all of a sudden every other priest was also our brother.
FAVORITE TIMES: All of the things that are most essentially priesthood: working with people, walking with people. Offering people the sacraments, the Mass, anointing people. I really like being in the people business.
Now that I’ve finished my third year at Nolan, getting to know more of the students and their families and just really loving them and wanting to help them grow in their faith.
LESSON LEARNED: I had to adapt to expectations of what it looks like to bear fruit, expectations of what it looks like for people to convert. Bearing fruit is really Jesus’ job, and maybe in particular the Holy Spirit’s job, and our job is to just keep being faithful, keep showing up, and then in some ways to relax. When I do that, that’s when I actually start to see more fruit. It really is Jesus’ ministry, and he’s the one who bears fruit through us.
GOD IS NEAR: Definitely in the Holy Hour, and especially in the sacrament of confession. Seeing what the Lord can do in that sacrament, even when I’m super tired and don’t know what to say. That’s where I’ve seen the most miraculous work of God — what He will say to people through me, even if I don’t know what’s being said.
IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS: I would like to get holier, and I would like to continue to deepen my trust of the Lord and what He’s doing. The first five years, we’re all super gung ho and we think we’re going to change the world and Jesus doesn’t squash that. He just shows us that it’s really His power that’s flowing. So I’d like to grow in a deeper reliance and trust in that.
LABORERS FOR THE HARVEST: We need more priests. The amount of growth that’s happening, the amount of people that are coming here — there’s such a demand for sacraments, for the Church, for priests. Not to mention all the people who are converting.
Parishes should encourage seminarians like crazy, and very intentionally and zealously pray for vocations from their own parish. People need to dive into prayer and Adoration and really beg the Lord for good, faithful, holy men to step up, because that’s just how it works.