"Sister heeded God’s call"

From the Catholic Review (Archdiocese of Baltimore)

By Nancy Menefee Jackson

Photo at left: Sister Annuntiata Cornelio, C.S.M.J., serves at Holy Rosary, Fells Point. (CR Staff/Owen Sweeney III)

He might not text with a cell phone, but God still calls young people to vocations.

Sister Annuntiata Cornelio, C.S.M.J., a 32-year-old member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Merciful Jesus who wears a black habit and a ready smile, is proof.

Sister Annuntiata, who was born and raised in Canada and currently serves at Holy Rosary in Fells Point, first began to think about a vocation at 14.

“It was the fruit of prayer, and I have to give a lot of credit to the Blessed Mother,” she said.

Her parents were having marital difficulties, and they sent her and her brother to live with her aunt while they worked things out. Her aunt told the worried children, “There’s only one thing you can do – pray – pray the rosary.”

“I didn’t even remember how to pray the rosary,” Sister Annuntiata said, but she learned and prayed it daily.

“It’s not like it was magic or anything, but little by little it brought healing to my family,” she said.

In the back of her mind, she kept wondering what it would be like to be a nun. She laughs as she recalls that she even put T-shirts and towels over her head, pretending she was wearing a habit.

“I didn’t think it was a calling because I had no one to walk me through it,” she said.

But that changed at World Youth Day in Denver, when people spoke openly of vocations and she glimpsed a group of nuns in brown habits and sunglasses.

“I was so drawn to them,” she said.

Her family moved to British Columbia, where Poor Clare and Benedictine sisters were working, and she and her mom began attending daily Mass before school.

“There was a joy about them that wasn’t of this world,” she said, “and I really wanted that joy. They had something precious that the world couldn’t give.”

Her aunt gave her the “Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul,” reading that solidified her calling. “I just knew that was the congregation the Lord wanted me to join,” she said, but, not knowing what to do, she continued living the life of a high school senior.

That summer, two laywomen in Alberta started a community, modeled after St. Faustina, in a cabin. Her aunt was involved, so, under the guise of visiting her aunt, Sister Annuntiata spent the summer there to discern if she had a true calling.

“My parents had no idea I was discerning,” she said. “It was really a battle for me. Is it really God’s will, or am I making it up? By the end of those two months, I knew I had to be there.”

She broke the news – by phone – to her mother. To her surprise, her mother started crying with joy because she had been praying that if her daughter had a call, the Lord would show her the way.

“And I was so afraid to tell her,” Sister Annuntiata said. But it wasn’t so easy to talk to her father. He was the most upset she’d ever seen him, worried his daughter ultimately wouldn’t be happy.

Together, though, they drove her back to the cabin to begin life as a postulant. Meanwhile, the fledgling community had discovered the Polish order of the Congregation of the Sisters of Merciful Jesus, dedicated to worship and obtaining mercy by prayer. Despite the language barriers, the Canadians visited the order in Poland, and two Polish sisters traveled to the new community, which decided to join the Polish order.

Sister Annuntiata has been in Baltimore since August 2007, working at Holy Rosary, where Massgoers enjoy her mezzo-soprano contribution to the music ministry.

She likes the traditional habit her order demands, and people are drawn to it. “It’s amazing the stories that come out,” she said.

Her advice to anyone considering a vocation is to pray and find a good mentor, someone devoted to the church.

“If God is calling them, it could just start out with a little thought,” she said.

She urges parents to pray, too, but she understands their reluctance to pray for vocations if it means their son or daughter – and their dreams of grandchildren.

“Sometimes we pray for vocations, but not my child,” she says. Her old archbishop in Canada encouraged parents to pray for vocations but also to ask the Lord, “Lord if it’s your will, touch my son or my daughter.”

“My dad was unhappy,” she said, “but now that he sees me happy, he’s happy.”

"A good red-blooded American boy"

From The Catholic Sentinel
By Ed Langlois
Photo by Kim Nguyen

Hundreds of weathered and pained faces appealed to him from the pews of Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro Church.

It was the year 2000, on a warm afternoon in the oceanside fishing town of Chimbote, Peru. David Jaspers, an American lay missionary fresh out of college, stood next to a white coffin. The agonizingly small box held the remains of an 8-year-old boy who had been run over by a truck.

The pastor was away, so the duties of leading the funeral fell to the outgoing 23-year-old from Eugene. He nervously got through the prayers and felt as if he’d plunged into the suffering of the people.

Now, six months before he will be ordained a priest, he remembers the warm grip of the grieving mother’s hand. It was then he learned what it means to serve.

Rev. Mr. Jaspers, 31, was ordained a deacon last year and has been preaching and teaching during the weekends at Christ the King Church in Milwaukie. In June, he will become a priest with a class of eight other men, one of the largest ordination classes in years for the Archdiocese of Portland.

The future priest grew up at St. Paul Church in Eugene, attending the parish school. He was a regular kid who wanted to be a professional football player, listened to hip-hop, and pocketed candy when others weren’t looking. Alongside that standard mix of experience, family members say, young David always sensed when someone was hurting and needed help.

His mother, who worked part time as a nurse, read bible stories to the Jaspers children. David was the fourth of five siblings. The youngsters also heard recorded stories about faith. Their father, a U.S. Forest Service employee, was a lector at Masses.

“I came to know Jesus as a kid,” Rev. Mr. Jaspers says. “As long as I can remember, I knew I was part of God’s family.”

He went on to Marist, where he got top grades and became a respected offensive lineman. Girls interested him mightily. He imagined some day becoming a school principal and having a family.

During a retreat, the leader asked youths if their religion was making a real difference in their lives, guiding relationships and choices. Young David resolved then to live in a way that integrated his faith; it simply seemed like the honest thing to do. He openly talked about his faith.

He worked at a Baptist summer camp, prompted by the urge to want to spread the love of God. About that time, he heard a tape from Catholic evangelist Scott Hahn. He thought to himself, “What a terrific job.”

At 6-foot-2 with broad-shoulders, he went on to Pacific Lutheran University, where he studied Spanish and history, ran track, played football and dated.

He took part in ecumenical bible study during college. That helped him both admire scripture and embrace his Catholic identity.

During his sophomore year, he studied in Granada, Spain. In that ancient crossroads of Muslim and Christian culture, he opened himself to the possibility of priesthood.
In what is now a culturally Catholic land, he walked the paths saints had trod and learned stories of faith rooted in the very soil. When he saw an open door at one of the hundreds of churches, he entered. A prompt soul, he showed up for Masses that, in the Spanish mode, started long after they were scheduled. Consequently, he had plenty of time to kneel alone in God’s presence.

In one of those quiet moments, he read a book that mentioned the Eucharist and his heart beat with joy. Always one to share his personal treasures, he quickly wrote to friends to describe his deep consolation.

He became linked with a group of young Catholic laymen who prayed and discussed great matters of belief and morals. He tutored youths on faith. At the same time, he entered the social life, staying out talking with groups into the wee hours. He felt magnificently free.

During a spring break trip to Rome, he saw Pope John Paul with 3,000 other young adults. On a bus ride during the pilgrimage, a priest asked the gregarious young American if he’d considered going to seminary. Well, yes, Jaspers said. But he also thought it would be nice to wake up each day with a wife, a lifelong companion. The older priest said that he, too, yearned for family life, but had chosen celibacy and would choose it again if he had it to do over.

Tears welled up in the young man’s eyes. It struck him: priests can be men who are like everyone else, men who like to play soccer or football, laugh over a pint and find women attractive.

“You don’t need to be abnormal to be a priest,” he says with a chuckle.

He decided to attend Mount Angel starting in 2002, just about the time the clergy abuse scandal became national news. The reports were painful to hear, but they did not deter him. In fact, they filled him with resolve. The church continues to need good, holy men, he told himself. Since his ordination as a deacon, Rev. Mr. Jaspers has felt unburdened in the matter of celibacy. He knew before that God had given him total freedom to choose married life, so with fascinating women he met, he had to ask himself, “Is she the one?” But now that he has made his choice, he no longer has to worry about what to choose. The result, he says, is joy.

“Real freedom is living out the commitment,” he explains.

He realizes he stands on the shoulders of priests he’s known over the years. He recalls meeting his father’s cousin — Maryknoll Father Mike McKiernan — who spent 50 years as a missionary in China, including a stint in a communist prison. When Rev. Mr. Jaspers was in high school, Father David Cullings set up a visit to Mount Angel Seminary for him, sensing a vocation.

Rev. Mr. Jaspers does realize his status as a young guitarist and football player-turned priest could serve to inspire some young men to be open to a religious vocation. He’s willing. “We need more cool priests,” he explains. “That way, we can let cool guys know it’s alright to be a priest.”

“David is a fine, fine candidate for the priesthood,” says Benedictine Father Odo Recker, a monk of Mount Angel Abbey, home to the seminary.

“He is what we called in the old days ‘a good red-blooded American boy.’”

"Deaf seminarian prepares for May 23 ordination"

From The Pilot
By Neil W. McCabe

“You have five months and 26 days before your ordination,” a woman told Deacon Shawn P. Carey after Mass Dec. 28 at Newton’s Sacred Heart Church.

