By Dorothy K. LaMantia|Correspondent

“I am here to share my conversion story,” said Father Donald Calloway, “but it’s not just about me. This is a story that God wants people to hear to give a message of hope to those who are fallen away.”

Thus Father Calloway began his story, which sometimes amused, sometimes shocked, but thoroughly captivated the audience of 500 in St. Mary of the Pines Church, Manahawkin, on Aug. 9. The Marian priest’s life reads like a catalogue of immoral, faithless self-indulgence, like St. Augustine’s—salvageable only through divine intervention.

Father Calloway was born in 1972 to a young couple who “didn’t believe in religion, Baptism, going to church, or praying.” His parents divorced, and eventually Donald was adopted by his mother’s third husband. At the age of 10, Donald was baptized Episcopalian at his grandparents’ insistence. The event was meaningless, “done to get the certificate, with no photos, no relatives invited,” he recalled.

The family moved when his father, a Naval officer, was transferred to San Diego, where the boy developed his lifelong love of surfing and was molded by secular ideas confirming his belief that “Christianity was a fairy tale. In school we learned we were monkeys. That’s what our textbooks said. I didn’t hear from teachers that I was a special being made by a loving divine father,” said Father Calloway.

At age 12, his world turned upside down when his father’s job transfer to Japan took him from San Diego. In full-scale rebellion, he forged a new life as a “long-haired, foul-mouthed money-runner for the Japanese Mafia,” resulting in his imprisonment and deportation.

For more than 10 years, he “became the animal teachers taught me I was.” His life was devoted to sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll – interrupted by periods in rehabs, jail, and psychiatric institutions – and rejecting his now-Catholic mother.

At 21, he hit bottom and returned to his mother’s home intending to end his life, when he found his unlikely saving grace: a book about the Blessed Virgin Mary’s appearance at Medjugorje.

Devouring the book in one sitting, he longed to see the beautiful woman described by the visionaries. Instead he heard her tell him, “I’ve come to tell you God exists. I am the Mother of Jesus. If you want happiness, go to a Catholic priest and confess your sins.”

Her words sent him to Mass the next morning, where he “heard a voice not spoken to my ear but to me, pure thunder yet a whisper: ‘Worship!’ I was zinged by God.”

His conversion began, bringing on years of reforms – cutting his hair after seven years, getting a job, and completing his education – and a vocation to the priesthood. He was ordained a member of the Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception in May, 2003.

Following his presentation, as Father Calloway signed copies of his books, “Under the Mantle: Marian Thoughts from a 21st Century Priest” and “No Turning Back,” impressed parishioners shared their admiration.

On the sidelines stood Rick and Jennifer Huegi, members of St. Mary Parish, Barnegat, who were so moved by the information found on www.fathercalloway. com, that they asked their pastor, Msgr.
Kenard Tuzeneu, if they could invite the priest to speak.

“We were inspired by what we saw online. It hit us when we saw he was touring New Jersey, to bring him here,” said Jennifer Huegi.

“That was extreme conversion,” responded Steve Wagner, who became Catholic through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and is currently pursuing formation in the diocesan diaconate program. “My own conversion was subtle. I was Lutheran, and I found truth in the Catholic faith. This guy was so far removed. It shows that no matter how bad you are, God’s grace is there for you,” he added.

“I was personally moved,” said John Josephsen, a member of St. Mary Parish, Barnegat, who converted to the Catholic faith five years ago. “I never knew you could get religion through the Blessed Virgin Mary. His story was touching.”

Josephsen’s son, Colin, a Rutgers University student, said, “It was interesting to hear of his life path.
He would help young people think about their faith.”

“What a story,” said Deacon Bob Klein. “I saw his DVD ‘Extreme Mercy’ last year. When you think about it, it is amazing that he survived.” Attesting to Father Calloway’s gift as a storyteller, June Klein observed, “He spoke for two hours, but it seemed like 10 minutes. He had what I always wanted to have happen to me – that ‘Zing!’ when God spoke to him.”

Stephen Seeley, coordinator of the RCIA program in the parish, commented, “His story was powerful and relatable. My life was like that, but not as bad. It was hard for me to come to the Lord. God got me through Marriage Encounter. After years of selfishness, God changed my life. I wish more people would try to understand how much God loves them.”