Catholic Diocese of Spokane, Washington

From the

Official News Magazine of the Diocese of Spokane

(From the Sept. 30, 2004 edition of the Inland Register)

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops recently published a profile of the 2004 class of newly ordained priests nationwide. This profile was based on a questionnaire sent to the 278 young men ordained for dioceses throughout the United States in 2004 and included a section on their experience with vocation programs. As a Vocation Director, I was very interested in learning what they had to say.

The newly ordained indicated that the vocation encouragement most often remembered was a personal invitation to consider priesthood, most especially by a priest. Some also pointed to an invitation by a friend, fellow parishioner, or a parent. The second most commonly cited type of vocation encouragement was a “Come and See” weekend. A “Come and See” weekend is an opportunity for a young man to visit a seminary, have direct contact with priests and seminarians, hear their vocation stories, and to pray with them.

The survey was a reminder to me about the importance of personally inviting and encouraging young men to consider service to the Church as a priest. There are times when we Vocation Directors rely too heavily on advertisements, pamphlets and posters to encourage vocations. Our newly-ordained priests are telling us, however, that the most effective tool for promotion and encouragement is a personal invitation.

When we think about it for a moment, this is exactly what Jesus did when he called the Twelve Apostles to join him. Our Lord went to where the apostles lived and worked and he personally invited them to follow him. He called Matthew, working at the customs post (Mt. 9:9); he personally invited Andrew and Simon to follow him while they were fishing on the Sea of Galilee (Mk. 1:16-18); he personally called James and John while they were repairing their nets (Mk. 1:19-20).

The example of Jesus and the testimony of the newly ordained class of 2004 challenge all of us to personally invite young men to consider service to the Church as a priest. These young men are the fellow parishioners, altar servers, youth group participants, and volunteers with whom we come into contact on a regular basis. Our task is to imitate the Lord in going to where they live and work and ask them to consider following Jesus as a priest. The vocation posters and pamphlets may plant the seeds, but it is our personal invitation which can make the crucial difference.

As I mentioned above, the newly ordained class of 2004 also pointed to “Come and See” events which encouraged and supported their vocations. In light of this information, the Vocation Office for our diocese is sponsoring a “Come and See Sunday” to be held at Bishop White Seminary on Sunday, Nov. 14. I am asking that each one of us consider inviting someone to attend this important presentation. The day is open to single Catholic men ages 17-40 and is designed for those who would be good candidates for the priesthood. The guys you invite should be men of faith and sound moral character who demonstrate a commitment to the sacraments and fidelity to the Church.

These young men do not need to be perfect, but they should be well-rounded, energetic, and capable of leadership. After inviting a young man to attend, please e-mail his name and contact information to Bishop White Seminary (bws@ gonzaga.edu) so that we can send him a personal invitation in the mail.

Our newly-ordained priests are telling us that the recipe for encouraging a vocation can be simply reduced to a personal invitation by a priest, friend, parishioner or family member. May God assist each one of us in searching out good candidates for the priesthood and inviting them to consider service to the Church.

(Father Connall is Vocation Director and Director of Seminarians for the Diocese of Spokane, and rector of Bishop White Seminary. He can be contacted at the seminary: 429 E. Sharp Ave., Spokane, WA 99202; by phone at (509) 326-3761; or by e-mail: bws@gonzaga.edu)