Father Raney Johnson Ordained to the Priesthood
Father Raney Johnson is not only the first native-born priest to be ordained from the Diocese of Shreveport, he’s Bishop Malone’s first ordination, or as he would refer, his first born son.
Being called ‘Father’ will take some getting used to. When I’m with another priest, and someone else says ‘Father,’ I assume they’re talking to him, not me. But then, it turns out they are talking to me.”
Ordained earlier this summer, Father Raney Johnson has been stationed at Saint Mary of the Pines in South Shreveport since July 1. We sat in the dark church, lit only by studio lights and two rolling cameras, and I had the opportunity to film a vocations video with Father Raney on his first month of being a priest.
The Diocese of Shreveport has only been independent of the Diocese of Shreveport-Alexandria since 1986, celebrating its 35th anniversary year in 2021; as a result, the children born from the birth of our diocese are just now coming of age. Father Raney, once a student of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Academy, right here in Shreveport, has now been ordained the first native-born priest of the Diocese of Shreveport. Coincidentally enough, he is Bishop Malone’s first priest ordination as well, referring to him as his “first-born son.”
“We got to know each other over the past year, even though the pandemic made that difficult,” he says. With Father Long as his spiritual director, Father Raney was reminded by him that he was also Bishop Duca’s first ordination.
Johnson first started thinking about his vocation in the seventh grade when a religious sister asked if he had ever thought about the priesthood.
“Sometimes when people ask you about it or say you’d be a good priest, that could be God speaking through them,” he says. “You have to be willing to move and be obedient.” Fast forward to high school, and he started seriously discerning the vocation.
He kept in contact with religious orders and discerned the process while in high school and college, where he took coursework in philosophy, a necessary foundation for studying theology. He says Catholic school also gave him a nurturing background and a solid foundation that set him up for success in his later education.
“God works through people to help guide you,” he says. “Deacon Charles Thomas and his wife, Nadalie, were a big part of my formation growing up,” he says. “It’s a community process. We discern with the church - it’s not just me.”
Discerning God’s call can be tricky because you wonder, “Is God really calling me, or am I just making this up in my head?” Johnson says the best way to navigate that confusion is to talk through your fears and concerns with a spiritual director, and that another obstacle you have to face while pursing the priesthood is overcoming any fears from the past such as questions like: Am I good enough? Am I holy enough for this? What if I can’t do it?
He says working through God’s mercy to know God forgives us sounds easy, but it’s a tough process. You grow a lot spiritually, and because of this love of penance, he says he is really looking forward to hearing confessions and being an instrument for God’s mercy, “allowing people to realize that they are forgiven and to grow in holiness, and not allowing their sins to bog them down.” He is excited to be that instrument in Christ and give people opportunities where they can grow in their faith and leave their sins behind them.
When I asked what qualities or characteristics it took to be a priest, his first word was, “sacrifice.” “When you offer the Body and Blood, you are also offering yourself - your life is no longer your own. You have given yourself completely to God and completely to people. You have to be there for them. The people have a right to the sacraments.”
“You have to be willing to give your life for the Church. You do the things that need to be done, you sacrifice your time and allow yourself to be open to others and willing to grow. You have to be flexible.”
“You have to be willing to give your life for the Church. You do the things that need to be done, you sacrifice your time and allow yourself to be open to others and willing to grow. You have to be flexible. ”
Since becoming a priest, although it’s only been a month, he feels he was well prepared. The moments that catch him off guard are the ones which he was told would happen, and when they do, you’re not always sure what to expect in this responsibility of spiritual fatherhood. “The moments when you get a call from the hospital - or a parishoner approaches you in need of a confession you weren’t expecting. You’re never truly prepared, but you have to be flexible. Gotta go with the flow.”
Come visit Father Raney at both Saint Mary of the Pines and Sacred Heart Church! And if you’d like to take him to lunch, he loves Cantina Lorado.
Taking a step back, when you go to the seminary, are you bound to stay? Johnson says the first year of seminary is truly an open time to simply grow in your spiritual life and begin to discern. It’s okay not to know, and usually it’s best not to, because then you could be open to more - which could be encouraging for someone who may be hesitant. “You can always go and try it out and if it’s not for you, then it’s not for you.”
“Sometimes we can get impatient and we want answers now of what God wants from us,” he says.” “But it’s something you learn - to be patient and open.”
His advice to other seminarians approaching ordination stresses the importance of community. “It can be a danger to be a lone wolf and isolate yourself,” he says. “Reach out to other people and continue that into the priesthood.”
As our interview comes to a close, I ask him what he prefers to be called, and he says “Father Raney. Johnson is such a common last name, so it would be easier for people to differentiate.” So say hello to Father Raney, everyone. Pray for his success in his first assignment and pray we support him as he leads us in the faith!