“I had no idea how many days it was until she told me. I wasn’t even thinking like that but it shows that they are anticipating it,” he said.

“They” are the deaf community of the Archdiocese of Boston, which is eagerly awaiting the ordination of the first member of their community as a priest of Boston.

Although he was ordained a transitional deacon with his classmates at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, Calif., he will be ordained with the other priests for Boston May 23 at the South End’s Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Deacon Carey said through the sign interpretation of Father Jeremy P. St. Martin, the archdiocese’s coordinator of Deaf Ministries.

Father St. Martin said St. Patrick’s Seminary has had other deaf seminarians and its faculty and facilities make it a very accessible and supportive institution.

Deacon Carey said his vocation was clear to him as a boy growing up in Westfield, but there were persistent challenges that he had to overcome. “The Church did not have great access.”

In fact, when it was time for him to prepare for his First Communion, he was unable to participate in the regular religious education classes at his home parish because they were not equipped to instruct a deaf child, he said.

His mother, Kathryn M. Carey, an assistant for the Deaf Apostolate, said the family traveled to Holyoke’s Blessed Sacrament Church, where Deacon Carey’s parents knew the pastor from their days as students at Springfield’s Cathedral High School.

Eventually, his parents found a tutor who, despite being a Protestant, helped prepare him for his First Communion.

While a student himself at Cathedral High School, Deacon Carey said he had an encounter that nearly squashed his vocation for good.

“I needed a note taker for my classes and I asked one of the priests to help me find one,” he said. “The priest told me: ‘That is your problem, not mine.’”

Carey said that response came as a brutal shock. He put aside his vocation and fixed his sights on becoming a lawyer.

“If that is what being a priest was about, I didn’t want to waste my time. As a lawyer, I could help other members of the deaf community and take care of myself,” he said.

It was not until he arrived at Providence College as a political science and business major that he said he found a fully embracing environment for the deaf. “They had great access, including captioning and interpreters. The barriers were really broken down there.”

Calling them the best four years of his life, Deacon Carey was very active in the college’s chapel community and a member of the Sixth Man Society for boosters of the college’s basketball team, the Friars.

At Providence College he met priests who cared about him and devoted their lives to academic excellence. “But, still it never crossed my mind to become a priest,” he said.

After graduation, he moved in with his parents, then living in Wrentham, and started work at Putnam Investments while he prepared to apply to law schools.

As members of Wrentham’s St. Mary Parish, the Careys attended the Sunday 4 p.m. Mass, at which Deaf Ministries arranged for a sign interpreter, he said.

Roberta M. Oles, the parish’s director of religious education, said the then-pastor, Father John G. Connolly, invited Father Michael B. Medas, who was then the director of Deaf Ministries, to celebrate the 4 p.m. Sunday Mass as part of the ministry’s outreach to members of the deaf community.

Father Medas, who now teaches at St. John’s Seminary, said he remembers meeting Deacon Carey after that first time. “He was so kind and gracious, and happy to be able to experience the Mass directly.”

Deacon Carey said, “For the first time, I was able to hear the Lord speaking directly to me through the priest, not through an interpreter.”

Father Medas said over time, Deacon Carey began attending the Mass for deaf Catholics celebrated in American Sign Language Mass every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at Newton’s Sacred Heart Church. In addition to attending the Mass regularly, Deacon Carey was a lector at the services and became a pastoral assistant there.

Even before Deacon Carey joined them, members of the deaf community at Sacred Heart had a special devotion that began after a pastoral visit by Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, he said. Every week a different family takes home a statue of St. Mary given to the community by the cardinal.

During the week the family prays for vocations from and for the deaf community, he said. “It was very interesting that as we were praying for Mary’s intercession for vocations that Shawn came to us. There were many members of the community who saw in him signs that he would be a priest.”

Father Medas said a great deal of the credit for Deacon Carey’s vocation coming to fruition goes to the mindset and encouragement of Cardinal O’Malley. “The cardinal has said ‘If God is calling someone, it is the responsibility of the Church to facilitate that discernment.’”

There will be more and more vocations from the deaf community, he said. Young people who are deaf have the same calling as young people who can hear. “Now, those who are deaf are responding to the possibility that they can answer that call.”

When deacons assist at a Mass, they are allowed, with the permission of the celebrant, to read and preach on the Gospel.

Since his ordination, Deacon Carey said this experience is even more powerful than the experiencing his first Mass in sign.

“Then, I was watching Father Medas sign, it was amazing, but it was still something I received as I was sitting there. Now, I am actively involved,” he said.

“Using my hands to express God’s message to the people is something I feel very deeply,” he said. “Now, I feel inspired, too, because I feel the Holy Spirit moving through me -- through my hands.”

More information about the Deaf Apostolate is available at the Web site www.deafcatholic.org.

New Book in the "Roman Catholic Vocations Bookstore"

Philip Gerard Johnson recently posted a review, of sorts, of the book "A Priest Forever". Below is a link to the book. I have also added it to the "Roman Catholic Vocations Bookstore" in the sidebar. Below this link is Phil's post about the book. If you haven't had a chance to check out his blog, I highly recommend it - especially as it relates to the subject of this book.

From Philip Johnson:

"Last week I finished reading a very touching book, which I highly recommend. It is entitled A Priest Forever: The Life of Fr. Eugene Hamilton by Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R. Many thanks to my priest friend who sent the book as a gift.

Much of the book is taken from Fr. Hamilton's personal journal (he began an autobiography before his death in 1997, which was later found on his computer). This book is the fulfillment of Fr. Groeschel's promise to Father Hamilton before his death: "Your sermon will be preached." This "sermon," in the form of Fr. Hamilton's testimony to the Faith and the priesthood, is remarkable.

While his story is not exactly like mine, there are many similarities, so I draw strength and inspiration from his words. Quite simply, he wanted to become a priest, and was not going to let cancer stand in the way. He fought cancer for many years and was able to complete three years of seminary studies. When it became apparent that he was about to die, Archbishop Edwin O'Brien ordained him a priest with special permission from Pope John Paul II. Three hours later, Fr. Hamilton died. The story is very touching, and it reveals the character of a young man who shows us what the Catholic priesthood really is - not a job or profession, but an eternal vocation.

The whole book is definitely worth reading, but I found a comment from Fr. Hamilton's spiritual director very touching:

"I always had the sense that [Fr. Hamilton] knew that this was God's plan. It is almost as if he knew something that we did not know, namely that in him God was disclosing a new dimension of priesthood - perhaps not really new, but new in the sense that we seldom talk of it. And this dimension was the dimension of the victim-sufferer, even the victim-priest.... So often we think of priesthood as our choice, our decision, our commitment. In [Fr. Hamilton], the Lord was drawing us back to His definition of priesthood, defined in the person of the Suffering Jesus. I think [Fr. Hamilton] knew that he was a player in a divine drama that transcended him, and that, in some way, was part of God's teaching us what the priesthood really is."

I recommend this book to everyone, but especially to those discerning a vocation to the priesthood."

"Cincinnati native heeds call to priesthood in Erie diocese"

From Catholic News Agency
By Carmen M. Hubbard

Sometimes hearing God’s call to minister can be difficult to understand. Although Father Johnathan Schmolt’s family knew he had the makings of a priest, it wasn’t always clear to him, he said.

"My family said ‘it was about time.’ Everybody who knows me wasn’t surprised, so I’m the last to figure this out," Father Schmolt said. "In high school and in college, I looked into the religious path as a Jesuit or Dominican. At that time (becoming) a diocesan priest was not particularly appealing. I believed in what I wanted to do and said, ‘Lord, stop bothering me. I tried it and it didn’t work out.’"

Ultimately, the Anderson Township native heeded God’s command and was ordained on June 6, 2008, at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral in the Diocese of Erie in Pennsylvania.

He now serves as the pastor of St. Jude the Apostle Church, ministering to 2,300 families. Father Schmolt is one of three priests in the area who entered the seminary over age 30. Typically, men are in their twenties when they enter the seminary right after college, he said.

As a child, Father Schmolt attended Immaculate Heart of Mary School and is a graduate of Covington Latin High School. Father Schmolt, 36, made his way to Erie seeking volunteer opportunities through the diocese while in college during the early 1990s. He spent summers assisting economically disadvantaged Appalachian residents in the area. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Northern Kentucky University, he moved to northern Pennsylvania to work as a computer programmer and continue volunteering through the Diocese of Erie.

"I thought about the priesthood in the sixth grade," he said. "When I got the calling again, I finally asked God what He wanted me to do. It took six years to re-ask the question. It took two months to answer ‘What am I going to do about it?’" he said.

During the ordination, Father Schmolt’s mother, Jeanine, was presented with her son’s maniturgium — a cloth used to wipe his hands with holy oil. His father, Paul, was given another cloth that Father Schmolt wore when he heard his first confession.

"It’s an honor. God has blessed us. The most powerful thing is when you go to Mass and say, ‘That’s my son,’" Jeanine Schmolt said of her oldest of three children. "He was always interested in the church. I said, ‘God is using you for something.’"

Last summer Father Schmolt returned home to celebrate one of his first Masses at Immaculate Heart of Mary. It was a chance for Father Schmolt’s family members who were unable to attend his ordination in Erie to celebrate with him locally.

