Fr. Robert Hadden was ordained on May 23, 2009 and will be stationed at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Cincinnati.
Name: Robert Hadden
Home Parish: St Mary's Parish, Greenville, Ohio
Date of Ordination: May 23, 2009
When did you enter the seminary? August 2001
What class (grade) are you in? IV Theology
Who/what influenced your decision to enter the seminary? It is hard to say if there was any one person or any one event that influenced my decision to enter the seminary. I had a feeling that was too strong to ignore and spoke with Fr. Mark Watkins who was the Vocation Director at the time who encouraged me to enter the college seminary because it was the best place to discern a priestly vocation.
What is it like living in the seminary? Life at the seminary can be challenging but it can also be rewarding. Good friendships are very important for priests, and it is in the seminary that these good friendships are formed. We live and work with those who we will be working with for the rest of our lives. The guys in the seminary are the ones that later in life we will have to depend on for many things and it helps to get to know them now. What also helps about life in the seminary is that there are several people who are going through what you yourself are going through, it helps to be in that environment.
What is the hardest part of being in the seminary? Living in community can be hard. There are so many backgrounds and differing personalities that it makes for some interesting times in the seminary. However working and living in the same place day in and day out can become a little trying as well.
What is the best part of being in the seminary? The education. No where else will anyone find an education like you receive at the seminary. Also the community may be a hard thing to deal with, but it can also be rewarding to be in a community such as this one.
Who is your favorite saint? Why? St. Therese of Lisieux. I think she is a good example and it was through her intercession that I have gotten to where I am today.