Interview with Father Orsi

Father Orsi and Dean Milhizer broadcasting live in support of 40 Days for Life

Maria News sat down with Father Orsi, the spiritual leader of Ave Maria School of Law, to learn more about his work, which includes The Advocate, a radio show that airs in Michigan on WDEO-A M 990 and W M AX-A M 1440 and in Naples, Florida on W DEO-F M 98.5. F ather Orsi, along with his co-host Dean Milhizer, have interviewed guests such as Andrew Card (former chief of staff for President George W.Bush),to Steve Forbes (editor-in-chief of Forbes Magazine). We asked Father Orsi some questions about his work at Ave Maria School of Law. Listen to the radio show at www .avemariaradio.net or http://www.theadvocate.blip.tv .

Q: How long have you been a priest? How did you know that this was your calling?

A: I have been a priest for 35 years. I knew this was my calling when I made my first communion. When the priest held up the host and said, “this is the body of Christ,” of course back then it was in Latin: “Hoc est enim corpus meum,” and then held up the Chalice and said, “This is the blood of Christ,” or “Hic
est enim calix sanguinis mei,” it actually became the body and blood of Christ. That is when I knew I wanted to do the same. I wanted to present the body and blood of Christ. From that point, I just knew!

What do you think about the future of Ave Maria School of Law?

A: The law school has a very, very bright future. I am here because I believe this school can make tremendous contributions to the church, to the nation, and to the world, I really do. I think there is no other place quite like it. Where others have lost their identity, we have maintained ours, despite our many battles.

Many of your homilies move people to tears. How do you do it?

A: I entrust myself and my parishioners to the Holy Spirit. It isn’t that I don’t have any preparation, it’s an on going preparation and it’s in the mind. I might say to myself, “these are the things that I want to touch on,” but what happens when we’re actually in Mass is a two- way street. When one preaches the word, it has to resonate with the hearer. That’s where the Holy Spirit comes in. It’s not just knowing what to say, but it’s opening the hearts of those out there who hear.

Last year, Cardinal Egen said Mass in our chapel, and asked, “If Christ walked into the room, would we see Him?” That resonates with what you’re saying, that the Holy Spirit drives people not to just hear with their ears, but to hear with their hearts.

Fr. Orsi during Mass at Ave Maria School of Law

A: Right, because we have to realize that it is not about us. If we are speaking with our own words, people will see right through us. But if we realize that this life is not about us, then we are allowing ourselves to be representatives of Christ and the Church, we are allowing Him to speak through us. But just like people rejected Christ, they will reject us. How many people heard Jesus and turned away from him and walked away? The Bible says many left him; they could not take his teaching (John 6:66). The same is true for preachers today. We can’t go out into the world expecting accolades and for people to fall in love with what we say. There are people who have hated me for what I’ve said! But this is God’s work, not ours; God will take care of us.

What is mission of the law school from your prospective?

A: To promote Catholic, philosophical, and theological principles. To promote good government, justice, and the dignity of human life from conception to natural death. My responsibility is to save souls and to help inspire the spiritual lives of our faculty, staff and our students. The law school ’s mission is available online at www.avemarialaw.edu.

What is the best way students can support and assist with this mission?

A: To evangelize other students and other people, by giving witness through their actions. Don’t be afraid of ridicule, instead proclaim the truth and live by it. Florida for instance, has a Choose Life license plate. Every member of the Ave Maria law school community should have one. Think of the statement it would make if our parking lot were filled with them!

How can our readers support the mission of Ave Maria School of Law?

A: Through prayer and if possible, financial contributions to Ave Maria School of Law are always welcome.

*There are a number of different ways to give. Gifts can be made specifically to the Scholarship Fund, to student organizations such as Lex Vitae, or to the newly established March for Life Fund. Email LexVitae@ AveMariaLaw.edu to learn more about Lex Vitae, or Jknowles@AveMariaLaw.edu to learn more about the March for Life Fund.

By Royce Hood, Featured in Issue 2 of Maria News Magazine.

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