For ten years, Father John Kopson has served as a spiritual father to parishioners. Now, he steps into a new kind of spiritual fatherhood at Sacred Heart Major Seminary as a member of the faculty. Father Kopson will serve as the spiritual director for undergraduate seminarians and as a professor. He’ll also provide weekend support at Joy and Hope Family of Parishes in St. Clair Shores and Roseville.
On June 30, his last day as pastor at St. Anne in Warren, Michigan, Father Kopson blessed a new 24-hour adoration chapel after his final Mass at the parish. The week before, teachers at St. Anne Catholic Grade School presented him with a binder filled with farewell letters and cards from each student.
“It was really touching. I had no idea how Jesus had impacted them through me,” said Father Kopson. “It showed me the reality of spiritual fatherhood, that you do become a spiritual father to these kids and to parishioners of all ages. I’m excited to take that with me to Sacred Heart to help form these future priests to be spiritual fathers.”
He looks forward to supporting the seminarians on their discernment journey, which he recalls as an “intense time” in his own life.
“The world has changed a lot since I was ordained ten years ago,” Father Kopson said. “The culture has become much more de-Christianized and with that comes a loss of Christian morals, values, and ethics. These men have already been in that battle and, thanks be to God, they’re listening to the call to the priesthood when the world tells them to live much differently.”
Father Kopson believes today’s seminarians are making a heroic act just by stepping foot into the seminary.
“On the spiritual side of things, these men will be tempted to come up with a reason why they shouldn’t say yes to the Lord for becoming a priest, tempted into thinking they’re not good enough, not worthy enough, not holy enough,” said Father Kopson. “In my role as spiritual director, the Lord is putting me on the front lines to walk with these men who are walking with Jesus in the midst of this spiritual battle.”
The main chapel in the seminary brings back powerful memories for Father Kopson. He remembers the daily Masses and daily Holy Hours, as well as the times of spontaneous visits when the Lord spoke to him late at night and early in the morning.
“One of the realizations for me at the time was that I literally lived in the same house that Jesus lives in,” Father Kopson recalled. “Looking back on that, I feel inspired by the Holy Spirit to bring that reality to the seminarians. The Lord has called you intentionally to come to his house at the seminary to grow in holiness, to develop virtue, to develop a prayer life and see what God’s plan is for you.”
Every seminarian is paired with a spiritual director throughout his formation. When he was in seminary, Father Kopson valued the input of his spiritual director, who guided him through times of doubt.
“The evil one likes to sew doubts, and my spiritual director helped me discern where those doubts were coming from—myself, God, or the devil,” said Father Kopson. “It’s a relief to know you have someone there as a sounding board to bounce your concerns off of every couple of weeks, and to help foster the conversation between you and Jesus.”
In his new assignment, Father Kopson is delighted to return to the fraternity of living and praying at the seminary with brother priests and seminarians. He joins his Sacred Heart classmate, Father Joseph Kirkconnell, on the faculty. Both were ordained in 2014.
As he gets to know the seminarians this fall, Father Kopson plans to keep in mind the legacy of the late Msgr. Daniel Trapp in his own ministry. Msgr. Trapp died in February at age 66 and served as an impactful and beloved spiritual director at Sacred Heart.
“We learned in the way that we grieved his loss—with faith but through tears—that we lost a spiritual father,” Father Kopson said. “That’s why the seminarians felt the way they did at his passing. That’s why the cathedral was full for his funeral. That’s why laity and clergy alike came, because they were all impacted by his spiritual fatherhood. If he was just an administrator, people would not have responded that way.”
The takeaway from Msgr. Trapp’s life, as well as the message from the Holy Spirit, is loud and clear to Father Kopson.
“It keeps going back to being fathers,” he said. “The best way I can honor Msgr. Trapp is to be the best spiritual father I can for the seminary.”