"His grandmothers would be so proud," Jeanine Schmolt said.

Father Jan Schmidt, pastor of St. Margaret of York in Loveland, was a longtime pastor at Immaculate Heart of Mary and met Father Schmolt when he returned home for Christmas, Easter and on break from the seminary.

"He’s very likable and very helpful," Father Schmidt said. "He’s been involved in liturgy. He’ll make a fine priest. I’m glad and joyful, but I wish he was a priest for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati."

Father Schmolt said he was never against becoming a priest and enjoys the rewards and challenges it brings. "The priesthood means being full of God and prayer. I get to talk to people who are in trouble. That’s the best part of what you do," he said.

Father Schmolt also leads various staff meetings to "move the organization forward" and "balances the (parish’s) checkbook."

"The whole business component may not have been in the priesthood 50 years ago. I’m very satisfied," he said.

"Convert completes step toward priesthood'

From Savannah Morning News
By Dana Clark Felty

As a child, rural Missourian Scott Winchel saw himself becoming a mechanic or somehow working with numbers.

But on Friday, Winchel will come one step closer to something entirely different: the Catholic priesthood.

Winchel, a 40-year-old former aircraft mechanic and convert to Catholicism, will be ordained as a transitional deacon at a service at noon Friday at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.

Bishop J. Kevin Boland will officiate.

The transitional diaconate represents the final stage in preparation for ordination to the priesthood. Winchel expects to complete his sixth and final year of study this spring at Mount St. Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. Afterward, he hopes to be ordained a priest in the Catholic Diocese of Savannah in June 2009.

The event comes only 11 years after Winchel became a Catholic at the age of 29.

Raised a Southern Baptist in the small town of Peculiar, Missouri, Winchel grew up knowing little about Catholicism.

He began studying the faith after befriending some Catholics while serving as an aircraft mechanic in the Marines.

"In my late 20s, I began to rediscover my faith, and I began looking into scripture and reading," Winchel said during a phone interview last week while traveling home for a few days. "I came to the conclusion, 'I think I have to become a Catholic.' "

Just four years later, Winchel began to feel called to the priesthood. In Missouri, he met Catholic theologian Paul Thigpen, who later moved to Savannah. Thigpen introduced Winchel to diocesan leaders who encouraged the Missourian to pursue the priesthood.

"It seemed like there were a lot of little coincidences and people mentioning things, and I really began thinking God was calling me to give it a shot," Winchel said.

Since enrolling in seminary six years ago, Winchel has taken each day in stride, waiting for a sign that the priesthood isn't the path for him.

But that message hasn't come.

"My prayer has always been, 'You know, Lord, if you don't want me to do this, just let me know and I'll go my merry way,' " he said.

"But at each step, it has seemed, the Lord has continued to call me forward."

"A Prayerful Advocate"

From Catholic New York
By JOHN WOODS

Like many of you, I occasionally ask someone to keep me or a member of my family in their prayers. And when someone makes a similar request of me, I take it seriously.

This week, I made such a request of someone the first time I spoke to her, and I have a good hunch that she'll follow through.

Her name is Jenna Marie Cooper. She is 23 years old and a graduate student in theology at Ave Maria University in Florida. On Saturday, Jan. 3, she will be consecrated to a life of virginity at an 11:30 a.m. Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Newburgh to be celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Dominick J. Lagonegro, co-vicar for Orange County and pastor of Sacred Heart.

As a consecrated virgin, the oldest form of consecrated life in the Church, Ms. Cooper will spend much of her time in prayer. (A Vatican II document called for a revision and revival of the Rite of Consecration to a Life of Virginity for Women Living in the World, restoring the ancient vocation in the life of the modern Church.) It will not be a great departure from her current daily life, which includes praying the Liturgy of the Hours five times, attending Mass and spending other time in prayer.

Chief among her intentions are the Church and people of New York. Cardinal Egan granted permission for Ms. Cooper to be consecrated and she will remain directly under his authority as Archbishop of New York.

She said she felt privileged to be invited to attend the Mass for clergy and religious that Pope Benedict XVI celebrated in St. Patrick's Cathedral in April. "That was such a wonderful and awesome experience. I couldn't talk about anything else for a week afterward," she said.

When the Holy Father thanked those present for their prayers on his behalf, it made a firm impression on her. "That sense that prayers were needed and appreciated was very meaningful to me," she said.

She will be the youngest person in the United States living as a consecrated virgin, and one of four active in the archdiocese, according to Father Bartholomew Daly, M.H.M., who as co-vicar for religious is in charge of their oversight and meets with them regularly.

During our phone interview, Ms. Cooper said she had felt a religious calling since she was about 12. She is part of a devout Catholic family that includes her parents, Douglas and Judith, and two younger siblings, Joseph and Tess. They are parishioners of St. Thomas of Canterbury parish in Cornwall-on-Hudson. She assumed that she would eventually join a religious congregation. She met with several during her undergraduate days (she holds a bachelor's in philosophy from Seton Hall University), but didn't feel like that was the right choice for her. Still, she continued to feel a call to serve the Church in a special way.

In 2004 she met Father Luke Sweeney, now the vocation director for the archdiocese who was then serving at Sacred Heart in Newburgh, where Ms. Cooper at times attends Mass. He gave her information about different religious orders and showed her a copy of the rite for consecrated virgins. She said that she was familiar with the lives of some of the consecrated virgins of the early Church, including some who were martyred for their faith.

"The courage they had to live a Christian life in such a hostile culture made me realize what a foundation they were for the Church," she said. "I wanted to be able to imitate that courage and love in my own life."

Eventually Father Sweeney arranged for her to meet with Father Daly. Last year, she began meeting with him on a more regular basis in pursuing her vocation. She had to formally request Cardinal Egan's permission for her consecration, which was given shortly before the papal Mass.

The prayer request I made of Ms. Cooper was for Catholic New York and its readers. It's only fair that we return the favor as she enters consecrated life.

"Deacon Bartulica took the long road"

From The Catholic Key
By Kevin Kelly
Catholic Key Associate Editor

Photo at left: Deacon Angelo Bartulica prays in the sanctuary of St. John LaLande Church in Blue Springs. Photo by Kevin Kelly

He is going to be a priest for all the right reasons.
But first, he wanted to be an FBI agent for all the wrong reasons.

"I just wanted to have a cool job and impress people," Deacon Angelo Bartulica said.

So he earned a degree in criminal justice from Missouri Western College in St. Joseph and joined the Knights of Columbus solely to build up his resume to impress the law school he wanted to enter on his way to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

But one of the St. Joseph Knights, Steve Schieber, asked him completely out of left field, "Have you ever thought about being a priest?"

Suddenly, the call he had been hearing since fourth grade came in loud, if not clear.

"It just blew me away," Deacon Bartulica said.

But he still had to take the long, hard road.

At 10 a.m. Dec. 20, a full decade after Schieber popped the question, Deacon Angelo Bartulica, 34, will become Father Angelo Bartulica as Bishop Robert W. Finn ordains him the newest priest of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

Under ordinary circumstances, Deacon Bartulica could have finished his seminary education a few years ago.

But Deacon Bartulica was not an ordinary seminarian.

Haunted by his images of all the priests he had ever known growing up - such as Fathers Jerry Waris, Tom Hawkins, Robert Murphy, and Benedictine Father Paschal Thomas who was his confessor at Conception Seminary College - he doubted that he could ever measure up to them.

"We have so many priests in this diocese who have had such an impact on people's lives, that I still worry about my competence to fill their shoes," Deacon Bartulica said. "It was just the joy I saw in them being priests. They are all great priests, and they all bring their gifts to the church."

For the next decade after he entered Conception Seminary College to complete his pre-theology degree, he would bounce in an out of the seminary.

"There was a lot of uncertainty," Deacon Bartulica said. "When you are making a lifetime decision, I wanted as much certainty as possible."

He sought the advice of a longtime Bartulica family friend, Msgr. Lawrence Speichinger, who advised him to relax and stop beating himself up.

"Msgr. Spike told me that I wouldn't know I was called to the priesthood until the bishop put his hands on my head" to ordain him, Deacon Bartulica told The Catholic Key Dec. 2 at St. John LaLande Parish, where he will begin his priestly career.

"Up to that moment, it was a hunch I would have to follow," he recalled the elder priest telling him.

Still, he waited for that "Gethsamene moment," that sure sign from heaven that he was meant to be a priest, the sign that simply wouldn't come.

So he dropped out of the seminary and enrolled in law school for a year. He did well.

"It just wasn't what I felt God was calling me toward," Deacon Bartulica said.

He tried teaching at both his home parish school, St. James in St. Joseph, and at St. Monica School in Kansas City. He loved it.

"Kids are kids. They just want to be loved," he said. "I'd like to believe that I grew in patience with them and tried to make teaching the faith to them more real."

But teaching wasn't it, either.

"Whether I liked it or not, God was calling me to the priesthood, and I am not going to be content until I answer that call," he said.

Only then did he get his "Gethsamame moment."

In the first-week retreat at Mundelein Seminary where he had re-enrolled to complete his last year of seminary preparation, Deacon Bartulica found himself wide awake at 3 a.m. He went to the chapel, knelt before the tabernacle and prayed.

