Dart-throwing priest embraces challenges of ministry – and drawing youth to Catholicism

Father Daniel Firmin has been selected as the recipient of the 2020 Southeast Region Chaplain Award in recognition of his eight years of outstanding service as chaplain of Georgia’s Savannah Chapter. He received the award at the Legatus Summit East event in Palm Beach, FL, in January.

Born in 1978, he grew up in Augusta, GA, the oldest of nine children. He earned a B.A. in humanities and Catholic culture from Franciscan University of Steubenville in 2000 and attended seminary at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. He was ordained a priest in 2004 for the Diocese of Savannah, where he has served as chancellor and is currently vicar general. He has been pastor of St. James the Less Parish in Savannah since 2017.

Fr. Firmin is also spiritual assistant of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites and has worked in campus ministry. For leisure he enjoys throwing darts and competes on a team with the Savannah Area Darts Association League.

What do you enjoy most about being a priest, and what is most challenging?

I like that when I get up in the morning, I discover that every day is different. I just received a call from a parishioner the other day, for example, who told me his son was dying in hospice. I stopped everything and went over to anoint him. He died that evening. I also love being an instrument of the Lord’s healing and reconciliation in times such as these, and that I can help souls get to heaven.

The life of a priest can also be very tiring. Every day I get up, I say Mass, hear Confessions and engage in parish work and work at the diocesan offices. I might be involved in a wedding rehearsal and dinner, a funeral, or something else. It makes for long days, but it’s filled with good stuff.

What is the Church like in Savannah?

We’re a small part of the population, about 3 percent, making us a missionary diocese. We have about 110,000 registered and unregistered Catholics served by 110 diocesan and religious order priests. But, unlike other areas, we’re growing. At a time when you see other places in the country closing parishes, we’re building new churches.

How do you recommend getting young people interested in the Faith?

We need to engage and invite them to participate. We need to provide them with opportunities for prayer. At my parish, we had a wonderful Holy Hour with praise and worship.

We need to be able to answer their difficult questions. Young people want to be challenged and live lives full of meaning. Living the Christian life gives them the meaning for which they’re looking.

What work do you do with the Carmelites?

We have a community of 10 cloistered nuns living in Our Lady of Confidence Monastery in Savannah. I serve on their advisory board. Along with other priests, I come to celebrate Mass and hear Confessions. Later this year, I’ll be assisting the nuns with a capital campaign to raise money for a new monastery where they can live, work, and have formation.

I was drawn to their community by their consistent study of prayer and living of the Christian life. The spirituality of Carmelite saints Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross has always intrigued me.

What appeals to you in throwing darts?

It is something completely different for me than what I normally do. All I have to worry about is throwing a dart and hitting a part of the board. I find it relaxing.