Still Called by Name: Why I Love Being a Priest

People often ask Dominic Grassi the question Why are you a priest? Even unasked, it hangs in the air throughout his busy days as a pastor of a large Chicago parish. Sometimes, he ask it of himself.

The answer unfolds in the stories he tells in this book—vivid tales of the way the youngest son of a North Side Chicago grocer has been privileged to witness the workings of God's grace and love in the lives of the people he serves.

In each of these tales, Fr. Grassi paints a candid portrait of the joys and difficulties of priestly life. But, as he explains, the joys always outweigh the heartache. "I am just an ordinary person who still finds incredible joy, profound awe, silencing mystery, and overwhelming peace as a priest," he writes. These too-uncommon qualities—joy, awe, mystery, and peace—are abundant in his stories. They are the convincing answers to the question Why are you a priest? They are the reasons why Catholics can rejoice that God still calls men like Dominic Grassi by name.