Rev. Corey Bruns leans over his kitchen counter while chopping vegetables in the rectory on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2023. Bruns has been an ordained Catholic Priest for almost three years. He (God) always reminds me of his generosity and His mercy towards me,” Bruns said. “Anytime that I ever had a rough day in priesthood or trouble and said, you know, why am I doing this? Is this is this really what you called me to? Every single time that that thought comes up, it's usually within a couple hours, that I have some experience of either in confession with somebody who's been away from the Church for 20 years or somebody who's had some tragedy and is meeting the Lord. And it's always just a sweet reminder of his love. I always find myself afterwards [and] I always kind of chuckle [and] say, ‘Okay. God, I'm shutting up.’”
Bruns begins to put his vestments on prior to a mass celebrating the Feast of St. Andrew at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Bowling Green, Ky. on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023.
Bruns delivers his homily during the first Sunday of Advent at St. Joseph Catholic Church on Sunday, Dec. 5, 2023. Bruns expressed his gratitude for his parishioners and their importance to him as his spiritual children. “This is my family, this is who he called me to serve […],” Bruns said. “But then, at the same time, with my family being seven hours away…I struggle at times, with not being able to be there. My grandpa is on his deathbed, kind of right now. And so just trying to make myself present via phone and different things for my family and assisting them as I'm able to, from far away. Those moments are hard but they're also reminders for me of God's love."
Bruns consecrates the Eucharist during mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023. Catholics believe that during this moment the bread is transformed into the substance of the body of Christ. Bruns explained that saying Mass is his favorite part about being a priest.
Bruns wears a hammered sterling silver ring on his left hand that matches his ordination chalice. He explained that it reminds him of his promises made to the Catholic Church. “I started wearing it when I made my promises before my ordination as a deacon,” Bruns said. “But it's a reminder for me of those promises. So it matches my chalice with the hammered silver. But it's just a reminder for me that every time as I celebrate Mass and I lift this up, that at the same time throughout the rest of the days of the week that I'm called to do the same thing.”
Bruns kills a fly on the altar with a bug zapper at St. Joseph Catholic Church on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023.
Bruns says grace with St. Joseph Catholic Church staff before he served the lunch that he prepared for them on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023.
Bruns sits in the confessional during a weekly scheduled confession time on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023. Bruns explained that being able to hear confessions is incredibly humbling. “I can do more in ten minutes with someone in confession than I can in any type of counseling or direction meeting or anything that I have with them.” Bruns said. “Because Christ is the one who is acting and doing all the work.”
Bruns and Willa Wood (7) walk to the dumpster to discard old plants outside of St. Joseph Catholic Church on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023. Wood, who’s a second grader at St. Joseph School, saw Bruns working outside and asked him to help.
Bruns jokes around with his friends, Jackson Purcell, left, and Ian LaBarge, after he said mass in the church’s recreation hall on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2023. Purcell has known Bruns through their time together at the Gasper River Retreat, a Catholic youth camp and retreat center. “I think he’s a really good person, he shows his traditional values in sticking to the church and that shows through his actions,” Purcell said. “He’s very fatherlike in the way that he takes care of his parish […] I think all in and all he’s a wonderful person, and joyful and he spreads that generously.”
Rev. Ryan Harpole, left, and Bruns prepare their lunches together in the kitchen of the rectory. “Because he's an introvert we don't talk a lot, we don't spend a lot of time together,” Bruns said about Harpole. “But I purposefully have tried to go out of my way when there's opportunities to spend time with him when I know he’ll be fine with that. Because I need that as an extrovert, I need to be able to be around people.”
Bruns laughs with Susan Warrell, owner of the Meltdown Ice Cream & Soda Fountain in Bowling Green on Sunday, Dec. 5. Warrell has known Bruns for seven years from his time as a seminarian at Gasper River Catholic Youth Camp & Retreat Center. “He’s kind, he's compassionate. I love that he appreciates and finds the importance of detail. And he he digs deep into your faith, not just scratches the surface […].”
Bruns prepares the altar for Adoration after mass on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023. Bruns explained that Adoration is a literal showing of the body of Christ using a reserved consecrated Eucharist. “It’s always a moment of intimacy with the Lord and being able just to kind of share you know, these are the thoughts that are on my heart, these are my struggles, these are my hopes, these are my worries,” Bruns said about Adoration. “Whatever’s going on, it's time for me to share. But it's always filled with a time of me being quiet and listening for his response.”