"I told God that I am going to respond to his call, but I am going to depend entirely on him for the graces I need to fulfill it," Deacon Bartulica recalled.

After that moment of surrender to God's will, his self-criticisms vanished into insignificance.

"I am my own worst enemy," he said. "I have always feared failure in the vocation. But I know if I keep up my end of the bargain, I have no reason to believe that God is going to let me down."

For the first time, he felt at peace.

"All the while before, there was something holding me back in all my fears," he said. "I finally gave in and put my trust in God."

Deacon Bartulica, whose brother Matthew is a third-year theology student at North American College in Rome, credits his parents, Nicholas and Bozica Bartulica, not with pushing him into the seminary, but for providing the home life where a call to the priesthood could be heard.

"They may have even prayed that one of their sons would be a priest," Deacon Bartulica said. "But it was never pushed on us. They were influential in that they provided the home life that is necessary to grow in faith."

His advice to other young men feeling that they might have the same call is the same advice given to him years ago by Father Joseph Cisetti, then diocesan associate director of vocations. Follow that feeling. The worst thing that can possibly happen is that you will receive a great education in theology.

"Seminary is really a time of discernment," Deacon Bartulica said. "Some people may think that seminary is the place we go to prepare to be priests. But some go and decide there that it (priesthood) wasn't for them. They will still come out of it better Catholic men."

Though he no longer lets his fear guide him, he remains in awe of the priesthood.

"It's humbling to think I have that call," he said. "In less than three weeks, I am going to be celebrating Mass."

He said he is also looking particularly forward to hearing the Sacrament of Penance. It is there, he said, that he will turn all his human weaknesses, failures and doubts into strengths.

"My strengths are my failures in life," Deacon Bartulica said. "I hope that gives me compassion for people who are struggling."

Even though he took the long road, that path will help him be a better priest, he said.

"When I read the letters of St. Paul, I can now understand what he is talking about," Deacon Bartulica said. "It has become real to me. I believe all those things he wrote about, and I'm not just going to be blowing hot air at people.

"Up to now," he said, "Angelo Bartulica grew up pretty selfish. It was always all about me. Now I pray everyday that I get out of the way and let God work through me."

On his ordination day, Deacon Bartulica said he will have just one regret.

Msgr. Lawrence A. Speichinger won't be there physically. The longtime family friend died Oct. 16, barely two months before Deacon Bartulica's priestly ordination.

"Msgr. Spike told me that no matter what condition he was in, he would be at my ordination," Deacon Bartulica said.

Without a doubt, Msgr. Speichinger will keep his word.

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP tells his vocation story

If you are like me, you enjoy reading about how God has worked in people's lives in order to bring them to Him and their vocation. Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP has posted his vocation story on his blog. As any vocation story should be, it is a bit lengthy so I won't post it here - but do take the time to go read it HERE.

Central Michigan University SGA vice president attending seminary after graduation

From CM Life.com

By Dana DeFever

On a typical Thursday night, Brad Sjoquist is at St. Mary's Catholic Parish, kneeling among his peers while leading them in the Rosary.

The weekly gathering of the Catholic fellowship group is practice for what he will devote his life to.

In May, the Student Government Association vice president will graduate with Spanish and psychology majors and a philosophy minor. Afterward, he plans to go on to study to become a priest at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. He currently is in the process of being accepted.

"That is sort of where I'll be the happiest right now," the Kingsford senior said. "My faith is really what animates me."

Religion a top priority

Sjoquist has spent a lot of time contemplating his decision and in the end, its pros outweighs the cons, he said.

As a priest, Sjoquist would be working with people during their happiest and saddest moments. Investing in people, whether making time to have lunch with good friends or praying for those around him, is what fuels Sjoquist.

The Rev. Will Prospero at St. Mary's said Sjoquist possesses such qualities as humility and makes an effort to get to know and see God in all people. Sjoquist also has a generous spirit, and volunteers within the parish, he said.

"A man of his gifts could be intimating to some people. He's humble," Prospero said. "He truly has the heart of a servant."

Sjoquist considered attending law school before deciding to go into the seminary. However, as much as he considered other options, he knew neither choice would make him as happy in the long run.

Close friend and roommate Sean Nolan said he was not surprised by Sjoquist's decision.

"I think that is a big part of who Brad is," the Muskegon senior said.

Sjoquist has had a great effect on those around him, including Nolan.

Nolan said Sjoquist helped him grow as a Catholic by praying together, encouraging him to go to confession and simply answering questions that Nolan had.

"He pushes in a good kind of way. It's encouraging," Nolan said.

Before coming to Central Michigan University, Sjoquist deliberated about going into the seminary right out of high school. But after receiving the Centralis Scholar Award - a full-ride scholarship - he decided to attend CMU.

"Central was one of the last places I wanted to come," Sjoquist said. "It turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made."

Read the rest of the article HERE.

An Update on the Soccer Pro turned Seminarian

Part of me is hesitant to post another story about Chase Hilgenbrinck. Then again I am very happy to post about him. While Chase has created more positive media attention about vocations to the priesthood than anybody I can think of, I'm not sure if it puts him in a good situation from a formation and discernment standpoint. Seminary is enough of a challenge without the pitfalls of celebrity. And from the point of discernment, I would imagine it is even more challenging. What if he should discern that he is not called to the Priesthood? Most seminarians, discerning they are not called, have to work through the reality of telling their friends and family, as well as the many people from their parish and diocese, and they have to deal with the sense that they are "letting people down." Can you imagine the pressure that will be placed on Chase Hilgenbrinck? Should he leave the seminary, just imagine the articles then! I'm sure that there are other challenges as well, like being the celebrity seminarian amongst your peers. However, all this said, what a blessing he has been for the promotion of vocations. Since the story broke of his announcement to leave professional soccer for the seminary, I have seen several dozen stories done on him in high profile media outlets. There is no question that he has lended a very credible and relevant voice to the fact that God is still calling men to His Priesthood. So I post the story below with some reluctance, but with a great deal of joy and daily prayers for Chase and all the seminarians in the Church! May they draw closer to the Eucharistic heart of Christ everyday, and may Mary Our Mother watch over them always.

"Faith-Based Initiative"
For Chase Hilgenbrinck, a Professional Soccer Career Was a Dream. But Priesthood Was a Calling.

From The Washington Post
By Kathy Orton

Photo by Katherine Frey

Chase Hilgenbrinck sat in his apartment in Chile, clutching the phone, full of nervous energy. He was about to make a call that would change his life forever. After spending more than two years agonizing over his decision in solitude, Hilgenbrinck finally decided he was ready to tell someone of his intention to become a priest. (This does a great job of expressing what many a diserner goes through before making the call to a Vocations Office.)

That September 2007 day, the first person he called was not his mother, father, brother or girlfriend, but the vocations director of the Peoria, Ill., diocese, a man he had never met.

"I was nervous on the phone," Hilgenbrinck said. "I couldn't believe the words that were coming out of my mouth."

Father Brian Brownsey was thrilled to receive the call. It's not every day a professional soccer player phones to say he wants to join the priesthood.

Though many professional athletes have gone into ministry, usually with Protestant churches, most do so after their careers have ended. Few leave during their prime. Hilgenbrinck, a 26-year-old defender, had signed his first MLS contract earlier this year after four years of playing professionally in Chile. He had made it, achieving a dream he'd had since childhood. And now he was leaving it all behind to serve God.

Starting with his seventh-grade teacher, people had been telling Hilgenbrinck that he should become a priest. He was flattered, of course, but he really didn't think priesthood was for him. He wanted to play soccer.

Hilgenbrinck was raised in a devout Roman Catholic family in Bloomington, Ill. He and his brother Blaise were altar servers at Holy Trinity Church and attended Catholic schools through junior high. When it came time for high school, they had a decision to make: attend the Catholic high school with their friends or go to the public high school where they could continue their budding soccer careers.

With his family's support, Hilgenbrinck chose soccer over his religious education, a decision that contrasted with the one he would make more than a decade later. He believed the public high school provided him with the best opportunity to earn an athletic scholarship to college.

"That's what my future was at that time," Hilgenbrinck said.

Clemson offered him a scholarship and Hilgenbrinck picked the Tigers mostly because he felt their program would prepare him for a professional career. The ACC is widely considered the best soccer conference in the country, and Clemson is usually one of the stronger teams.

It wasn't only his soccer career that took off at Clemson. Being on his own for the first time, Hilgenbrinck discovered new depths to his Catholicism. He became actively involved in the Catholic student organization. As a freshman, Hilgenbrinck volunteered to lead his teammates in a prayer before each game.

"I grew up Catholic, but it was an inherited faith," he said. "I believed because my parents believed. . . . It was [at Clemson] that I didn't have to be there [at church]. I didn't have to believe anything. It was then that I really made the faith my own. I would say that's the first step toward what I am doing today, although at that time I still didn't feel that I was called [to be a priest], nor did I want to be."

With no offers from the MLS after college, Hilgenbrinck headed to Chile on a one-way plane ticket, hoping to catch on with a team there. At first, he was miserable. Homesick and lonely, he turned to the one constant in his life outside of soccer, his faith.

"That was really when I saw Christ as a friend more than this godly figure that I can't touch," he said. "My faith now became not just something that I should do and what I started to enjoy, but it was now my rock."

