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.
Showing posts with label US Papal Visit 2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US Papal Visit 2008. Show all posts
Monday, December 22, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
"Pope is inspiration for future priests"
Local man was part of MassFrom the Poughkeepsie Journal
By John Davis and Gary Stern
Photo by Karl Rabe/Poughkeepsie Journal
For the New York Archdiocese, one positive affect of the April visit by Pope Benedict XVI to the Big Apple could be a turnaround in the dwindling number of men who are choosing to become priests.
The Rev. Robert Bubel, who is one of the archdiocese's six newly ordained priests, played a major role as a deacon during the April 19 papal Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Bubel, whose formative religious years were spent in St. Columba parish in Hopewell Junction, said celebrating Mass for Pope Benedict affirmed his own decision to give his life to God.
"It certainly motivates me as a priest in wanting to give my entire life to the service of God and his people," he said. "I see a man like Pope Benedict who is so talented and given so many gifts by God. And he's given all of this to God and this is so important to him. His faith is so strong and a desire to spread that faith to the youth of America essentially is absolutely inspiring. It's such a powerful affirmation of what I'm giving my entire life to."
Bubel attended St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers. He was among the seminarians who greeted the pope at a youth rally and prayer service there.
"It was very, very special because the seminary is our home," he said. "To welcome the pope into our home meant a lot. We're a bunch of young guys, too. We're hooting and hollering. ... It really was a powerful, powerful moment."
The pope's visit, Bubel said, ignited an interest in young men keen to study at the seminary to become a priest.
"Rumors that I've heard is that the phone was ringing off the hook following his visit," he said. "Unfortunately, you can never really know until September 1, the day when people show up."
One of the people who is still experiencing the papal visit, in a sense, is the Rev. Luke Sweeney, director of vocations for the Archdiocese of New York.
Normally, he receives a couple of inquires each week from young men considering the priesthood. But during the last three weeks, he has received dozens. Some of them are quite serious and come from men who say Pope Benedict's visit has inspired them to consider taking a step they have avoided.
This was the hope. The Archdiocese faces a worsening shortage of priests and is in great need of seminarians. The archdiocese has about 470 active diocesan priests - compared to 1,200 four decades ago - and about 40 percent are between 65 and 75.
At St. Patrick's Cathedral in May, Cardinal Edward Egan ordained six diocesan priests, including Bubel and the Rev. Ronald Perez, who has been assigned to Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha parish in the Town of LaGrange. The main or upper seminary at St. Joseph's will train fewer than 20 men next fall.
"It's always been my gut feeling and belief that there are guys out there thinking about it," Sweeney said referring to the priesthood. "The idea has been kicking around for a while, maybe years, but for whatever reason - work, fear, simply pushing it out of their minds - they can't take the step. My hope was the Holy Father's visit would knock some people off the fence and give us the shot in the arm we need.
"It seems to be happening," said Sweeney, who talks about the priesthood at high schools, colleges and parishes.
He is excited, but cautiously so. Of the men who have contacted him, some will get cold feet right away. Others will need to finish college or to take a few years to consider their vocation or get up their courage. Others will prove to be a poor fit for the priesthood.
"We want to avoid flash-in-the-pan conversions," Sweeney said. "We really monitor applications. But I want to talk to them as soon as possible to get a sense of their vocation, of whether they are a promising candidate."
Taking a step
Sweeney believes at least several young men may be ready to enter St. Joseph's minor seminary this fall, where students study philosophy and other subjects before entering the main seminary to study theology.
The true impact of the papal visit, though, won't be known for more than a decade, Sweeney said. The hope is that men who enter the seminary years from now will look back on the papal visit as a formative experience - and a counter to the sex-abuse crisis that has certainly weighed on the minds of young Catholic men in recent years.
"I'm hopeful that in the coming years, young men will say, 'That's the first time I thought about the priesthood, when the pope was in New York,' " Sweeney said.
Bubel, 30, celebrated his first Mass on May 11 at St. Columba Church with his family and friends in attendance.
"It was so intimate and warm and happy," he said. "It was a joyous, joyous occasion."
He has been assigned to St. Stephen's parish in Warwick in Orange County.
Bubel said what led to his becoming a priest were parents that were
oriented to attending Mass every Sunday and providing him with a Catholic education. He attended grade school at St. Columba School and Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Poughkeepsie.
"First and foremost, it really does start in the family," Bubel said. "Also my parish priests who served as role models for me, were people I wanted to be like."
Add Pope Benedict to that list of role models.
