Fr. Adam MacDonald, SVD

“Our God is a God of relationship…the driving force behind my ministry is reaching out to and establishing relationships with the people I serve.”

Fr. Adam MacDonald grew up in Flint, Michigan, the fifth of six children. He graduated from Divine Word College in Epworth, Iowa, in 1993 and went on to the novitiate at Techny, Illinois. He professed his first vows in 1994, and began work on his Master of Divinity Degree at Catholic Theological Union (CTU). After two years of study, Fr. Adam went to the Central Philippines for his Cross-cultural Training Program (CTP). After completing his theological studies he was ordained on June 10, 2000. His first assignment took him back to the Central Philippines, where he served as associate pastor at a large parish near Manila. In 2003, Fr. Adam returned to the U.S. to serve as Assistant Secretary of Education for the SVD Chicago Province.


“Growing up, my exposure to the Catholic faith came from weekly mass attendance and participation in Sunday school, as well as the witness and example of my parents,” says Fr. Adam MacDonald, SVD. “I didn’t have a great interest in the faith until the age of 15, when I was blessed with a profound experience of God’s presence.” On Holy Thursday, 1986, he was asked by his pastor to portray one of the apostles during a reenactment of the washing of the feet. “I felt that more than just my feet were being cleansed,” says Fr. Adam. “I experienced a powerful sense of God’s love for me and the call to share that love with others.”

Though he began to think about the priesthood as a vocation, he didn’t consider missionary life. One day, while still in high school, Fr. Adam received a postcard from the Divine Word College Vocation Office. “The idea of being a missionary spoke to me then, and I decided to ‘try it out’ for a year,” he relates. “And here I am – nearly 20 years after arriving at DWC in 1988 – an ordained SVD missionary priest.”

Fr. Adam has a favorite memory from his years at DWC. “I recall the sharing of meals in the dining room – not just with my fellow students, but also with the SVDs, teachers and staff. It was through these shared meals that I truly tasted what it means to be a “community” where all are welcome and all have a place, just like at the banquet table in God’s Kingdom.” Living in the multicultural community at Divine Word College fostered his sense of harmony and mission in working together to build God’s Kingdom. He says, “The witness and sharing of the SVDs, the experiences like Mission Sunday, Lunar New Year and my school year spent overseas in Nagoya, Japan, also developed my sense of mission.” He adds, “My ministry continued throughout my novitiate and theology studies at Catholic Theological Union, and simply took on a new form through the rite of ordination.”Fr. Adam believes that “one of the surprises I’ve experienced has been the realization that my ministry didn’t begin the day I was ordained, but rather, the day I was baptized.”

As a new SVD, Fr. Adam was assigned to the Philippine Central Province in June of 2000, to serve as associate pastor of San Antonio de Padua Parish in Antipolo City. But all too soon, he received a new assignment, requiring his return to the United States. “After spending so much time learning the language and culture of the Filipino people, and investing myself in pastoral and personal relationships with the people I served,” he says, “it was no simple task to leave that behind. I was very happy there, but God had other plans for me.”

Fr. Adam returned to Techny to serve as Assistant Secretary of Education for the Chicago Province. “It has brought many unexpected rewards,” he says. He believes that a key element in his ministry and mission is relationship. “Whether in the Philippines or at Techny, the driving force behind my ministry is reaching out to and establishing relationships with the people I serve,” he adds.

Being the youngest member of the vowed community at Techny wasn’t easy at first. Fr. Adam says, “I was “shaking in my boots” the first time I presided at a daily community mass, wondering what I, a young whipper-snapper, could possibly say to inspire these men who had so much more wisdom.” But somehow, he made it through the mass, and felt much better when he was told that “his youthful vigor was a breath of fresh air.”

Fr. Adam’s role at the Chicago Province keeps him busy. “I oversee the ongoing education of the members of the Province in perpetual vows,” he says. “I design and implement programs for their continuing personal and professional development, and oversee the related educational budget.” Since 2005, he has served as a member of the Techny House Council and as Spiritual Director for the SVD Novices and Theologians. “My work helps the SVD members become better equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to serve God’s people in our complex, changing world.”

But it’s not all work and no play at Techny. As chair of the committee that plans outings and field trips for the retired and infirm community members, Fr. Adam has helped plan over 30 trips in the past four years. From boat rides on Lake Michigan to visits to the Brookfield Zoo, he helps the older SVDs enjoy some sight-seeing and good dining as well. “This part of my work brings me great joy – as I get to see smiles on the faces of the members as they enjoy a taste of what life offers,” he says.

“Wherever I am, God is there, too,” Fr. Adam adds. “It’s helped me to learn the meaning of letting go and letting God.”