Catholic Diocese of Spokane, Washington

From the

Official News Magazine of the Diocese of Spokane

(From the Sept. 29, 2005 edition of the Inland Register)

We are blessed by a loving God who calls us to relationship. God loves us, cares for us, calls to us – all of us.

During the month of October we focus in a special way on service of God and God’s people through the call – the vocation – of priesthood. God calls all of us, and invites all of us, to participate ever more fully in the life of the Church. In the Church in Eastern Washington, we have the gift of a thriving seminary program with 21 young men who have listened for God’s call to the priesthood. They now answer that call as best they can, learning, discerning, listening, asking themselves, “Does God call me to priesthood? Can I best serve God, with my particular gifts, with my abilities, despite my shortcomings – can I best serve God as a priest?”

My own experience of 45 years of priesthood has been one of joy. Certainly there have been times of difficulty. Today, the Church in Eastern Washington is meeting a number of challenges. It would be easy to become discouraged.

But really, when you think about it, ordination to the priesthood is filled with as much uncertainty as marriage, or raising children. We just don’t know what joys or what heartaches might stretch before us.

What we do know is that God is with us, every moment of every day; in times of rejoicing, in times of challenge. God is with us most especially in the sacraments, but also as we embrace the gift of life, as we build relationships and community, as we gather in his name, just as he asked us to do. There is no doubt in my mind but that the joy I find in ministry as a priest and as a bishop more than compensates for any challenges or setbacks I might encounter along my journey of faith.

Even in these times of challenge for the Church, 21 young men are listening for the voice of God. They have said “Yes, Lord – send me,” with a happy heart, with trust in the promise of God’s constant faithfulness, God’s constant presence, God’s constant grace. I am grateful for their generosity of spirit, their trust, their deep commitment to discerning God’s Will in their lives.

I am grateful, too, for our Catholic family in Eastern Washington, which has given so many men to the ministry of priesthood in the Diocese of Spokane. Without loving, supportive families, God’s call can easily become muted. I thank you for your support of these men as they continue their faith journey, a journey which some day may result in ordination in service to the Church.

Please join me in praying for vocations to the priesthood. Pray for the young men who are discerning these vocations today – that they listen and respond to God’s voice in their lives. Pray for our priests now ministering, and for our retired priests. And finally, please pray for me and for all diocesan leadership, as I pray for you each day.