"One thing I recognized was how reverent he was - the way he celebrated Mass, the way he took time before Mass began to kneel before the Blessed Sacrament and say his prayers," Bubel said. "A real inspiration of a priest."
For the New York Archdiocese, one positive affect of the April visit by Pope Benedict XVI to the Big Apple could be a turnaround in the dwindling number of men who are choosing to become priests.
The Rev. Robert Bubel, who is one of the archdiocese's six newly ordained priests, played a major role as a deacon during the April 19 papal Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Bubel, whose formative religious years were spent in St. Columba parish in Hopewell Junction, said celebrating Mass for Pope Benedict affirmed his own decision to give his life to God.
"It certainly motivates me as a priest in wanting to give my entire life to the service of God and his people," he said. "I see a man like Pope Benedict who is so talented and given so many gifts by God. And he's given all of this to God and this is so important to him. His faith is so strong and a desire to spread that faith to the youth of America essentially is absolutely inspiring. It's such a powerful affirmation of what I'm giving my entire life to."
Bubel attended St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers. He was among the seminarians who greeted the pope at a youth rally and prayer service there.
"It was very, very special because the seminary is our home," he said. "To welcome the pope into our home meant a lot. We're a bunch of young guys, too. We're hooting and hollering. ... It really was a powerful, powerful moment."
The pope's visit, Bubel said, ignited an interest in young men keen to study at the seminary to become a priest.
"Rumors that I've heard is that the phone was ringing off the hook following his visit," he said. "Unfortunately, you can never really know until September 1, the day when people show up."
One of the people who is still experiencing the papal visit, in a sense, is the Rev. Luke Sweeney, director of vocations for the Archdiocese of New York.
Normally, he receives a couple of inquires each week from young men considering the priesthood. But during the last three weeks, he has received dozens. Some of them are quite serious and come from men who say Pope Benedict's visit has inspired them to consider taking a step they have avoided.
This was the hope. The Archdiocese faces a worsening shortage of priests and is in great need of seminarians. The archdiocese has about 470 active diocesan priests - compared to 1,200 four decades ago - and about 40 percent are between 65 and 75.
At St. Patrick's Cathedral in May, Cardinal Edward Egan ordained six diocesan priests, including Bubel and the Rev. Ronald Perez, who has been assigned to Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha parish in the Town of LaGrange. The main or upper seminary at St. Joseph's will train fewer than 20 men next fall.
"It's always been my gut feeling and belief that there are guys out there thinking about it," Sweeney said referring to the priesthood. "The idea has been kicking around for a while, maybe years, but for whatever reason - work, fear, simply pushing it out of their minds - they can't take the step. My hope was the Holy Father's visit would knock some people off the fence and give us the shot in the arm we need.
"It seems to be happening," said Sweeney, who talks about the priesthood at high schools, colleges and parishes.
He is excited, but cautiously so. Of the men who have contacted him, some will get cold feet right away. Others will need to finish college or to take a few years to consider their vocation or get up their courage. Others will prove to be a poor fit for the priesthood.
"We want to avoid flash-in-the-pan conversions," Sweeney said. "We really monitor applications. But I want to talk to them as soon as possible to get a sense of their vocation, of whether they are a promising candidate."
Taking a step
Sweeney believes at least several young men may be ready to enter St. Joseph's minor seminary this fall, where students study philosophy and other subjects before entering the main seminary to study theology.
The true impact of the papal visit, though, won't be known for more than a decade, Sweeney said. The hope is that men who enter the seminary years from now will look back on the papal visit as a formative experience - and a counter to the sex-abuse crisis that has certainly weighed on the minds of young Catholic men in recent years.
"I'm hopeful that in the coming years, young men will say, 'That's the first time I thought about the priesthood, when the pope was in New York,' " Sweeney said.
Bubel, 30, celebrated his first Mass on May 11 at St. Columba Church with his family and friends in attendance.
"It was so intimate and warm and happy," he said. "It was a joyous, joyous occasion."
He has been assigned to St. Stephen's parish in Warwick in Orange County.
Bubel said what led to his becoming a priest were parents that were
oriented to attending Mass every Sunday and providing him with a Catholic education. He attended grade school at St. Columba School and Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Poughkeepsie."First and foremost, it really does start in the family," Bubel said. "Also my parish priests who served as role models for me, were people I wanted to be like."
Add Pope Benedict to that list of role models.
"One thing I recognized was how reverent he was - the way he celebrated Mass, the way he took time before Mass began to kneel before the Blessed Sacrament and say his prayers," Bubel said. "A real inspiration of a priest."