With more free time on his hands than he knew what to do with, Hilgenbrinck set a goal of reading the entire Bible. He read books on Catholicism, particularly those by Scott Hahn and Karl Keating that his parents gave him. He also prayed regularly.

"It started out a lot with me doing all the talking and me trying to say everything that I needed to get out," he said. "But it was in the silent times of prayer, whenever I shut up, it was like, 'Okay, now feel this.' . . . This idea of the priesthood kept permeating my heart. It was just there all the time."

The way he describes it, Hilgenbrinck's call to the priesthood came gradually. It is not like he woke up one day and God told him to become a priest.

"No miracles happened here," he said. "It was just I felt that way, and it progressively got stronger every single day for two years."

At first he resisted. He did not want to be a priest. All he could think of were the negatives. To begin with, he'd have to give up soccer. But that wasn't even the biggest obstacle for him.

"I can't be married," he said. "I can't have kids, and that was scary because I'd always envisioned myself as a married man."

Besides, he loved playing soccer. He was doing well with his team in Chile, Nublense. He figured he could just wait until his career was over before he had to make a decision. Then he read Hahn's book, "Rome Sweet Home" and came across the line, "delayed obedience is disobedience."

"That just spoke to me so clearly," he said. "Not only as just something I was reading that helped me along, but I took that as a sign because I was really struggling with that at the time. . . . That definitely gave me the strength to say, 'Okay, I'm not going to wait until my career is over.' "

In time, all the barriers he put up fell away, and Hilgenbrinck realized he was destined to become a priest. But before he told his family and friends, he wanted to make sure the church would accept him. He called Brownsey and began the extensive application process, which included written exams, essays, background checks, fingerprinting and evaluations by three psychologists.

"They do want to make sure they're making the right decision," he said. "Obviously, with the scandal that we've had in the Catholic church in the past few years, that mistake doesn't want to be repeated. So there's going to be a rigorous screening process for anybody who really feels called to this."

When he finally broke the news to his parents -- he had not wanted to get their hopes up until he was sure the church would accept him -- they were shocked.

"It probably took me, it seems like a long time, but probably 20 seconds before I even said anything," Mike Hilgenbrinck said. "I think [his first words were] probably 'Oh my gosh, Chase, I'm so proud of you.' We're so supportive of that decision. It's just an honor that one of our sons was chosen by God to become a priest."

Even as he was pursuing the priesthood, Hilgenbrinck had not given up on his dream of playing on an MLS team. He signed a contract with the Colorado Rapids in January, but was cut for salary cap reasons. Then in March, the New England Revolution brought him in for a tryout. The team offered him a short-term contract, one that lasted only until midseason.

Hilgenbrinck had been wrestling with whether he should tell the team of his intentions or keep quiet. When the Revolution made its offer, he saw it as another sign. He appeared in four games, starting one, before telling the team in early July he was leaving for the seminary.

"I will say it's a bit unusual to hear that from a player," said Mike Burns, the Revolution's vice president of player personnel. "It's not the norm, that's for sure."

Burns said the Revolution would have happily kept around the left-footed left back.

"He was just a guy you could depend on," Burns said. "He was a consummate professional both on and off the field. He came to play every day and gave you everything he had."

Snuggled into the Catoctin Mountains near the Maryland-Pennsylvania border, Mount St. Mary's in Emmitsburg is a quiet, contemplative place. The 200-year-old school, the second-oldest Catholic university in the country, educates lay students as well as future priests. Hilgenbrinck will spend the next six years studying philosophy and theology with the other 22 first-year seminarians.

His arrival created a bit of a fuss around the usually staid seminary. Though he has received more media attention than any of his classmates, Hilgenbrinck has been welcomed by them unconditionally, according to Monsignor Steven Rohlfs, the seminary's rector.

"He's very popular with the men, and they consider him just one of the guys," Rohlfs said.

"It's too early to tell [if Hilgenbrinck will make a good priest], but he has all the external signs of it. He has a desire to want to do what God wants him to do. He's prayerful. He's energetic, and he has a pleasant personality and is a hard worker."

Hilgenbrinck's days are too hectic to allow him time to lament the void left by soccer. When his schedule allows it, he trains with the Mount St. Mary's team. He competed in the Rector's Cup, a soccer competition among the seminaries. But it's not the same as being on the field with an MLS team.

"Yes, of course" he misses soccer, he said, wistfully. "I definitely do, and getting to the point that I was at, playing professionally, that was always the dream, where I wanted to be."

Nonetheless, Hilgenbrinck appears content and at peace with his decision. He says he has no regrets about becoming a priest. Nor would he have wished his journey to this point would have gone differently.

"I feel very blessed to have lived the life that I have leading up to this point, and in no way would I trade it to do even what I am doing now," he said. "I feel blessed that the Lord allowed me to fulfill my dreams before pulling me into His plans for me. Not only is His will perfect, but His time is perfect as well. The timing of my call was meant to be exactly when it happened."

Seminarian credits cancer as one factor in his call to the Priesthood

From Twin Cities.com
By Chris Polydoroff

You might not believe that a Methodist founded the St. Paul Seminary. In 1896 James J. Hill endowed and built the institution in honor of his wife Mary, a devout Catholic. Since then, the seminary has ordained about 3,000 priests from 60 dioceses.

Justin Kortuem, 28, is a former General Mills scientist and college athlete in his first year of theological studies. He credits his childhood cancer at age 16 as one factor that led him towards God, but thought that his calling would be to work as a pediatric oncologist.

He heard the call to the priesthood during Mass one day.

"I just felt the Lord say this is what I want you to do, and you don't have to try and figure it out anymore," Kortuem said before the start of daily Mass at the chapel one recent morning. He said he had a great peace and joy in knowing what God has created him to do.

Beautiful Slideshow about Cloistered Nuns

Go to the website of photographer Toni Greaves and click the link for "Radical Love". The multimedia slideshow is about 6 minutes long, but it is worth the download time.

H/t to the Anchoress

The Priesthood of Jesus Christ

Great video with the words of Fr. John Corapi, S.O.L.T.

H/t to Gabriel

"New face at St. Sebastian's"

Below is a very good article about Fr. Valencheck who moderates the blog Adam's Ale.

Rev. John Valencheck is no stranger to Akron. He was guided to the priesthood at Sacred Heart Parish in Barberton

From Ohio.com

By Colette M. Jenkins
Beacon Journal religion writer

Photo by Karen Schiely/Akron Beacon Journal

Catherine Paparella nudged her college buddy more than 20 years ago during a Mass and told him he had the perfect personality to be a priest.

''We were listening to a seminarian who was talking about the vocations and who might consider being a priest,'' Paparella said. ''I elbowed him and pointed to him, saying, 'That's you.' ''

Two months ago, that college friend — the Rev. John Valencheck — showed up at Paparella's parish, St. Sebastian in West Akron, as the new priest.

''I'm really blessed. This is such a nice place to be. The people here are so involved with their parish,'' Valencheck said. ''We're still getting to know each other and I come with no intention to change who they are. I'm trying to get to who they are as a people so I can love them for who they are.''

Valencheck, who celebrated his 43rd birthday on Aug. 24, was assigned to St. Sebastian on June 24, succeeding the Rev. William Karg, who retired after 44 years in ministry. He came to St. Sebastian from St. Clare in Lyndhurst, but he is no stranger to the area.

A Barberton native, Valencheck grew up in Sacred Heart Parish, the place where he says he received nurturing that guided him to the priesthood. That influence came from the late Rev. Joseph Ozimek, a longtime pastor of the Barberton parish.

''He is the priest who affected my life most and first got me thinking about the priesthood. I remember showing up to serve at a Mass and saying, 'I've got to serve again,' '' Valencheck said. ''Father Ozimek stopped me and said, 'No. You get to serve again.' He helped me recognize that it is a privilege to serve God.

''When I got here, I discovered one drawer that wasn't cleaned out. When I pulled the last thing from the drawer, it was a rule book from the seminary from 1942. When I opened the book, I saw his handwritten name, Joseph Ozimek. It was his old book from the seminary. I saw that as a confirmation that I am supposed to be here at St. Sebastian.''

Valencheck was ordained a priest in 1998 and his first assignment was at St. Ambrose in Brunswick. One of his fellow seminarians, the Rev. G. David Bline, who was recently assigned to lead St. Francis de Sales parish in Coventry Township, describes Valencheck as a thoughtful, authentic, down-to-earth person and a great preacher.

''He's one of my favorite preachers. He has such a love for finding truth and as he works his way through finding that truth, he helps others find truth,'' Bline said. ''He's a genuine person who loves tradition. He's a throwback, but he has a great blog. He has a passion for traditions but knows how to bring them into the present.''

Among the traditions that Valencheck is attached to are a cup, foam, brush and razor for shaving, and windup clocks. He also has an affinity for 1930s radio shows and soundtracks from old movies. He continues the tradition of accordion playing from his Slovenian upbringing. He also wears the traditional black cassock.

Before embarking upon his six years of seminary study, Valencheck received a degree in theater arts at the University of Akron. He worked as a director, designer, prop master and set builder, but acted only ''if people were desperate,'' he said.

