Maybe you could get in touch with Bishop Carlson from the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan and/or Father William Spencer of the same diocese; Fr. Spencer was ordained at the age of 75 by Bishop Carlson last December. Here is a story about him (from
www.saginaw.org/blog/post/63 ):
"SAGINAW – Bishop Robert J. Carlson is set to ordain Deacon William W. Spencer as a priest for the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw at 11 a.m. on Friday, December 14, 2007, at St. Denis Parish, 5366 Main St., in Lexington.
Spencer, 75, will be the oldest person to be ordained for the 11-county Diocese of Saginaw and the first in the diocese to have been married before following the call to Holy Orders. He was married to Margaret Mary “Peg” Spencer for nearly 45 years until her death to cancer in July 2004.
"Over the years, my wife and I were always active in the church in a variety of renewal movements and in the parish, so being close to the Lord and the church is not something new. I was also an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion and a lector. In more recent years, I was asked to be an adult server, which meant I was often on the altar for Sundays, Holy Days and special celebrations. All of these activities made me happy and peaceful, although I never tied them to my being a priest, since I was happily married,” Spencer said about hearing the call to the priesthood later in life.
"The thought first crossed my mind about being a priest when I was praying, shortly after my wife went on chemotherapy about four years before she died, but I put it out of my mind as an idle random thought. Then, during my wife’s last year or so, as I was walking near the church when I went to get her Holy Communion, the thought about being a priest came more intensely, but again I put it out of my mind. When the doctor told us that he was going to stop the chemotherapy and then told me that my wife had less than a year to live, I asked the Lord what I should do at that time. Again, the thought of the priesthood came to me. I prayed and waited to see what would happen. My wife died about four months later.
"My pastor (later) suggested the possibility of the priesthood after my wife’s funeral luncheon. I was surprised because I had not said anything to anyone about my thought about the priesthood. After that I prayed more and asked the Lord for guidance and affirmation. Within two weeks after the funeral, three people suggested that I consider the priesthood.
"Later, as the desire became stronger, I decided to take steps like meeting with my pastor for discussion, going to Sacred Heart Major Seminary as a lay student, inquiring about the possibility of acceptance as a seminarian and receiving spiritual direction.
“The thought and the desire to serve as a priest finally became solidly fixed in my heart, especially when Bishop Carlson prayed and accepted me as a seminarian for the Diocese of Saginaw.”
Spencer is believed to be the oldest person ordained in the United Sates in 2007, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s Office of Vocations and Priestly Formation 2007 ordination report.
With the addition to Spencer, the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw currently has a total of 58 active diocesan priests serving within its 106 parishes. Many of the diocese’s 36 senior (retired) priests and 17 priests from other dioceses and religious orders also celebrate the sacraments for the faithful of the diocese.
He is to be assigned as administrator for Our Lady of Lake Huron Parish in Harbor Beach."
You can find the Diocese online at
saginaw.org
God bless!