Click on the image to the right to see all post related to the U.S. Papal visit.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
"Salt Lake City seminarians cheer Pope Benedict"
From Intermountain Catholicby Christopher Gray
Pope Benedict XVI is greeted by cheers and smiles as he visits with seminarians and other young people outside Saint Joseph Seminary in Yonkers, New York. Salt Lake City Seminarians Joseph Frez and Christopher Gray were in the enthusiastic crowd. IC photo by Christopher Gray
The sun was at its height as thousands of people stood and waited in growing excitement. The field behind St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y. was palpitating April 19 with the heightened emotions of 20,000 people – mostly high school and college students – vibrant with expectation. The pope was already on the way.
Seminarians formed a small army of cassocks and roman collars near the stage. For two seminarians studying at Mount Angel Seminary in St. Benedict, Ore., for the Diocese of Salt Lake City, the Youth and Seminarian Rally during Pope Benedict’s apostolic visit to the United States was a unique opportunity more than simply to come together with an overwhelming presence of other men in priestly formation, but rather a microcosm of the Church in its fullness, from the faithful to the magisterium to the servant of the servants of God.
Both from Salt Lake City, Joseph Frez, a second year theologian who just a few weeks before had received the ministry of acolyte, and I, a pre-theology student, were chosen by lottery from among the students in college and theology at Mount Angel Seminary to travel to New York for the papal visit. For some students, this was the furthest away from home they had ever been, and for others this was their first visit to a city as immense as New York. Staying at the headquarters for the Maryknoll fathers and brothers in Ossining, N.Y., this was also a first experience with foreign missionaries, a kind of vocation different from our own.
We stood shoulder to shoulder for hours, waiting. It was Pope Benedict’s first time to the United States as pope; it was certainly our first time in the outward appearance of a cleric being in the presence of the pope. Together with seminarians from the dioceses of Denver, Philadelphia, Mexico, and elsewhere across the continent, as well as a smattering of religious orders, we shared stories of our seminary experiences, of our vocational journeys. We were united in our direction and purpose, solid in the conviction of our faith.
As the hours passed and a litany of entertainers tried to woo the crowd whose hearts had already been given to someone else, seminarians responded with our own cheers of “Habebimus Papam” (“We will have the Pope”) and choruses of the “Regina Coeli,” the Marian hymn for the completion of the Divine Office. The chant swept over the field, with more seminarians joining every moment.
Pope Benedict is a rock star. Following Christian rock superstars and American idols, he arrived at the seminary and entered the field to swelling counterpoint of Bach and the screaming cheers of thousands after personally greeting disabled children in the seminary chapel. The crowd’s expectation was fulfilled, the pope was present; the field erupted and would not relinquish the pope for several minutes of intense cheering.
In his address, the theological reflection was deep and expansive. The ultimate truth is found in the ultimate being, he said, exciting every fiber of St. Thomas Aquinas’ philosophy among the seminarians – and all the people again broke out into shouts of joy.
At the far-flung missions in the Diocese of Salt Lake City, where the celebration of the Mass can be a monthly luxury, the spiritual support of the Christian faithful, though strong, is minimal. The Body of Christ is integral always and everywhere, though the reinforcement of joining people en masse is a uniquely moving moment without which the experience of faith loses a critical taste of universality.
The pope’s message has practical appeal to everyone. As Catholics, he said, we must foster our personal relationship with Christ, as well as be faithful to our liturgical prayer, work actively for charity, and be attentive to God’s call for each person: one’s vocation.
The excitement that filled the day at its beginning became the vehicle for the pope’s words into the lives of everyone who listened to it. For seminarians, it was a first exposure as men in priestly formation to the fullness of the priesthood through the presence of the curia. From the desert of the Boneville Salt Flats to the center of every great city, this was a moment no one who experienced it will ever let go.
Monday, May 12, 2008
"Calls about joining the priesthood surge"
Gary SternThe Journal News
YONKERS - The grounds of St. Joseph's Seminary - covered by more than 25,000 faith-fueled teens only three weeks ago for the papal youth rally - are now quiet, bare and still.
The fields behind the seminary, where young Catholics waited on impossibly long lines for sodas and rosary beads, are barren. Grass and dirt.
Even seminarians, whose numbers are way down in recent years, are getting some time off before dispersing for their summer parish assignments.
One of the few people who is still experiencing the papal visit, in a sense, is the Rev. Luke Sweeney, director of vocations for the Archdiocese of New York.