Nothing, however, compares to his current role.

''I cannot believe this is what I do. I serve Christ and I serve people,'' Valencheck said. ''My job is to make sure that I get into heaven and that other people get into heaven. What could be better?''

Valencheck said his hope for St. Sebastian is for it to continue to be a beacon of light in the community. He said his goal is for everything at the parish to be centered on the Eucharist.

''I like to take credit for his being in the priesthood,'' Paparella said. ''But I think the good Lord had much more to do with it than I did.''

H/t to Chrsitian

"Seminarians share thoughts on call to priesthood"

From the Florida Catholic
By Staffwriters

ST. PETERSBURG A few months ago, the diocesan Vocations Office Web site featured audio interviews with area priests who each took a few minutes to talk about his vocation.

Now, the Web site has a new feature that introduces men on the other side of the priesthood spectrum: those just discerning a call to the priesthood. In it, all six of the diocese’s new seminarians answer questions about themselves and why they are interested in becoming priests.

Lacking audio, the new feature doesn’t have the “in-the-same-room” feel of the priests’ interviews, but it does provide insight to the men, their past, their interests and their faith.

“This gives us a way to see who these guys are, what they are leaving behind and what they are looking (forward to learning),” said Father Len Plazewski, diocesan director of vocations. “A lot of the questions are commonly asked questions they get when they are out doing vocation talks.”
The diocese has 26 men actively discerning a call to the priesthood through seminary studies.

The new seminarians are a diverse group. Some just graduated from high school. One, Tim Corcoran, worked as an attorney and served as a federal bankruptcy judge. Together they show that a call to the priesthood can come at almost any time in a person’s life.

“It can be right for some people right after high school. That’s what I did,” Father Plazewski said. “For others, for whatever reason, it’s best to wait a year or two and go to college. For others, the best time is after college. Or, like Tim, it’s after a career.”

According to Father Plazewski, pursuing the priesthood parallels in many ways the process of dating and moving toward marriage. A young man who falls in love might get married earlier than he planned; others need to travel, go to college or have a variety of life experiences before they wed. Dating is not unlike the early stages of discerning a vocation. Entering the seminary is something akin to going steady. Reaching the theology stage of seminary is similar to an engagement, and the ordination can be compared to marriage.

In marriage or the priesthood, those involved have to give it time and attention before taking vows.

“I would say there are a lot of similarities between discerning a call to marriage and discerning a call to the priesthood,” Father Plazewski said. “You don’t rush into it. … It takes reflection. It takes time to see where it goes and, obviously, it takes a lot of prayer.

“The difference is that, when it comes to writing ‘thank-you’ notes, you don’t have anyone else to do it for you.”

Interviews with the new seminarians can be accessed through HERE.

Daughters Of Mary, Mother Israel’s Hope

From the SouthCountyTimes
by Linda Briggs-Harty

New Catholic Order In AfftonDaughters Of Mary, Mother Israel’s Hope based at St. George Church

August 15, 2008

For those who miss the days of full-habited Catholic nuns, as shown in films like “The Sound of Music” or “Going My Way,” the old order is making a comeback – at least in Affton.

Soon, a group of three women convening a religious community at St. George Church on Heege Road will don the floor-length duds worn for centuries by different orders.

Visiting local fabric stores and working with a few seamstresses, the order’s foundress Rosalind Moss has designed an amalgam of several habits for her sisters-to-be, deemed the Daughters of Mary, Mother of Israel’s Hope.

The resulting habit could be straight out of the Middle Ages: black gown covered by scapular cloth, coif (close-fitting cap), wimple (more cover for the neck and face), belt and rosary.

“My inspiration actually was a statue of St. Theresa of Avila, a saint from the 16th century,” said Moss, who grew up Jewish and worked in Brooklyn before converting to evangelical Christianity and moving to Southern California.

While they won’t be outfitted in their traditional garb yet, the sisters-to-be look forward to meeting members of St. George and those in the wider community at a holy hour celebration on Sunday, Sept. 14, 5 p.m. in St. George Church.

The ceremony recognizes the new order as an official body of the Catholic Church. A reception will follow. According to a recent article in the St. Louis Review Catholic Newspaper, once a new archbishop is installed (former Archbishop Raymond Burke has been reassigned to Rome), the nuns will be fully approved by the Holy See.

When they’re official, the nuns will get new names – Moss will be Mother Miriam of the Lamb of God. Her first two recruits – Della O’Malley of Novia Scotia, Canada, and Lois Brookhart of Des Moines, Iowa – will be Sr. Mary Jo of the Child Jesus and Sr. Mary Timothy of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

The new nuns are embracing an old-style Catholicism with the passion of newfound faith. Along with wearing full habits, the nuns will take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and observe a daily rule, with strict schedules balancing personal and public prayer, outreach and more.

The Convent

Newly settled in their convent attached to the St. George school building, now used by Special School District, the nuns move peacefully amid packing boxes and mostly empty rooms.

They’re ecstatic that St. George Church members and supporters showed up in droves this past weekend to paint, lay carpet and help move the sisters in with style. Two area companies donated the carpeting that will cover old flooring throughout.

A neighbor and church member dug and planted a big garden outside the convent earlier in the summer. “We’re enjoying the beans, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and more every day at meals,” Moss said.

Moss enthusiastically showed off the large quarters. On the first floor is the office, lending library, chapel, sacristy (preparation room for the chapel) kitchen, dining area, meeting rooms and nuns’ cells, she said. Upstairs are more cloistered rooms for the nuns’ privacy. The basement will include guest quarters.

Many of the rooms will be used for their ministry. In addition, Moss envisions classes, religious films, music and art lessons, dinner celebrations and more in the convent.

As a new contemplative/active, evangelistic and teaching community, the sisters will wander from the convent quite often.

“Our greatest desire is to be signs of God’s mercy, love, presence and truth in the world where people live, work and play, regardless of age, race, religion or status,” Moss wrote in the order’s outline.

The convent has 21 bedrooms for the sisters. Moss said she expects no problems filling the rooms. Some 300 women have inquired into the order already, she said.

Recruits

Moss plans to screen new recruits soon enough, though she’s intent first on welcoming a core dozen nuns, like the apostles who followed Jesus, she said.

Unique to her order is the lack of an age limit for entrance.

“I’ll take anyone from 18 to 118, as long as they can keep the rules,” Moss said.

“God has built into women in particular a desire and an ability to love, to nurture, to absorb the sufferings of others and to unite their sufferings to those of our Divine Savior,” Moss wrote.

Nuns may be single, widowed or annulled. Many will indeed be mothers – and grandmothers. Brookhart is widowed and has five children, seven step-children, 16 grandchildren and 50 step-grandchildren. She ran a Catholic bookstore in Des Moines before embracing the new order earlier this year.

O’Malley is single and a returning Catholic. Before entering active ministry and beginning an undergraduate and graduate program in theology, O’Malley was a Royal Canadian Mounted Police Officer and an IT worker with the Vancouver Police. She learned about the order over a year ago.

Way To The Church

The charismatic Moss, aka Mother Miriam, thinks long and hard before telling her story.

“It’s full of near-miraculous occurrences,” she said.

Moss said at 20, and still Jewish, she remembered thinking that nuns who were throwing off full habits were selling out to the world.

After becoming a Christian, she gained national prominence as a conference speaker and women’s ministry leader.

In 1992, Moss retreated from the West Coast to New York to sort out her faith. She talked with a fellow Christian about becoming Catholic, and the friend immediately assumed she might become a nun.

When she did become Catholic – largely inspired by convert Scott Hahn – she quickly became popular as a speaker and spiritual leader in the Catholic sector. Moss has written two books since becoming Catholic, “Home at Last: Eleven Who Found Their Way into the Catholic Church” and “Reasons for Our Hope: Bible Study on the Gospel of Luke.”

In her earlier years in New York, she’d been assistant publisher for a major magazine aimed at the apparel industry.

The urge to become a nun grew, especially after she laid out her vision for women four years ago at a retreat in Ottawa, Canada.

Surprisingly, a young boy of six had the biggest impact on her decision to become a nun.

“Five years ago, I met six-year-old John Paul at a conference. He said he was going to be a construction worker and a Trappist monk. He then asked me why I wasn’t a nun,” Moss said. “How my heart stayed in my body, I’ll never know. I said, ‘so you think I should be a nun?’ and he said, ‘Oh, yes.’”

Moss corresponded with former Archbishop Raymond Burke, and he invited Moss to check out convent space in St. Louis. He recommended St. George, since the convent had been empty for a few years.

St. George’s Pastor Thomas Robertson said he fully supported the sisters’ move into the convent there.

“The church members are really excited about it,” Robertson said. “They think their presence will be wonderful for the community.

“We want to spread the Gospel to the four corners of the world from Affton,” Moss said.

When their full habits arrive, no one will miss them.

"An Unlikely Priest"

Originally published in the Milwaukee Catholic Herald
By Karen Mahoney

Reposted here from Karen Mahoney's blog "Write 2 the Point"

As a young boy, Tadeusz Pacholczyk was accustomed to the life of science and scientists. The son of Andrzej, an astrophysics professor at the University of Arizona, the young boy sat wide eyed in his family’s living room with his father’s colleagues discussing the history and philosophy of science. Of particular interest to him were the Jesuit Priest astronomers from the Vatican Observatory affiliated with the university.

