When thinking about his future, Lane Poche turns to the teachings of Pope Francis.
Dilexit nos, the late Holy Father’s fourth encyclical, describes the challenges the modern person faces in finding their path in life. There are many forces, he writes, that push someone away from who they’re meant to be — and actually following one’s heart takes work and contemplation.
“What does my heart actually desire?” Poche, an Arts & Letters senior majoring in philosophy and theology, often asks himself. “What actually fulfills me? What actually brings me life?”
His answer? Taking the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to become a priest in the Congregation of Holy Cross.
“It’s where my desires and the Lord’s desires for me overlap,” he said.
Originally from Louisiana, Poche has wanted to be a priest since the fourth grade, but he found expressing his aspirations hasn’t always been easy. Forgoing marriage and wealth isn’t exactly a popular idea, and for much of his teens, Poche kept his dream to himself.
But now in the fourth year of his decade-long formation process, he can take pride in what he wants to do, thanks to the community of the Old College Undergraduate Seminary at the University of Notre Dame.
“In meeting other people who share the same desires and thoughts, I felt very affirmed,” Poche said. “I’m excited about it, and I’d love to give my life to it.”
Notre Dame is one of the few places in the United States where students fresh out of high school can attend seminary while studying at a major university. The opportunity to receive an exceptional education within a supportive intellectual and religious community was instrumental in the college decision for Poche.
“Education is the foundation of the Congregation of Holy Cross,” he said. “I knew that I could study here and get one of the best educations in the world.”
A passion for the work
Poche’s graduation in May will not only signify his achievement of obtaining a bachelor’s degree but will also mark his transition from postulant to novice.
Poche has spent his senior year living in Moreau Seminary alongside Holy Cross priests, brother scholastics, and other postulants. He starts and ends each day with the liturgy of the hours, singing and praying alongside the seminary’s other residents.
“Sometimes when I’m having a bad day, just going to breakfast with the guys and seeing their joy or hearing about their days is something that draws me out of myself and brings me to a place of gratitude,” he said.
As part of their ministry, Poche and a group of his seminarian brothers work on campus with the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA), a program for those who want to become Catholic. They also share meals with those who are unhoused at Our Lady of the Road, a drop-in center that provides basic resources, and meet with OCIA members at St. Adalbert Catholic School to pray and play soccer.
A large part of being a priest, Poche said, is working with and empathizing with others from various backgrounds. His ministry helps him develop that skill while providing a strong faith-based community.
While with OCIA, Poche was asked to give an hourlong presentation on grace in front of 100 people. At first, he was intimidated by the assignment, but as he began presenting, he entered a “flow state,” and fear left his mind.
In that moment, he knew a pastoral role was right for him.
“I started thinking about giving a sermon one day and being able to, hopefully, evoke things within people to wonder about God, wonder about the way they’re living,” he said. “The time it took to prepare for it and the love that I put into preparing for it — there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing right now.”
Finding his gifts
The five pillars of Holy Cross formation are heart, mind, family, zeal, and hope, so for Poche, education influences his path to priesthood.
“You can’t really separate the two,” said Poche, who is a Sorin Fellow in the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture. “In prayer, I’m always learning. In classes, I’m always bringing things that I’m learning into prayer.”
“I find fulfillment in drawing people to Christ in an explicit way; I find a joy in scripture; I find joy in the Mass. It’s something that’s really life-giving for me. I can’t help but share that.” - Lane Poche ’25
One of Poche’s favorite classes, Christian Traditions I, connected him with the history of his future life as a Holy Cross priest. The course is a requirement for theology majors, and students learn about the history of Christianity from the Acts of the Apostles to the Middle Ages. They study influential Christians like St. Benedict, who gave his life to his faith through monasticism, and St. Paul, who did the same through evangelism and martyrdom.
“What was so enriching about it was just seeing how differently the Lord can call us all — by what we’re suited to, by our own interests, by our own passions, and by what we’re good at,” Poche said.
Reading about the experiences of saints and historical figures showed Poche the myriad roads a religious life can take and compelled him to reflect on his own talents, which he said are still being unveiled to him.
“I find fulfillment in drawing people to Christ in an explicit way; I find a joy in scripture; I find joy in the Mass,” Poche said. “It’s something that’s really life-giving for me. I can’t help but share that.”
Learning humility and love
Poche’s study of the past bolstered what he learned from Ecclesiastes 1:9: “There is nothing new under the sun.”
He’s found that many people today tend to dismiss the history of how ideas and systems have evolved throughout time.
“There’s a notion of progress that we’re getting better and better and better, and one day, we’ll just be so good that we won’t need a creator,” he said. “But I think it’s a lie.”
Poche has learned through reading philosophy — some from hundreds or thousands of years ago — that many ideas that are considered novel are just repeating old teachings. Understanding this, he said, can lead to humility in knowing humans are not always progressing in every area of society.
“There’s stuff to learn from the past, and there’s a lot of work to be done now,” he said.
Beyond an appreciation of the past, Poche’s time at Notre Dame has also helped him develop an increased ability to act in love.
“I’m learning how to give more of myself, to make myself available to people,” he said.
After graduation, Poche will move to the Holy Cross Novitiate in Colorado for a year of prayer, frequent participation in the sacraments, and contemplative silence. He will then return to Notre Dame to study for his Master of Divinity degree before his ordination.
After that, he could be placed anywhere around the world — from South Bend to Peru — with any kind of assignment, such as a parish, homeless shelter, or college campus.
No matter what’s in store, Poche said, he will build on who he has become in the Old College.
“Being at Notre Dame,” he said, “has helped me become a better human being, a better Christian, a better person who loves.”