Normally, he receives a couple of inquires each week from young men considering the priesthood. But during the last three weeks, he has received dozens. Some of them are quite serious and come from men who say that Pope Benedict XVI's visit has inspired them to consider taking a step they have avoided.
One 20-year-old college senior wrote to Sweeney:
"I have prayed and continue praying that God will let me not be afraid to do his will and that I will accept any vocation he has in mind for me. I have to say having the chance to see the Holy Father in person on his visit to the U.S. was out of this world and his words had a great impact on me."
Another wrote that after watching the pope in New York, "I can't help but be brought to tears of joy with the simple thought of becoming a priest."
This was the hope. The Archdiocese of New York is facing a worsening shortage of priests and is in great need of seminarians. The archdiocese has only about 470 active diocesan priests — compared to 1,200 four decades ago — and about 40 percent are between 65 and 75.
Cardinal Edward Egan was to ordain six new diocesan priests yesterday at St. Patrick's Cathedral. The main or upper seminary at St. Joseph's will be training a total of fewer than 20 men next fall.
"It's always been my gut feeling and belief that there are guys out there thinking about it," said Sweeney, who talks about the priesthood at high schools, colleges and parishes. "The idea has been kicking around for a while, maybe years, but for whatever reason - work, fear, simply pushing it out of their minds - they can't take the step. My hope was the Holy Father's visit would knock some people off the fence and give us the shot in the arm we need.
"It seems to be happening," he said.
Sweeney is excited, but cautiously so. Of the men who have contacted him, some will get cold feet right away. Others will need to finish college or to take a few years to consider their vocation or get up their courage. Others will prove to be a poor fit for the priesthood.
"We want to avoid flash-in-the-pan conversions," Sweeney said. "We really monitor applications. But I want to talk to them as soon as possible to get a sense of their vocation, of whether they are a promising candidate."
Sweeney believes that at least several young men may be ready to enter St. Joseph's minor seminary this fall, where students study philosophy and other subjects before entering the main seminary to study theology.
The true impact of the papal visit, though, won't be known for more than a decade, Sweeney said. The hope is that men who enter the seminary years from now will look back on the papal visit as a formative experience - and a counter to the sex-abuse crisis that has certainly weighed on the minds of young Catholic men in recent years.
"I'm hopeful that in the coming years, young men will say, 'That's the first time I thought about the priesthood, when the pope was in New York,' " Sweeney said.
The early signs are good. Sweeney's new Web site - www.nypriest.com - got 8,000 hits during and immediately after the pope's visit.
Sweeney is also talking to Egan about launching an advertising campaign with the slogan: "The world needs heroes."
In the meantime, he keeps getting e-mails like this one:
"After spending the day at the rally, seeing the Holy Father and even just as importantly seeing so many young men in seminary, all my fears and concerns about entering seminary have escaped me and I cannot shake the feeling of joy over the idea of becoming a priest."
Monday, May 5, 2008
"New pontiff, old calling"
From chicagotribune.com
Prospective priests embrace leader's traditional beliefs
By Manya A. Brachear
Nick Blaha was singing in a Peoria choir loft three years ago when he sensed God's call to surrender his life and become a priest.
Pope Benedict XVI heartened him even more in 2005 when, in the pontiff's first words to the faithful, he called himself "a simple, humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord."
Those words echoed the same self-doubt, devotion and deep desire to serve God felt by Blaha and others contemplating the priesthood.
"He struck me as one more way in which God is providing for his people," said Blaha, 28, a student at Mundelein Seminary. "The simplicity of this man—amid all this pomp and world politics, it didn't matter. It was so clear it was God's choice."
Meet the B16 generation—a wave of young Catholics raised in a church divided by teachings about sexuality and battles over whether women and married men should become priests. Unlike the generation that came of age under Pope John Paul II, which embraced the empowerment and freedom granted by the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, many in the B16 group wish to re-anchor the church in its core traditions.
Pope Benedict, who arrived in the U.S. Tuesday, will speak to these young Catholics on Saturday at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y., where he hopes to inspire more of them to serve the church, whether as nuns and priests or husbands or wives.
The need for clergy is great. A severe shortage of priests already threatens to cripple the American church, with seminary enrollment steadily declining over the last four decades to 3,274 students from 8,325, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University.
Some believe the only solution is for church leaders to initiate candid conversations about ordaining married men and women and reconsider church teachings for today's era. Celibacy remains the primary reason why most men leave seminary, yet seminarians rarely engage in open debates about that issue or the exclusion of women.
