Old made new: Priesthood reminds us to listen for God’s call

from Catholic Womanhood by Ann McClure

“Wow, Mommy.” These were the first words uttered by my then two year old as we watched the Archdiocese of New York’s “Ordination 2009” video. I had to agree: “Wow” was the only word to describe the impact of the swelling chords, the remarks of Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, and the moving images of the ordination of five men.

Fathers Luke Sweeney and Luis Saldaña, director and assistant director of vocations for the Archdiocese of New York, commissioned this video as part of their New York Priest campaign. With the theme “The World Needs Heroes,” the campaign sought to build a culture of vocations and draw men whom God is calling to serve as priests. Their website, NYPriest.com, uses new media to remind people of what Fr. Sweeney describes as the “inestimable value” of the priesthood.

In Fr. Sweeney's own life, regular access to the sacraments and simply being asked if he might be interested in the priesthood encouraged him to be open to God’s call. He gained a balanced understanding of the life of a priest the more time he spent around the parish. This understanding, coupled with daily Eucharist, regular confession, and great priests at his school, led Fr. Sweeney to seriously discern the call that he ended up answering.

Although down in certain dioceses, vocations have picked up recently across the country. Fr. Sweeney has seen that “reverence for the liturgy, devotions to the Blessed Mother, and a joyful priest with a strong prayer life” can inspire men to answer the call. “We have the institutions,” Fr. Sweeney points out. “It’s about making sure the spirit that is breathing through them is faithful.”

Cutting edge technology has that important “wow” factor; yet family messages also shape a child’s vocation discernment. Family faith nurtures the open spirit needed to accept any call from God, and it encourages children to share God’s love with others.

NYPriest.com lists a number of things parents can do to create an environment where children can hear God’s call. First and foremost, according to Fr. Sweeney, is virtues education—training in integrity, character, and a clear sense of identity. Second, families can pray together, and pray for vocations, giving God the opportunity “to trickle his grace into the children’s hearts.” And third, parents must protect their children from harmful influences by providing “that fortress for a youngster as he is growing up—as any gardener would protect a sapling.” Over time, parents can gently transfer more responsibility to a child, so that he or she can make a “free and generous response to a calling from God.”

In the “Ordination 2009” video, Archbishop Dolan describes the call to the priesthood as an “invitation from Jesus himself.” In honor of Vocations Awareness Week, choose one thing your family can do to support those who have accepted this summons. Send a card to your parish priest, make a holy hour, download a prayer for vocations, or simply discuss ways that each member of your family seeks God’s will.

We can never know how God will ask us to use our talents; but the witness of the priesthood reminds us to keep looking for our own invitation.