Precious Blood profile: Fr. Patrick Gonyeau
Brought back from the brink, Fr. Patrick Gonyeau helps others experience the healing love of Jesus
Talking to Father Patrick Gonyeau is like being swept along a bubbling stream toward one destination: Jesus. He brims with positivity, a boundless energy that belies his 45 years, and a cascade of inspiring words. One can’t help but feel uplifted in his presence.
A priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit, Fr. Patrick is currently in discernment and formation with Missionaries of the Precious Blood. He is in the midst of a community life internship at the Sorrowful Mother Shrine in Bellevue, Ohio, where he celebrates masses, hears confessions, assists with various events, and connects with pilgrims. He joins three Missionaries of the Precious Blood who also make the shrine grounds their home. “I love living in community,” he says. “They’re brilliant guys, and they’re wonderful men to be with. We have meals together, converse and pray together, and are blessed to have the celebration of the Eucharist at the heart of our communal life.
“One of the things that I have found particularly beautiful about the Missionaries of the Precious Blood is the bond of charity that Saint Gaspar spoke about for the community. Every Missionary I have spent time with has been the real deal regarding expressing the bond of charity. It’s remarkable.”
Fr. Patrick was born into a big Catholic family on the east side of Detroit. One of eight children, he says he began to drift after his parents divorced and his father was no longer around much, leaving his mother to carry the load. “I went away to college when I was 18. When I left home, I pretty much left my faith,” he says. “I slowly descended into alcoholism and heavy drug use in my college years and became an agnostic.”
The downward spiral continued until his addictions had devoured him and he began to consider ending his life. At one point amid the worst of his struggles, he prayed for the first time in a long time. “I said, God, if you’re real, where are you?” A few nights later, he had a remarkable dream where he encountered Jesus. “That dream changed everything,” he says. Fr. Patrick shares the details of that time in his life in the “Restoring Hope” podcast (see sidebar).
Thus began his turn, away from hopelessness and toward the bright light of Jesus. “By the time I was 27, I was sober,” he says. “That was truly a miracle for me, and I knew whatever I did from that point forward, I had to follow Jesus Christ.”
He became a seminarian with the Archdiocese of Detroit and was ordained in 2013. Parish ministry was rewarding, and he had a strong love for the people and the city, but the administrative responsibilities were not his forte. He began discerning religious communities with assistance from his spiritual director. On his discernment journey, he profoundly connected with a priest friend, the late Fr. Lee Moreeuw, C.PP.S.
“It amazes me that Fr. Lee and I never really talked deeply about the Missionaries of the Precious Blood all the years I knew him, until the time of my discernment, and then it was like he opened the treasure chest for me,” he says. “I was drawn into the intense focus and the love manifested in the blood of Jesus Christ that the Precious Blood spirituality is rooted in.
“There’s room for people with all sorts of different ministries, and it all flows still from the same heart of Jesus Christ. I love the diversity we have, and the way we welcome the different gifts, seeing that it’s all part of a symphony. Appreciating, loving, and encouraging each other in the different gifts and ministries is a beautiful expression of the power of charity in this unique congregation.”
Fr. Patrick feels a passion for teaching and preaching and is deeply grateful the Missionaries have allowed him to continue doing ministry nationally and internationally with Encounter Ministries, a dynamic and growing ministry he has served with for almost six years. Upon the completion of his time in formation, he hopes to expand his labors in these areas.
Fr. Patrick has grown a modest, yet impactful online ministry presence over the years through several mediums:
Facebook – Fr. Patrick Gonyeau: One-minute “Renewal of the Mind Daily Devotionals”
YouTube – Free Mustard Seeds: Talks, homilies, and testimonies
Podcasts – Free Mustard Seeds;
The Renewal of the Mind Radio Program: Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more
He says the media ministries were first inspired by St. John Paul II, who spoke of using new methods, ardor, and expressions to share the gospel. Fr. Patrick says it’s a joy to receive a message from someone who has been touched by something they heard online. “That’s the Holy Spirit using the internet!”
Learn more about Fr. Patrick Gonyeau’s journey from addiction and despair to joy through the limitless love of Christ in episode 3 of Restoring Hope, a podcast brought to you by Missionaries of the Precious Blood. www.preciousbloodus.org/podcast