The church has another view, believing that post-Vatican II reforms resulted in a weakened institution that doesn't inspire. What's needed, church leaders say, is restoring the church's foundation.
That philosophy guides the students now at Mundelein Seminary outside Chicago. Reflecting their back-to-basics bent, the most sought-after class is on the Doctrine of God, or the theology of the Trinity.
"It's surprising to see how animated they are in returning back to that, their zeal in wanting to get to that clarity," said Rev. Dennis Lyle, rector of Mundelein Seminary.
Pope Benedict likely would approve. Cardinal Francis George, head of the Chicago archdiocese and the church's top U.S. leader, recalls meeting with the pope at the same time Vatican inspectors were visiting Mundelein. In that talk, Pope Benedict stressed the importance of avoiding moral relativism by correctly teaching moral theology.
"We don't make up our own laws," George said. "We don't make up our own way to the Lord. We don't make up our own morality. . . . He's very clear on that."
Some experts wonder if the traditionalist trend will produce priests who inspire an increasingly sophisticated American flock, many of whom want priests to meet them as equals.
"Younger clergy right now in seminaries are intrigued and interested in a model of clerical authority that doesn't fit with the realities of the American church," said Robert Orsi, Catholic studies chair at Northwestern University.
But George said past failures to emphasize absolutes have resulted in the "unraveling of Catholic moral discipline, a sense of finding reasons for things that, before, we used to ask forgiveness for, a sense that we couldn't trust the tradition which affects a lot of things."
That distrust, even among priests, might explain why many clergy fail to encourage other young men to consider the priesthood, George said. It might also explain why fewer men have expressed interest in becoming priests.
George also points to cultural and demographic shifts that make it more difficult for the church to attract priests. With fewer children in middle-class families, which have historically generated priests, it is more difficult for men to figure out if seminary is where they belong.
"God is as generous in this generation as he's always been," George said. "There are all kinds of cultural and social phenomena that make it harder to hear the call. But the call is there and it's our job to see to it that those whom the Lord desires in this way of life will cooperate with his grace."
En route to the U.S. Tuesday, the pope touched on the topic of vocations as he expressed deep shame about the church's sex abuse crisis and noted efforts to ensure that "only really sound persons" are admitted to the priesthood. The church recognizes "it's more important to have good priests than to have many priests," he said.
Pope Benedict said he was referring only to men who commit sexual abuse and leaving those who are gay out of the discussion. But the first major policy statement of his papacy barred seminarians with "deep-seated homosexual tendencies."
In light of the nationwide priest shortage, Chicago church leaders have focused on urging Catholics to discern their calling, including the vocations of marriage, lay ministry and raising a family.
"The most endangered vocation of the church is Christian marriage," George said, adding that fostering strong families will help men find their way to the priesthood. "If you don't have good family life, it's hard to live a good life yourself, let alone to hear what God is calling you to."
Rev. Joe Noonan, director of vocations for the archdiocese, said weekend retreats at Mundelein allow men to tune out daily distractions and seriously contemplate how God is stirring in their souls.
Seminary teachers sometimes ask in jest: How do you sell a career that offers low pay, no sex, long hours and obedience to someone else? Answer: You don't.
Instead of a career, Noonan said, it is a relationship with God cultivated by conversations with him.
"Hopefully, clarity begins to develop," he said. "John Paul II called young men and women to step back and reflect on their own specific call in life and I think vocation directors picked up on that."
But Pope Benedict as well as Pope John Paul have inspired many of the latest men who have heard the call and entered the seminary.
"We're an extension of him . . . we're all working for this common goal of salvation of souls," said Mike Chenier, also at Mundelein.
On Friday, dozens of the seminarians will board a bus for Yonkers to see the pope firsthand. For many, his spiritual journey emboldens their own.
"He's mastered so much history and theology. That integration gives me a great deal of inspiration in navigating the morass we're in, the pluralism that's pulling us in many directions," Blaha said. "Where is the light? He very clearly points the way."
Tribune reporter Margaret Ramirez contributed.
mbrachear@tribune.com
Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune
Prospective priests embrace leader's traditional beliefs
By Manya A. Brachear
Nick Blaha was singing in a Peoria choir loft three years ago when he sensed God's call to surrender his life and become a priest.
Pope Benedict XVI heartened him even more in 2005 when, in the pontiff's first words to the faithful, he called himself "a simple, humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord."
