”I have grown so much spiritually, educationally, in my understanding of the Church (and) my role as a Christian and in following God’s will for my life,” Mr. O’Neill said. “It is through this time of discernment that God has led me out of the path to priesthood and back into the world as a lay Catholic.”

Prior to beginning his seminary formation, Mr. O’Neill had worked for 18 years as an executive recruiter, seeking, interviewing and placing accountants and legal personnel. “I’ve recruited all kinds of people,” he said March 5. He was speaking from his desk – which he described as “a mess” – and settling in during his second week on the job.

Mr. O’Neill said his “heart for service,” his time in the seminary and his previous professional experience, as well as a summer spent in a Spanish language and culture immersion program in Guadalajara, Mexico, all will prove valuable in his new post.

“I think it’s going to be a perfect fit,” Bishop Edward J. Slattery said. “I have the highest regard for John O’Neill, and have been able to get to know him over the years he was in the seminary. I see him as a man of great experience and one who loves people and loves helping people.”

Mr. O’Neill noted that Catholic Charities is entering a time of great transition as it prepares to move into its new, consolidated campus in the summer of 2009, and he hopes to overhaul and enhance the already vital volunteer force that enables Catholic Charities to serve the poor.
Groundbreaking for the new building will be March 25.

Thinking outside the box is one of Mr. O’Neill’s priorities as he seeks to build on the work of his predecessor, Connie Sullivan, who was volunteer coordinator until she relocated to New York state with her husband, former Catholic Charities executive director, Deacon Tim Sullivan.
“We are ready to mount an enormous building project, and there are some specific needs where volunteers can help that are not your normal using-a-hammer or paint-brush-kind of volunteering,” Mr. O’Neill said.

“We will need to install a new telephone system and computer network. We can either pay a few thousand dollars for some consultant, or I am sure there are people who have a background in those areas who could join as a group to give us educated and practical guidance as we move forward.”

That type of volunteer also could be of great assistance as Catholic Charities seeks office furniture or to landscape the new campus, he added.

“There are Catholics or non-Catholics in the Diocese who have skills that would directly impact the mission of the Church in serving the poor and needy.”

Mr. O’Neill said his decision to leave the seminary was made in consultation with Bishop Slattery, and it was the Bishop who gave his name to Kevin Sartorius, who was named Catholic Charities executive director effective Feb. 1.

“God has truly blessed, molded and shaped me in these last three years to have a deeper understanding of walking in His will serving His Church and His people in the way He would have me do,” Mr. O’Neill said.

“It is quite a change, and it has taken a little getting used to the fact that I will not be pursuing ordination as a priest. We don’t always understand God’s methods, but I can clearly see His hand in my life these last three years and how this seminary formation was exactly what I needed to bring me to this next step in my walk with Christ.”

Mr. O’Neill is a parishioner of St. Anne’s Church in Broken Arrow and is in a band, Miles Christi Rock and Blues Review, that performs in Church/ministry settings as well as in the secular world.