In honor of the special year of religious life declared by Pope Francis, Paulist.org is beginning a new series focused on how today’s Paulists live out their calling to the priesthood in community. We begin with Father Eric Andrews, CSP, who is about to begin his second year as president of the Paulist Fathers.

Father Eric Andrews, CSP, president of the Paulist Fathers

Background: Father Andrews grew up with his sister, Michele, in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., where his father owned a precision sheet metal company and his mother was a registered nurse. Father Andrews double-majored in film and philosophy at New York University and worked for Jim Henson and the Muppets before entering the Paulist novitiate. After his ordination in 1995, Father Andrews first served at the Paulist mother church, the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Manhattan from 1995-1999. He then moved to Washington, D.C., to become a part of Paulist Media Works, where he worked for a year before moving on to serve as associate pastor at Blessed John XXIII University Parish at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in 2000. He became pastor there in 2003, and also served as superior of the Paulists in Knoxville. Hollywood came calling in 2009, when Father Andrews became the head of Paulist Productions, which produces faith-based films and television programs. Father Andrews has also served on the Paulist General Council for seven years under two previous administrations.

How would you describe religious life from your own experience?

Religious life allows me to have a particular focus of ministry in the Church that excites me – that is being a missionary in the United States and finding the spiritual and emotional support for the mission by living in community with my brother Paulist priests. 

After you made the decision to become a priest, what made you want to pursue religious life, and then religious life with the Paulists?

As a film student at NYU considering priesthood, I was directed by my campus minister to check out the Paulist Fathers because of their extensive involvement in media. It seemed it was a fit from the very beginning, and not just because of the media ministry. I resonated with the larger mission of the Paulists and with the Paulists themselves. Coming from an extended Italian-American family that valued spending time together, I appreciated the aspect of living in community and with men in particular.

How has religious life impacted your own spiritual journey?

I don’t think I would be a priest today if it weren’t for my brother priests and seminarians who have accompanied me on this missionary journey. There have been so many times when the faith and commitment of Paulists have sustained me in the seminary and in ministry. I have also been blessed by how the distinctive Paulist mission of evangelization, reconciliation, and ecumenical and interfaith dialogue and our charism of welcome and hospitality has enlivened my work in the parish, campus ministry and the media ministry at Paulist Productions. The Paulist spirit is distinctive for its American perspective, and it rubs off on our parishes, campus ministries and other outreach efforts.

How has religious life influenced your ministry throughout the years?

Thanks to the mission and charism of the community, I have been involved in an amazing variety of ministries in diverse places in the United States and Canada. By seeking out the lost or those on the margins of faith has helped me better understand God’s mercy in my own life. I have been blessed to see God’s hand at work in the world in so many places through the faith stories of so many I’ve journeyed with along the way!

Why is religious life a viable option in today’s world?

Being a missionary for the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a wonderful experience, yet it is a challenging one. Going through life knowing that you are being supported by a community of faith is a great gift and for me a crucial support. It’s like oxygen for the Spirit! I couldn’t serve the Lord any other way!