Those words echoed the same self-doubt, devotion and deep desire to serve God felt by Blaha and others contemplating the priesthood.
"He struck me as one more way in which God is providing for his people," said Blaha, 28, a student at Mundelein Seminary. "The simplicity of this man—amid all this pomp and world politics, it didn't matter. It was so clear it was God's choice."
Meet the B16 generation—a wave of young Catholics raised in a church divided by teachings about sexuality and battles over whether women and married men should become priests. Unlike the generation that came of age under Pope John Paul II, which embraced the empowerment and freedom granted by the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, many in the B16 group wish to re-anchor the church in its core traditions.
Pope Benedict, who arrived in the U.S. Tuesday, will speak to these young Catholics on Saturday at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y., where he hopes to inspire more of them to serve the church, whether as nuns and priests or husbands or wives.
The need for clergy is great. A severe shortage of priests already threatens to cripple the American church, with seminary enrollment steadily declining over the last four decades to 3,274 students from 8,325, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University.
Some believe the only solution is for church leaders to initiate candid conversations about ordaining married men and women and reconsider church teachings for today's era. Celibacy remains the primary reason why most men leave seminary, yet seminarians rarely engage in open debates about that issue or the exclusion of women.
The church has another view, believing that post-Vatican II reforms resulted in a weakened institution that doesn't inspire. What's needed, church leaders say, is restoring the church's foundation.
That philosophy guides the students now at Mundelein Seminary outside Chicago. Reflecting their back-to-basics bent, the most sought-after class is on the Doctrine of God, or the theology of the Trinity.
"It's surprising to see how animated they are in returning back to that, their zeal in wanting to get to that clarity," said Rev. Dennis Lyle, rector of Mundelein Seminary.
Pope Benedict likely would approve. Cardinal Francis George, head of the Chicago archdiocese and the church's top U.S. leader, recalls meeting with the pope at the same time Vatican inspectors were visiting Mundelein. In that talk, Pope Benedict stressed the importance of avoiding moral relativism by correctly teaching moral theology.
"We don't make up our own laws," George said. "We don't make up our own way to the Lord. We don't make up our own morality. . . . He's very clear on that."
Some experts wonder if the traditionalist trend will produce priests who inspire an increasingly sophisticated American flock, many of whom want priests to meet them as equals.
"Younger clergy right now in seminaries are intrigued and interested in a model of clerical authority that doesn't fit with the realities of the American church," said Robert Orsi, Catholic studies chair at Northwestern University.
But George said past failures to emphasize absolutes have resulted in the "unraveling of Catholic moral discipline, a sense of finding reasons for things that, before, we used to ask forgiveness for, a sense that we couldn't trust the tradition which affects a lot of things."
That distrust, even among priests, might explain why many clergy fail to encourage other young men to consider the priesthood, George said. It might also explain why fewer men have expressed interest in becoming priests.
George also points to cultural and demographic shifts that make it more difficult for the church to attract priests. With fewer children in middle-class families, which have historically generated priests, it is more difficult for men to figure out if seminary is where they belong.
"God is as generous in this generation as he's always been," George said. "There are all kinds of cultural and social phenomena that make it harder to hear the call. But the call is there and it's our job to see to it that those whom the Lord desires in this way of life will cooperate with his grace."
En route to the U.S. Tuesday, the pope touched on the topic of vocations as he expressed deep shame about the church's sex abuse crisis and noted efforts to ensure that "only really sound persons" are admitted to the priesthood. The church recognizes "it's more important to have good priests than to have many priests," he said.
Pope Benedict said he was referring only to men who commit sexual abuse and leaving those who are gay out of the discussion. But the first major policy statement of his papacy barred seminarians with "deep-seated homosexual tendencies."
In light of the nationwide priest shortage, Chicago church leaders have focused on urging Catholics to discern their calling, including the vocations of marriage, lay ministry and raising a family.
"The most endangered vocation of the church is Christian marriage," George said, adding that fostering strong families will help men find their way to the priesthood. "If you don't have good family life, it's hard to live a good life yourself, let alone to hear what God is calling you to."
Rev. Joe Noonan, director of vocations for the archdiocese, said weekend retreats at Mundelein allow men to tune out daily distractions and seriously contemplate how God is stirring in their souls.
Seminary teachers sometimes ask in jest: How do you sell a career that offers low pay, no sex, long hours and obedience to someone else? Answer: You don't.
Instead of a career, Noonan said, it is a relationship with God cultivated by conversations with him.