After observing numerous discussions in his Arizona home on the apparent conflicts of faith and science, Pacholczyk knew he wanted to be a part of that life and planned to attend college for science.

At 15, the aspiring scientist received a fellowship sponsored by the American Heart Association and assigned to a summer rotation with Dr. Jack Copeland, a cardiac surgeon with the U of A Medical Center. Shadowing the busy surgeon cultivated his interest towards the field of the biosciences.

A book and a vacation when he was 17 changed the course of his life and led him in a direction few scientists dare venture. During that vacation, Pacholczyk read an autobiography about The Little Flower, St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Influenced by her dogged determination to pursue her vocation by appealing to the mother superior, the bishop and finally the pope, Pacholczyk realized that he was called to pursue his vocation with a similar passion.

“When I was 19, I spent time in the seminary and tested the waters to confirm my calling,” he said. “I paid my own way and studied philosophy at the same time. I knew again for sure that God wanted me to become a priest, but I came to understand during that time that I should study science, but I didn’t know why or where it would lead.”

Pacholczyk returned to the University of Arizona where he earned undergraduate degrees in philosophy, biochemistry, molecular cell biology and chemistry. During that period, he performed research on hormonal regulation of the immune response.

“From there I went to graduate school in Connecticut (Yale) and studied Neurosciences and received me PhD there,” he said. “I went to Harvard at that point and studied for three years there doing my post-doc work.”

Upon achieving the scientific background that he knew he was supposed to do, it was time to follow God’s additional path for his life.

“I went to Rome and studied at the Pontifical North American College, with duel programs in Pontifical Gregorian and Lateran studies,” he said. “It seemed like I was forever in school.”

In Rome for five years, he focused his work on dogmatic theology and bioethics, examining the question of delayed ensoulment of the human embryo.

Ordained a Transitional Deacon in 1999 in Rome, Pacholczyk returned to his home diocese in Fall River, Massachusetts and was ordained a priest at the Cathedral.

“I was very blessed that the Bishop of my diocese released me to serve full time as Director of Education at the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia,” he said.

His work has led him to testify before members of the Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Virginia and North Carolina State Legislature during deliberations over stem cell research and cloning. He has given presentations and participated in roundtables on contemporary bioethics throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. He has had frequent appearances on CNN, ABC World News Tonight and National Public Radio.

On July 25, he was a guest at the Milwaukee Pfister Hotel for a Mass and a talk the following day in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Humane Vitae. His discussion ‘Stem Cell research in light of Humanae Vitae’ attracted more than 200 guests. Sponsored by the Nazareth Project, Bishop William Callahan presided at the anniversary Mass and concelebrated with a dozen area priests.

For the calm, even-tempered Fr. Pacholczyk, the opportunity to combine science and faith are pieces of the same puzzle.

“Many think that science and faith are intrinsically opposed to each other,” he said, softly, “That is false and one great big myth. God is the author of both science and true religion. It is an impossible conflict. If there is a conflict it is because science is overstepping its bounds or the reverse—some religious is trying to speak about an area in science that they have no expertise.”

With the education to back his theological understanding, Fr. Pacholczyk is comfortable speaking with university professors, scientists, the media and fellow clergy members.

“Bioethics formation augments the ability to exercise a fruitful ministry,” he said. “I can reach people because of my training that other priests cannot. I can go do universities and debate professors and interact with scientists that is a group many priests don’t have a chance to interact with. Some have scientists in their parishes but generally don’t deal with the specific questions that I do.”


While Fr. Pacholczyk is comfortable debating topics such as human cloning, stem cell research, in vitro fertilization and end of life issues, much of his day-to-day life is admittedly stressful for the 44-year-old, red haired, bearded priest.

“I have had to debate my former Biology professor at MIT,” he said. “When I was a student, I used his book and found myself debating and exposing the errors in an ethical debate. When we first began, the small classroom had a few seats filled, but after our PowerPoint demonstrations and debating, the room was over-filled. It was cool, but it was quite stressful too. It is through God’s grace that he has given me a gift to remain calm. I always try to keep my cool and not ever to get into a shouting situation and I have never have.”

In his position as Director at the NCBC, Fr. Pacholczyk is amazed at the changes not only in society, but among Catholics as well.

“Our society is moving very rapidly into a future that is filled with new forms of biotechnology and it is already affecting how new life comes into the world,” he said. “Recently, in Britain, a mother had a family history of breast cancer. What she did was to make 11 embryos and had each one of them tested for the gene for breast cancer. The ones that had the genes were either frozen or thrown away. The only ones to be implanted are the ones that didn’t have the genes. We are seeing stem cells, cloning, genetic testing—our Church exercises a pivotal and well developed criteria that helps to answer questions and Church is an essential voice as the future of society lies in these questions.”

For many skeptics who disbelieve the correlation between science and faith, Fr. Pacholczyk reminds that much of the questions he examines are rooted in Natural Law.

“What that means is that you don’t actually need faith to understand,” he said. “Everyone knows that we shouldn’t kill someone else. Although it is revealed in the Ten Commandments, we all knew that even if He hadn’t told us, we still know it is wrong—it is an obvious thing. A lot of my work deals with natural law questions. But it is all still in the bigger framework of faith.”

Researching all of Church documents pertaining to life, ethics and medical situations, Fr. Pacholczyk believes that these documents demonstrate that faith permeates the whole view.

“Many sense these truths can be known on their own,” he said, adding, “At our center, we deal with issues such as invitro fertilization-which many Catholics are probably not aware that it is a huge ethical problem, to end of life nutrition and hydration issues. We have a consulting service with six full time ethicists and a 10-12 member hard hitting support staff to provide more than 600 consultations per year. We also provide consultation for hospitals and the Vatican when they are reviewing documents.”

As this is an election year, Fr. Pacholczyk encourages Catholics to educate themselves about ways to vote appropriately. It is important for Catholics to understand that there is a hierarchy of goods and that some issues far outweigh other issues.

“If Catholics get the order wrong, they are going to end up harming the good of society and their own lives,” he said. “Life is at the top of the priority and if we structure society where human life is destroyed and violated and no one does anything-we are sowing seeds of our own destruction. It is important to establish power, do your homework and bring your vote and don’t vote in favor of someone who inverts the goods and turns things upside down….like saying it is OK to do abortions as long as the budget is balanced.”

While balancing the budget is good, it is short term, admitted Pacholczyk, who affirmed that taking human life affects the entire society and subsequent generations. It is important to take your values to the ballot box.

“Many Catholics have adopted a Kennedy mindset by saying that they will be Catholic on Sunday between 11-12 and the rest of the week is mine,” he said. “Nothing will bleed over and they will build compartments in their minds and live a highly segregated existence.”

Living this type of existence is the most dangerous type of existence, which will eventually lead to personal collapse.

“The Lord Jesus wants to affect the entire week—24-7, to live with us every hour,” Fr. Pacholczyk said, adding, “He wants to us to be completely His and live a fruitful reality. That is a gift.”

For More Information:
National Catholic Bioethics Center
6399 Drexel RD
Philadelphia, PA 19151
www.ncbcenter.org
215-877-2660

"Sayreville man finds his calling as a Roman Catholic priest"

From MyCentralJersey.com

By Susan Loyer

Photo by Augusto F. Menezes

It started as a whisper, but grew louder and louder, until it couldn't be ignored.

That's when Jack O'Kane took the leap.

At age 34, he entered Immaculate Conception Seminary of Seton Hall University and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest on May 24 at St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral Church in Metuchen. O'Kane was the only priest scheduled for ordination in the Diocese of Metuchen this year.

""Since I was a child, I always thought about becoming a priest,'' said the newest addition to Our Lady of Victories parish in Sayreville.
""Then one day, while on a retreat with the St. Bartholomew's Men's Group of East Brunswick, the first conference priest gave a talk on "The Call.' I'm listening to the
words, and it's pounding at my heart. Here I am thinking that I've been given the call, and I'm saying "No' or at least keeping it at arm's distance.''

After the conference, O'Kane approached the speaker, the Rev. Joseph Kerrigan Jr., who is now pastor of Sacred Heart Church, New Brunswick.

""I asked him what seminary was like,'' O'Kane said. ""He said it was good I was asking because I would be there for five years. He told me priesthood just doesn't happen overnight. That was news to me. I was 33 and thought, "That's a long time,'
but I wasn't discouraged.

""I thought, "If that's what it takes, I'm going to go for it,' and I did. From the day I moved into the seminary until the day I left, it was a really, really happy time. It gave me great joy being there because it really pointed to the priesthood and ordination. The day of my ordination was the greatest day of my life.''

O'Kane, whose hobbies include pool, basketball and golf, was brought up in East Brunswick, with four siblings.

His parents, Barbara and John O'Kane, are devout Catholics, he said.

""They're living saints,'' he said. ""They believe in prayer and encouraged us and taught us to pray. They lived the life of faith. They raised us by example, as well as by words.''

O'Kane attended St. Bartholomew School in East Brunswick, St. Joseph
High School in Metuchen and Rutgers University.

