The Power of Storytelling

From fairy tales to saints' conversions to historical events to wild west gunfights to that goofy thing you did in college, everyone loves a good story. Today, the overwhelming majority of stories are told to us through a screen. If you're a nerd, there are podcasts. Or, if you want to feel old-school, just maybe a real, physical, printed book. But at St. John Paul II Seminary, the heated hearth is a club dedicated to the original method of telling stories: by mouth and in person. 
            
The club started last year and I was instantly hooked on what we call the spell. A storyteller casts the spell when their words take you out of our little common room—away from your cup of tea—and completely immerse you in the story. You feel the rush of a Civil War bayonet charge, you want to cry at the death of a beloved character or you laugh so hard that you can't breathe. The next week, when you think about that night, you remember the stories and scenes and characters, not just one more club meeting.
 
There is also great joy in telling a story. I love finding one that captivates me and then imagining how to present it, creating and rehearsing the characters and voices, picturing the setting and relating it to someone else, memorizing the plot and trying to keep in mind all the details and transitions that help cast the spell, and finally hearing from my brothers that what I did was something they enjoyed.
 
The heated hearth is all about our human capacity to enter into communion with others. Storytelling works because we are able to sympathize with characters—to feel what other people feel even without meeting them. It's also a beautiful chance for community with friends—you get to see their immense talent for creating and performing and you see their interests. There are no strict rules or sets of accepted styles. Guys recite stories they found and adapted or they tell ones we made up, we memorized or read from notes. We also sing, play instruments, read poetry, and give speeches. Spending time together doing such a human activity centered around art and fraternity is fun, genuinely restful, and one of the highlights of my week. 
 
Heated hearth is more than a good time; it sharpens the skill of storytelling, which is good for everyone, but vital for a priest. Telling stories is part of everyday conversation, but also, in a certain sense, the whole job of the priest is to make visible present truths and realities that are not immediately visible. The skill of speaking in a captivating way draws people in to a place where they can encounter Christ. Priests are entrusted by Christ through his Church with the greatest story ever told—a living story—that comes alive through people believing in their hearts, writing another chapter in their lives.