"Hopefully, clarity begins to develop," he said. "John Paul II called young men and women to step back and reflect on their own specific call in life and I think vocation directors picked up on that."
But Pope Benedict as well as Pope John Paul have inspired many of the latest men who have heard the call and entered the seminary.
"We're an extension of him . . . we're all working for this common goal of salvation of souls," said Mike Chenier, also at Mundelein.
On Friday, dozens of the seminarians will board a bus for Yonkers to see the pope firsthand. For many, his spiritual journey emboldens their own.
"He's mastered so much history and theology. That integration gives me a great deal of inspiration in navigating the morass we're in, the pluralism that's pulling us in many directions," Blaha said. "Where is the light? He very clearly points the way."
Tribune reporter Margaret Ramirez contributed.
mbrachear@tribune.com
Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune
"Face of Defense: Chaplain’s Journey Leads to Meeting Pope"
From the Military Family Network
By Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Meghan McNabb - Special to American Forces Press Service
2008-05-02
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. , May 1, 2008 –
At just 16 years old, Jose A. Bautista-Rojas left his hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico, for Los Angeles in hopes of creating a better life for himself and the parents he left behind.
At the time, he had no idea his journey would lead him into the priesthood, the military or the opportunity to shake the pope’s hand.
The road from Guadalajara was not short, and life in Los Angeles was not easy, Bautista said. Living with friends, working all day and attending English-as-a-second-language classes at Evans Community Adult School at night, Bautista focused on the chance to bring his family to the United States.
“There wasn’t much time for fun,” Bautista said. “I worked carpentry from 7:30 to 3:30; from 5 to 7, I worked at a car wash; and from 7:30 to 9, I went to ESL classes.”
After four years, Bautista’s family was able to join him, and he was able to turn his attention to new goals.
Because he worked so much, Bautista hadn’t focused on graduating from high school until he decided to enter the priesthood, a journey that would take 11 years to complete.
Bautista started attending church with a girl he liked, but ended up finding much more.
“I had stopped going to church,” Bautista said. “I had to fight off the pressure and temptations that come to young men. I wasn’t always perfect, but I had to get back on track. I enjoyed church and the sermons, and before I knew it, I was getting involved.”
Bautista’s interest coincided with a new initiative by then-Archbishop of Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Michael Mahoney. The cardinal established Casa Reina de Los Angeles, or House of our Lady Queen of Angels, as a place for young men who wanted to enter the priesthood but either didn’t have their high school diploma or needed to perfect their English.
Bautista studied hard for two years to earn his high school diploma and perfect his English. He spent a year studying for college-level classes, four years earning his college degree, and four years earning his divinity master’s degree.
On June 5, 1999, Bautista was ordained a priest and was assigned to St. Elizabeth of Hungary parish in Van Nuys, Calif. In 2001, Bautista was assigned to his next church, St. John of God in Norwalk, Calif. Two of his parishioners, a Marine and soldier, died in Iraq.
At their memorial service, busloads of Marines came from Camp Pendleton, Calif., to attend. Some of them told Bautista how they didn’t always have access to attend Mass when they were deployed in Iraq.
“I’m saying Mass, and I look up and thought of them serving without Mass,” Bautista said. “I thought to myself, ‘I need to put my words into action.’ I would always say, ‘Let’s pray for those serving,’ but it was time to act.”
Bautista received an endorsement from the Los Angeles archdiocese and was released to the Archdiocese for the Military. In January 2006, he entered the Chaplain Corps with the Navy.
Then a lieutenant, Bautista served as the Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, chaplain for 13 months in Iraq’s Anbar province. Bautista was the only priest stationed at his unit’s base at Taqaddum, but said what mattered most was finally being able to minister to those he had prayed so long for.
“One of the most memorable times in Iraq was when a sergeant was going into surgery,” Bautista recalled. “He asked me to hold his hand until he went under, and I knew this is what ministry is about.”
Bautista said he doesn’t consider the priesthood a job, but rather, his vocation and what he is dedicated to.
“A job is something you are hired to do,” Bautista explained. “A vocation is love for God and what you’ve been called to do.”
Bautista said Marines and sailors can tell when a chaplain is acting only as an officer and isn’t ministering.
“You have to be an officer as well as a chaplain,” Bautista said. “But it’d be sad if they only recognize you as an officer. A ship that doesn’t float isn’t living up to what it’s supposed to be, just as a minister that doesn’t minister isn’t living up to their potential. You have the title, but you’re not living up to it. Marines can see through that.”
