Both Monsignor Thomas Smith and the Rev. Joseph Hilbert planned to become priests since they were in their early teens — even if they didn't tell anyone at first.
And the two men, who are priests at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Lancaster, mark 115 years of pastoral ministry between them this year.
Smith, 81, was in eighth grade when he realized what he wanted to do with his life. But he kept it a secret until he was 17, when he applied for St. Charles College in Catonsville, Md.
Hilbert, 85, said he never thought of taking another path in life. He attended St. Charles College at age 16.
Both moved on to attend St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia. Though they were five years apart, they shared a lot of experiences.
Hilbert, who recently celebrated 60 years of ordination, was a principal for 10 years at Lebanon Catholic High School. He then moved to Bishop McDevitt in Harrisburg for three years. He worked with migrant farm workers from 1981 until 2002, when he retired at age 75 and came back to St. Joseph's — his home parish — to be close to his family.
Smith worked for eight years as a chaplain at nursing homes, Holy Spirit Hospital in Harrisburg and the Dauphin County Prison. He then was moved to St. Paul the Apostle Church in Annville, where he was the campus minister at Lebanon Valley College and a chaplain at Fort Indiantown Gap.
He also had a hand in helping with designing and building the new church for the St. Paul parish.
But the people they met through the years left an impact on both men, an understanding gleaned from myriad cultures that they have brought with them to St. Joseph.
Hilbert said he admired the loyalty to friends and family among the Mexicans he came to know.
"They have a sense of responsibility for family, and that didn't stop through the years," Hilbert said.
And Smith recalled performing wedding ceremonies for Vietnamese couples when they started coming to America after the fall of Saigon in 1975. He said the Annville community was home to a variety of cultures at the time, and included restaurant and Italian pizza shop owners as well as workers employed by Penn National Race Track.
Those different experiences allowed both men to come to St. Joseph with the open minds needed to accept all cultures and communities into the church.
"Catholic is universal for all," Smith said.
Church volunteer coordinator Mary Ellen Gardner said both priests have a lot of pep and humor that belies their ages. They keep up on the changing technology, and Smith has even mentioned getting a Facebook account to keep up with family, she said.
"They are always looking to find new ways to attract new people," Gardner said.
The parish has a strong cohesion, Hilbert said, as well as loyalty. Everyone works together, and the volunteer base is strong.
There are currently 58 volunteer organizations at the church, according to its website. Volunteers can be found everywhere from working in the rectory office to driving the parish elderly to doctor's appointments.
In Smith's 20 years at St. Joseph, there has always been an outpouring of support for the church, said Joanne Bauer, an office volunteer since 1975.
Smith, who has a fondness for pipe organs, wanted to repair the one at St. Joseph. So fundraising began to purchase a rank (a set of pipes within the organ).
The church raised funds to purchase not one but two ranks, church member Donna D'Agostino said.
"It just shows you how much the parishioners appreciate him," she said.
Smith and Hilbert have been supportive of events to bring the people of the parish together, which include monthly summer picnics and taking part in the Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, which has someone in the chapel 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to pray.
"We're lucky that we're in a parish that there can be a party at the drop of a hat," Smith said.
The concept of the church needs to be a more "big brother, big sister" relationship, said Smith, who encourages people to come talk to the priests.
But there are always challenges, which include keeping youth engaged in the church, he said.
"When we don't hear the voices of children in the church, that's the time to lock it up," Hilbert said.
Nonetheless, he said, the church has been there for 2,000 years and will continue to be there for today's youth.
"We are blessed," Bauer said, "to have [the priests] here."