Father Carter developed profound appreciation for liturgy

Most preschoolers struggle to sit still and stay quiet for an hour at Sunday Mass. It wasn’t that way with Tyler Carter.

“When I was pretty young, probably three or four, I've been told I was just really kind of engrossed in the Mass and really paid a lot of attention to the Mass,” he said recently.

That interest in the liturgy led to setting up his own Masses at home with his cousins. They turned sheets into vestments and traced around his Irish Catholic grandmother’s collectible shot glasses to make their own circular hosts.

Considering his devotion to the Mass at a young age, an interest in pursuing a vocation to the priesthood as he grew into a young adult wasn’t all that surprising.

He went straight to seminary out of high school and, nine years later, the young man who had envisioned being a priest one day was ordained on Saturday, May 18 by Bishop Earl Fernandes at Columbus St. Andrew Church.

Father Carter is one of five new diocesan priests who will begin serving at parishes starting in July.

A fellow St. Patrick parishioner, Father Michael Haemmerle, was ordained in the same class.

Father Carter’s first assignment will be as a parochial vicar at Gahanna St. Matthew the Apostle Church, one of the parishes where he spent time as a seminarian.

In addition, Father Carter, 27, will become an administrator at Holy Resurrection Melkite Greek Catholic Church, 4611 Glenmawr Ave., Columbus in August after Father Ignatius Harrington retires.

Since Father Carter’s ordination, he has celebrated several Masses, including his first Mass at his home parish, Columbus St. Patrick Church, on Sunday, May 19, the day after his ordination, and on Monday, May 20 at Holy Resurrection.

Father Carter was no stranger to the sanctuary at St. Patrick after having spent countless hours serving at the altar from fifth grade through high school for the Dominican friars, who have staffed the downtown parish since 1885.

He also has celebrated or plans to offer first Masses at Groveport St. Mary and Canal Winchester Pope St. John XXIII parishes, where he served during his final year of seminary, at St. Matthew on Trinity Sunday and in his family’s native Pittsburgh at St. Philip Church.

Father Carter attributes several factors as integral to his formation and vocational call, but he said there wasn’t a particular moment when he felt God was calling him to the priesthood.

“I just kept praying and trying to follow the logical steps, like serving at St. Pat’s,” he said. “I was just doing little things like continuing to pray and build up my prayer life.

“It really helped having a regular routine of daily prayer. I've had a lot of support along the way from people who really helped me with their prayers and their example and just with encouraging me and not forcing it or saying you have to do this now. I felt very free.”

Many religious vocations start in the home and Father Carter received support from his family. One of his uncles is Father Timothy Hayes, the pastor at Granville St. Edward the Confessor Church.

“He was always a source of support, kind of sounding board for questions,” Father Carter said. 

Father Carter credits Mater Dei Academy, an independent Catholic school on the east side of Columbus, as formative in developing his knowledge and zeal for the Catholic faith. He also attended Columbus St. Charles Preparatory School for one year and then moved to Columbus Bishop Watterson for his final three years of high school, graduating in 2015.

“I remember one day I was helping set up for Mass at school (Mater Dei) and Mrs. (Joan) Eppick asked me to go to the back of the room and make sure the altar cloth was straight,” he recalled. “And I said it looks good enough. She said, ‘No, never good enough … always our best for God, and that's stuck with me. 

“I give a lot of credit for nurturing my vocation to Mater Dei Academy and Mrs. Eppick, who was a great influence and just a good example of faith.”

As a fifth grader, he began altar serving with other young men at St. Patrick. He continued through high school, allowing him to work closely with the Dominican priests and develop a deeper understanding of the Mass. 

“In my case, I felt drawn to the priesthood and so it's like that was kind of the logical progression to start serving the altar and be closer to the mystery of the Mass,” he said. “For me, it was very formative and I know for a lot of people seems to be.

“But I would say in a special way that St. Patrick's with all male servers, it helps you in a different type of bonding when it's just guys. The whole point of having male servers is that they're taking the roles of clerics. There’s that vocational aspect that you’re getting closer to the altar and getting to know the priests better ... to have that relationship that helps vocations flourish.”

Father Carter said he never seriously considered joining the Dominicans despite their positive influence, but “it was a good, formative relationship to have holy priests as mentors to look up to.”

Other priests who have influenced him included Father Scott Kramer, C.PP.S, a priest of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood order who serve at Columbus St. James the Less Church, where Carter and his family attended regularly until moving to St. Patrick before his First Communion.

“He had a very simple way of explaining the faith but with a great depth,” Father Carter said. “And it was just really inspiring to see that. So, in addition to the Dominicans, it was really helpful for me to see these good holy priests who are very genuine about their faith.”

Father Carter also attended Columbus St. John Chrysostom Church and then Holy Resurrection starting in grade school and developed an appreciation for the Eastern Rite liturgies.

“We learned about the different rites in the Church” at Mater Dei, he said, “and so I asked my mom one Sunday to take me (to St. John Chrysostom), but she doesn't like incense, so she would start dropping me off there for the liturgy. And then I'd go to the social afterward, where they have coffee and doughnuts, and talk to the people, talk to the priest. … and I started serving there.

“Then I learned about Holy Resurrection and the Melkites and started helping out there.”.

The Melkite Greek Catholic Church, which is based mainly in Syria, is in full communion with the Holy See. Melkites are Byzantine Rite Catholics who follow traditions that include incorporating Arabic, Latin and Greek into the liturgy along with English.

Father Carter and Father Robert Jager from Columbus St. John Chrysostom Church will both be celebrating the Divine Liturgy at Holy Resurrection, which has approximately 75 member families, after Father Harrington’s retirement at the end of July.

“I learned all of these forms and it really was a very well-rounded liturgical and ecclesiastical experience,” Father Carter said. “You could see the different theology, spirituality, liturgy between the new and old rites of the Mass, the Divine Liturgy, and it’s all Catholic.”

After nine challenging years of studying to be a priest that included the COVID-19 pandemic at the midpoint of his time at the Pontifical College Josephinum, Father Carter is ready to serve the Church as a priest, especially being able to provide the sacraments.

“It’s really a great blessing being able to say Mass, which is the source and summit of our faith,” he said. “That's the thing that first drew me to being a priest … being able to call down our Lord upon the altar every day. Being able to remember all my family and friends at every Mass, the people who have formed and shaped my life, remembering them at the altar is the greatest thanks I could ever give. …

“Being able to bring the presence of Christ to people, especially the sick and dying, I’m looking forward to being able to minister as an alter Christus (another Christ). There’s a feeling of unspeakable joy I don’t know to put into words, but there’s a burning fire there.”