CHARLESTON — At first glance, Luke Vercollone seems like any other hip young adult. He’s got the hair, the clothes and the accessories. But on closer inspection, there is a major difference. He wears a necklace with a cross, a thin silver ring engraved with a Christian fish symbol, a green wristband sports the acronym WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) and each smooth wooden square that makes up two more bracelets bears the image of a saint. It’s subtle and quiet, like Vercollone himself, but together it delivers a strong message about what is important to the 25-year-old professional soccer player. “I’m trying to live the faith the best way that I can,” he told The Miscellany in an interview. Jerry White, director of the Office of Youth and Young Adults Ministry for the Diocese of Charleston, knows how hard it is for that particular age group to stay true to their beliefs. White believes it is especially difficult for Vercollone and others who live in the seductive world of professional athletes. Vercollone plays mid-field for the Charleston Battery and spent two years with the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer. He acknowledged that playing professional soccer puts him in a worldly atmosphere where a lot is given to the players, not only material items, but fan devotion and admiration. Also, there is the God-given gift of talent which usually gives athletes great confidence, he said. “With these gifts comes greater responsibility and greater temptation,” he said. “If you don’t have a solid foundation, it’s easy to get caught up in that lifestyle.” Vercollone credits his parents with his early formation, but said following his family’s faith was not the same as accepting it as his own. When he started his freshman year at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, he realized it was his choice whether to “pick up the cross and follow Christ” through the narrow gate or follow others through the wider gate.
It would have been easy to leave the cross for someone else. A walk-on for the Seton Hall Pirates in the Big East Conference, he had practice and games on top of his classes. But God kept calling to him. During his senior year, he found the Fellowship of Catholic University Students and said that really lit the fire of faith for him. Even after graduation and being drafted into MLS, he continued to grow more passionate about Catholicism. Now, Vercollone spends most of his time off the field as an emissary for the Lord. Not that he would ever call himself that, but his actions speak volumes. He is a member of Catholic Athletes for Christ speaking bureau and presents a positive role model for children and young adults. Vercollone attends daily Mass and takes a leadership role in several Bible study groups, teaches youth soccer and helps with youth group and retreats at Blessed Sacrament. “He’s very devout,” said Joe Burgess, a director of youth ministry. “He has a great enthusiasm for everything he’s involved with.”
One thing Vercollone knows he wants in the future is a wife and children. “I want to raise a family,” he said. “I don’t know what I want to do for work. I put a lot of faith in the Holy Spirit to help me, guide me with that. For now, I just really enjoy playing (soccer). I’m thankful for that.” Vercollone has played soccer since he was four years old and prefers playing with the Battery in the USL First Division league over sitting on the bench with MLS. One avenue he is considering for his future is coaching. In preparation for that possibility, he plans to obtain an A-level license, which will allow him to be competitive for collegiate positions. But that is a decision for the future. For now, he is starting a Younger Adult Club with his girlfriend, Andrea Rutherford, and some other couples. He also spends time with his friend and mentor, Father Robert Fix, a retired priest for the diocese. The important thing for Vercollone is to live his life as an example and plant some seeds along the way. “Nothing too loud,” he said “I stay consistent with prayer and try to keep God number one.”
Published August 16, 2007, The Catholic Miscellany
Hilgenbrinck
retires to enter priesthood
Associated Press July 15, 2008
BOSTON -- When he was playing professional soccer in Chile, Chase
Hilgenbrinck would seek comfort in the churches to satisfy his spiritual
needs and remind him of childhood Sundays spent at Holy Trinity
in his hometown of Bloomington, Ill. Even after moving back to the
United States last Christmas to play Major League Soccer -- a dream
of his, but just one of them -- Hilgenbrinck felt the pull of his
religion. "I felt called to something greater," Hilgenbrinck
said. "At one time I thought that call might be professional
soccer. In the past few years, I found my soul is hungry for something
else. "I discerned, through prayer, that it was calling me
to the Catholic Church. I do not want this call to pass me by."
Hilgenbrinck accepted the calling on Monday when he left the New
England Revolution and retired from professional soccer to enter
a seminary, where he will spend the next six years studying theology
and philosophy so he can be ordained as a Roman Catholic priest.
"It's not that I'm ready to leave soccer. I still have a great
passion for the game," he said in a telephone interview. "I
wouldn't leave the game for just any other job. I'm moving on for
the Lord. I want to do the will of the Lord, I want to do what he
wants for me, not what I want to do for myself." A 26-year-old
defender who was the captain of the Revolution's reserve team, Hilgenbrinck
will attend Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. After finishing
his studies, he will report to his home parish in Peoria, Ill.,
for assignment. "He said it was time for him, that he had been
thinking long and hard," New England vice president of player
personnel Michael Burns said. "Purely from a Revs standpoint,
it's too bad. But a lot of players leave the game not on their own
terms. He's clearly left on his own terms, which is great for him."
Raised in a Catholic family of regular churchgoers, Hilgenbrinck
played soccer at Clemson and hooked on with the Chilean first division
after he went unpicked in the 2004 MLS draft. Far from home, he
began to seek out familiar surroundings. "I fell back on what
I knew, and that was the Catholic Church," he said. "I
grew up as a Catholic. I was always involved in the church, went
to Catholic schools. It was when I got out on my own that my faith
really became mine. I really embraced it. I didn't have to go to
church any more, I was free to really believe what I wanted to believe.
"I looked to strengthen my personal relationship with Christ.
And when my personal life started to flourish, I couldn't turn my
back on that relationship." Hilgenbrinck was signed and cut
by the Colorado Rapids before he landed with the Revolution. He
played in four MLS games for New England and started in both of
the Revolution's U.S. Open Cup matches this month. Although he has
felt the calling for some time, Hilgenbrinck also knew it would
be easier to continue playing soccer. He tried to convince himself
that he was not ready, not deserving, or not in a hurry. "I
was putting up a bunch of barriers, saying I'm not worthy to be
called to something like that," he said. "But, one by
one, the barriers started to come down." With a short window
in which he will be able to play professional sports, he considered
postponing the priesthood until after his career was over. But he
decided with the same certainty that he could not allow himself
to wait. "Trust me, I thought of that," said Hilgenbrinck,
who in his studies came across the saying, "Delayed obedience
is disobedience." "We are all called to do something.
I feel like my specific call is to the priesthood. So, no, it was
not possible to continue with soccer. It's absolutely inevitable."
Hilgenbrinck had his initial interview for the seminary last July,
followed by a rigorous application process. There were written tests,
personality screenings, background checks, fingerprinting and meetings
with three different psychiatrists to make sure he had the right
temperament to be a priest. At first, he told no one, lest they
influence him one way or the other: "I really wanted it to
be a decision between me and God," he said. There were more
tests in January, and in March Hilgenbrinck learned he had been
accepted to the seminary. A few weeks ago, he met with Burns and
Revolution coach Steve Nicol. "We weren't exactly sure what
he was going to say, because it's not what you usually hear,"
Burns said. "When he said it, I was glad. I was glad for him.
This is something that he clearly wants to do, and we wish him all
the best."
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