THE TABLET
April 28, 2007
Pray for Vocations

I wish to invite you to join me in participating in the annual World Day of Prayer for Vocations tomorrow, April 29. Established in 1963 by Pope Paul VI, the observance was launched just before the experience of a decrease in vocations in North America and Europe.  Perhaps at that time the Pope recognized the essential element in a vocation is prayer, which is the work of the Spirit.  There is no way by which we, as a Church, can bestow a vocation on someone.  It is certainly the work of the Spirit in the individual life.  To respond to a vocation to the priesthood or the religious life, prayer truly is the only viable method for petitioning the Lord of the harvest that He send sufficient laborers into the vineyard of the Church.  For your convenience, we are printing the vocation prayer I composed several years ago and asking you to recite it not only this Sunday, but also whenever possible because the work of vocations is the work of everyone in the Church.

Father Kevin Sweeney, our Vocation Director, recently sent a letter to all priests asking their parishes’ participation in the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, and more importantly, in asking them to create a culture of vocations in the Diocese of Brooklyn.  A culture of vocations simply means an awareness of a need to pray and work for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.  Unless we are conscious of the need, we will not do all that is necessary to create a culture in which vocations are considered, pursued and finally accepted.   Father Sweeney works tirelessly to create this culture here in Brooklyn and Queens, but it is not the work of one man.  Every priest must be a vocation director and every lay person also has that same responsibility.

The changing culture in which we live has made it difficult for many to see their way clear in following a vocation to which they might be inspired.  Especially for young people, there are many obstacles today which cloud the minds and wills about pursuing a vocation.  It is a veritable obstacle course today that needs to be traversed before one can be free to accept a vocation.  Some of the elements that are recognizable today are parental opposition, sad to say, a materialistic spirit among our young people, and an aversion to embrace celibacy as part of a religious and priestly vocation.  There are many other elements and we must come to understand them better if we are to be able to present priestly and religious vocation as a viable option for our young people. 

As I mentioned several months ago, we are awaiting the results of research we are conducting with St. John’s University on the attitudinal obstacles that might inhibit a young person from pursuing a vocation to priesthood or religious life.  In the survey we are asking young people directly what are the issues that confront them and the obstacles they face.  I hope that when the research is completed, we will have a better understanding of the social dynamic that influences our culture.  Once we understand it, we might develop a strategy to change it, or at least present vocations in a way that deals with the obstacles.

Our Diocese has always been blessed with many vocations to the priesthood and religious life.  This year our ordination class will consist of nine men to be ordained service in Brooklyn and Queens.  In subsequent years, however, the numbers are drastically reduced.  If we are to keep pace with retirements and deaths, we need to recruit many more men to the priesthood, not to speak of the dearth of religious vocations, especially among women’s religious communities.  There is no substitute for the young life completely dedicated to the service of God and His Church that brings zeal and energy to the Church in our day.

In our own Diocese we certainly do have a continuum for nurturing vocations.  We can begin with Cathedral Prep Seminary in Elmhurst, where about 200 high school students commit themselves to considering a priestly vocation.  Every year three or four seniors decide to go directly to the Cathedral Seminary Residence in Douglaston to pursue studies in philosophy.  It is significant to note that half of our 40 current seminarians are graduates of Cathedral Prep. Peer pressure is difficult for young people to resist, but giving them an opportunity to be in an atmosphere where their vocation can be affirmed is important. 

The Cathedral Seminary Residence serves as a House of Formation for those who attend St. John’s University and other colleges to obtain their bachelor’s degree, with a concentration in philosophy, which prepares them for theological studies.  The new rector, Monsignor Robert Thelen, has had seminary experience and is well suited to the rector’s role of preparing candidates for the priesthood.  He is assisted by the spiritual director, Monsignor Thomas Caserta, and faculty members
Father Marc Swartvagher and Monsignor Conrad Dietz.

The major seminary, where theological studies are pursued for the Diocese of Brooklyn, is the Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington, which once belonged to the Diocese of Brooklyn before we were split into two dioceses.  This continues to be our major commitment, although several students study in Rome at the Pontifical North American College.  It is a tremendous challenge to support the system of formation both spiritually and financially, but it is critical to the life of the Diocese. No effort is better spent than on this aspect of our lives as a Church.  The Annual Catholic Appeal helps tremendously in this regard.

There is a new modality of discernment that will be opening in the Diocese this September.  The Pope John Paul II House of Discernment will be located adjacent to the new Carmelite Monastery on Highland Blvd, the former residence of the Lithuanian Franciscan Fathers. It will be converted to ten rooms with places for a rector and spiritual director.  The location of the house is uniquely suited to our purpose, which is to attract young people, either in college or working, who need an intermediate step before entering a seminary program.  Houses of discernment are operating in other dioceses, and now we will open our own, so that we will be able to nurture vocations and provide residents with an opportunity to pray and discern while at the same time attending to their present commitments.  Normally, the stay in a house of discernment would be one year.  One of the advantages of this new discernment center is that a gradual commitment can be made while other commitments are maintained.

One of the key elements, as we designed the program, is to have parish contact.  Young people are not normally involved in parish life and subsequently do not know what a priest does day in and day out.  It is important in this discernment process that these young men come to know priests active in parishes and learn about their ministries so that they too might catch the fire of the Spirit and join hands working for God’s Kingdom in this way.

The establishment of a House of Discernment is a way for us to “put out into the deep.”  There certainly is not a full complement of ten people ready to enter it in September when it will be ready.  So, I ask your prayers that the Lord may send us young men who will be able to discern vocations to the priesthood there.

And as we observe the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, let us join as one in asking young people to consider for themselves the fulfilling life that can be found in the priesthood or religious life.  For further information, you can contact Father Sweeney at (718) 399-5950 or at vocations@diobrook.org