Vocations

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

I pray that you are blessed. No matter what you think of the monarchy and our neighbors across the pond, we witnessed history this week. A reign of 70 years is a bit unreal to us whose national leaders come and go, and after they hold office they return to being a simple citizen like the rest of us (at least that is how it is suppose to work).

At least a couple times a month I get a phone call asking for help-out for a mass or two. While we have a history of doing help-out ministry, unfortunately with two fewer priests and our 7 standard weekend masses, we have not been able to help with many of those masses. Have you ever wondered why we have this “vocation crisis?” There are many reasons for the lower number of priests and religious. Not the least of which is the most recent, the pedophile scandal. Besides putting a huge blemish on the very concept of the priesthood itself, many do not want to risk being associated with pedophiles by becoming a priest. But the low numbers certainly existed before the secret of this sexual scandal was finally revealed.

There is of course the idea that the lifestyle of the priesthood is out of step with modern culture, especially the vow of celibacy. This is not only an issue for the men discerning a call to the priesthood and/or religious life, for I have also encountered many mothers who actively discouraged their sons because they wanted grandchildren. I had one mother, whose young son had begun to talk about his desire to be a priest, tell me never to talk with her son! Shortly afterwards she left the parish. It used to be that parents, as well as teachers, actively encouraged their sons to be priests, but due to the scandals and the desire for grandchildren and/or wealthy sons to take care of them in their latter years, that is no longer the case. While the issue of Racism is not new, it certainly has not gotten a whole lot better, and many seminarians come face-to-face with it while they are in the seminary and those that persevere often run into it in their parishes. And of course, due to the low number of minority priests, young people-of-color do not see models of themselves at the altar, and therefore do not have as many examples to inspire them. I must admit that the idea of there being “fewer worthy examples” is not just an issue of race. I personally believe that the vast number of vocations can be traced back to a person that inspired that vocation. WE need more priests to be those worthy examples.

There are other reasons of course, but my reason for writing this letter was to encourage you, especially those of you who have sons and grandsons (perhaps one day I can say daughters & granddaughters also) to encourage them to consider the priesthood. At the very least, stop discouraging them. If it is not offered as a genuine possibility then many will never consider it. You play an essential role in this. It is true that the priesthood has its difficulties, but it is also a very rewarding life. I have had many experiences in my 30+ years where I felt very blessed and privileged to be a part of it. Participating in the Sacraments is another high light, to offer mercy and forgiveness to someone who feels the weight of their sins, to be the witness of two people being united in matrimony, to baptize someone and bring them into the family of God, to anoint someone who is making that last journey, and of course, to consecrate the holy Eucharist. These are all great blessings. But probably the greatest of all is to be privileged to walk with people on their faith journey is a true blessing and honor. So please, when talking to your children about their futures, don’t forget to offer the priesthood and religious life as a possibility. It is after all, “a closer walk with our Lord.”

In the Redeemer, Fr. Rick