During his college years, the funloving, burly Irishman worked as a waiter and bartender at the Metuchen Country Club. After college, he took a job as the club's assistant golf professional.

After four years, he joined two of his sisters, Katie and Maggie, and went to work for a company selling computers. His brother, Tom, later joined the firm.

O'Kane finally realized something was missing from his life after a discussion with his sister Barbara, who has since gone on to pursue her calling as a nun.

""I started to ask myself, "Why I am still thinking about becoming a priest?'‚'' he said. ""I've got a good job. I've got a lot of friends. Life was pretty good, so why was I still thinking about it?''

O'Kane said he prayed for guidance, and his prayers were soon answered.

""The day I started telling people, I was completely at peace,'' he said.
""It was wonderful for me. I finally had admitted it.''

During his seminary years, O'Kane served in various parishes including St. Matthew's in Edison, St. Thomas the Apostle in Old Bridge and St. Joseph, Holy Family and St. Elizabeth of Hungary, all in Carteret.

As a deacon, he served at Our Lady of Mount Virgin in Middlesex Borough.

O'Kane joins the Rev. Michael Krull, pastor of the Main Street parish, and the Rev. Jack Grimes. He is looking forward to his time at Our Ladies of Victories parish.

""Right now I want to focus on being a good priest,'' he said. ""The seminary has prepared me well, but there is still so much more to learn on the job. I look forward to helping people grow in faith and help foster more vocations. I think some day I'll
be ready for my own parish.''

Read the rest of the article HERE.

"3 Priorities for Promoting Vocations"

From ZENIT

Interview With Dominican Sister and Bishops

By Kathleen Naab

Photo by John Russell

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, JULY 27, 2008 (Zenit.org).- There are three high priorities in fostering vocations to the religious and priestly life, said a Dominican sister with 15 years of experience in vocational work.

Sister Catherine Marie Hopkins is now the executive director of the Dominican Campus in Nashville where the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia own and operate Overbrook School, St. Cecilia Academy and Aquinas College.

Recently named a member of the U.S. bishops' national advisory council, Sister Hopkins suggests the three highest priorities in fostering vocations: education, sacramental devotion and youth ministry that exposes young people to both prayer and evangelization.

ZENIT spoke with Sister Hopkins about supporting young women who are discerning a vocation to the consecrated life, and about how she discovered her own call.

Q: You worked for 15 years as vocation director for your order. What was the key to finding your own vocation? Did your own experience help you to aid other women in discerning theirs?

Sister Hopkins: The key to finding my own vocation was the realization that God had the plan and I just needed to discover exactly what that plan was. It began with inner turmoil at the thought that God could ask such a thing of me, but I very quickly found out that if he were calling, everything that I needed in order to respond would be provided by him as well.

That brought me tremendous freedom and my turmoil was replaced by a very strong attraction.

I was 24 years old and very happy, but not at peace since I couldn’t say for sure what God’s will was for my life. All I knew with certainty was that daily Mass had made me hunger for more, and so I went in search of where I could best root a growing desire to give of myself. I finally investigated religious life so that I could rule it out and marry with a clear conscience. When I actually visited our community and saw very tangible joy, youthful zeal and a long history of fidelity, fear was reduced by a newly formed conviction that this is what God had created me to do.

I would say that my own experience made me sensitive as a vocation director to the fact that successful discernment takes place apart from any pressure and within the challenging silence of prayer. When I looked for God’s will, I sought advice and asked lots of questions, but I wanted to make a decision that, while informed, drew strength from an interior conviction that I recognized as coming from God.

The Dominican Sisters in Nashville understood that it wasn’t a matter of recruitment but of exposure.

As a vocation director, I made it a point always to respect the delicate interior struggle through which most people must pass. My job was not to make a good sales pitch, but to convey the beauty of our life and to expose young women to it through a visit or retreat experience. I had to help those who had the inclination, but struggled with uncertainty, realize that the simultaneous fear and attraction they felt was normal; and that a sense of unworthiness is not a bad thing since really none of us is “worthy” of divine espousal! Making the choice entails a movement away from a career mentality to the realization that religious life is about giving yourself to a love that is without limit.

Q: You have three brothers that are priests. Do you think there is a different strategy for discerning and fostering the vocation of young women than for young men? In what ways?

Sister Hopkins: My experience has been that, in general, men take a lot longer in the discernment process, whether it regards marriage or religious life. Once a woman has “conviction” she is usually impatient to begin a process.

I wonder if men tend to intellectualize it in the beginning, whereas most women religious begin intuitively and very privately. They may struggle longer before admitting they are considering the idea, but once they discern, it is very much a matter of the heart and they are propelled past fears and natural ties to offer that gift of self without reserve.

Men need to balance their discernment with devotion and women need to consciously anchor the process with an intellectual understanding of the call.

In guiding women in discernment, the idea of espousal is a considerable attraction since we are all programmed by our feminine nature to love and to nurture in a unique way. I had aspirations of a big family and came to understand that God wasn’t asking me to deny that desire but to expand it!

Both men and women need to know that a desire to enter into the married state is not only good, but is even necessary if one is considering religious life. The absence of such natural desire may signal a problem of selfishness or difficulty in giving or receiving love. Such an emotional handicap would make happiness in the religious life impossible.

Regarding my brothers, each of them was different in his discernment. A discussion about them is a real study in temperaments. I used to hold them up as examples to illustrate that there is no "one type" that God calls, but that each of us with our unique characters can contribute in unique ways. And yes, my brothers are "unique characters." We weren’t born religious and occasionally have to remind people that we were in the mainstream in our youth and that none of us was voted “Most likely to become a religious” in high school. There is hope in that fact.

Q: There are certain orders of both men and women religious -- including your own -- that have enjoyed tremendous growth in the last decades. What do you see at the key to this growth?

Sister Hopkins: I believe the key to growth in vocations is found in the witness of joyfully living an ideal that is single-hearted, Eucharistic, faithful to the Church and her teachings. It is lived in the vibrancy of community life while rooted in prayer. That was what I experienced with the Dominican Sisters in Nashville.

I believe that young people today are as idealistic as they always have been and they are looking for a way to channel their zeal and to find support in a desire to grow in holiness. I do not think it is fancy programs or complicated spiritualities that attract, but rather simple fidelity.

There are movements of the Holy Spirit lighting fires in many directions today that are picking up significant momentum and should fill us with hope. The Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious is an organization of religious communities who are committed to living the essentials of religious life and are supportive of one another. I would recommend that young women exploring a religious vocation visit the CMSWR Web site to see the many communities which are growing today, in spite of reports to the contrary.

Q: There is much talk of the vocations crisis and whether or not it is nearing an end for priestly vocations. How about vocations for women religious? Is the crisis nearing the end?

Sister Hopkins: Women religious have been the backbone of social service, education and health care in this country. The drop in the number of women entering religious life has impacted these fields and it will take many years to see a significant return.

I am reminded, however that the Holy Spirit is not limited by Gallup Polls or the predictions of sociological studies.

Consider the simplicity and tenacity of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta at a time when the numbers of women religious were declining. Her response to God’s call yielded a new religious order that grew to over 4,000 sisters, an associated brotherhood of 300 members, and over 100,000 lay volunteers, operating 610 missions in 123 countries.

What our world needs is more Mother Teresas, people with zeal, humility and a fearless love. Over the past 20 years I have seen the numbers of women inquiring into the religious life grow both in numbers, quality and openness. Given the fact that our culture is not supportive of such ideas, nothing short of grace can explain it.

Q: You were recently named to the U.S. bishops' national advisory council. On the heels of Benedict XVI's visit to the United States, what do you see as the priorities for fostering vocations in the States?

Sister Hopkins: I think that in order to foster vocations to the priesthood and religious life the three highest priorities should be in the areas of education, sacramental devotion and youth ministry that exposes young people to both prayer and evangelization.

Young people are hungry to learn the faith and quickly recognize the unreasonableness of relativism. They have a natural desire to “know” God and will be more likely to devote themselves to a life dedicated to him if they have been educated in the faith. I think that this generation is quick to identify the need for such an apostolic focus since the lack of it has produced such confusion and suffering. It is important that the Church continues to strengthen Catholic education that is focused, faithful and rooted in excellence.

Devotion to the sacraments is key to discovering as well as nurturing a vocation. When young people benefit from regular reception of the Eucharist, confession and begin to develop a prayer life, then God’s call has a chance of being heard. Eucharistic adoration is drawing many vocations to the priesthood and religious life, a fact which makes sense if you consider that such time spent in God’s presence brings light and warmth to our souls.

There is a movement of the Holy Spirit in progress that increases in intensity whenever youth affectively influence one another. There is nothing more powerful than the witness of young people striving to know and do God’s will. Love is not meant to be contained, and so when we discover the Person of Christ, it is natural to experience an interior compulsion to share that discovery with others.

Substantial youth ministry which prompts conversion, devotion and exposure to positive peer influences has been successfully producing vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Of course, it is important for young people to be exposed to priests and religious who are joyfully and faithfully living that commitment.

Pope Benedict put it best to the youth he spoke to in Dunwoodie when he challenged them saying, “Strive for a pattern of life truly marked by charity, chastity and humility, in imitation of Christ, the eternal High Priest, of whom you are to become living icons.”