While ministering in Iraq, Bautista received an early invitation from the military archdiocese to attend Mass during Pope Benedict XVI’s recent visit to the United States. Amid shouts of “Viva la Papa,” Bautista watched as the pope arrived at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.
“It was my oasis,” Bautista said. “It was nice to go from the desert to a sea of clergy, faithful people and peace.”
The next day, the chaplain attended the pope’s Mass at Nationals Park in Washington and heard the leader of the world’s Roman Catholics talk about being a witness of faith.
“[The pope] said those of hope must live different lives,” Bautista said. “We must point the way for others. Being seen as different is how people will recognize you as a person of faith.”
After the pope’s historical Mass, Bautista took meeting the pope into his own hands. He walked up past the security lines as the pope was walking off the stage. With outstretched arms, the pope grabbed his hand and shook it.
“I felt like a teenage kid. I was giggling and so emotional,” Bautista said. “The effect this man has on people is unreal.”
The pope reached out to Bautista not only physically, but also spiritually, the chaplain said, and even gave a message in Bautista’s native tongue. He said, “Paz a ustedes,” or “Peace be with you.”
“What made it so emotional was that he was reaching out to you,” Bautista said. “I felt like he was speaking directly to me, like he was reaching out to me personally.”
Bautista said it was a beautiful gift to meet the pope and be surrounded by clergy.
Although Bautista has appreciated every minute of his time as a chaplain, he said he eventually will be called back to serve in Los Angeles. He said he wants Marines and sailors never to think their dreams are too high or far away.
“I want them to know that every step they take, even the littlest step, is one step closer,” Bautista explained. “I am an immigrant from Mexico who didn’t speak English, and I never thought I’d become an officer in the Navy.”
(Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Meghan McNabb serves with 2nd Marine Logistics Group.)
By Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Meghan McNabb - Special to American Forces Press Service
2008-05-02
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. , May 1, 2008 –
At just 16 years old, Jose A. Bautista-Rojas left his hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico, for Los Angeles in hopes of creating a better life for himself and the parents he left behind.
At the time, he had no idea his journey would lead him into the priesthood, the military or the opportunity to shake the pope’s hand.
The road from Guadalajara was not short, and life in Los Angeles was not easy, Bautista said. Living with friends, working all day and attending English-as-a-second-language classes at Evans Community Adult School at night, Bautista focused on the chance to bring his family to the United States.
“There wasn’t much time for fun,” Bautista said. “I worked carpentry from 7:30 to 3:30; from 5 to 7, I worked at a car wash; and from 7:30 to 9, I went to ESL classes.”
After four years, Bautista’s family was able to join him, and he was able to turn his attention to new goals.
Because he worked so much, Bautista hadn’t focused on graduating from high school until he decided to enter the priesthood, a journey that would take 11 years to complete.
Bautista started attending church with a girl he liked, but ended up finding much more.
“I had stopped going to church,” Bautista said. “I had to fight off the pressure and temptations that come to young men. I wasn’t always perfect, but I had to get back on track. I enjoyed church and the sermons, and before I knew it, I was getting involved.”
Bautista’s interest coincided with a new initiative by then-Archbishop of Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Michael Mahoney. The cardinal established Casa Reina de Los Angeles, or House of our Lady Queen of Angels, as a place for young men who wanted to enter the priesthood but either didn’t have their high school diploma or needed to perfect their English.
Bautista studied hard for two years to earn his high school diploma and perfect his English. He spent a year studying for college-level classes, four years earning his college degree, and four years earning his divinity master’s degree.
On June 5, 1999, Bautista was ordained a priest and was assigned to St. Elizabeth of Hungary parish in Van Nuys, Calif. In 2001, Bautista was assigned to his next church, St. John of God in Norwalk, Calif. Two of his parishioners, a Marine and soldier, died in Iraq.
At their memorial service, busloads of Marines came from Camp Pendleton, Calif., to attend. Some of them told Bautista how they didn’t always have access to attend Mass when they were deployed in Iraq.
“I’m saying Mass, and I look up and thought of them serving without Mass,” Bautista said. “I thought to myself, ‘I need to put my words into action.’ I would always say, ‘Let’s pray for those serving,’ but it was time to act.”
Bautista received an endorsement from the Los Angeles archdiocese and was released to the Archdiocese for the Military. In January 2006, he entered the Chaplain Corps with the Navy.
Then a lieutenant, Bautista served as the Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, chaplain for 13 months in Iraq’s Anbar province. Bautista was the only priest stationed at his unit’s base at Taqaddum, but said what mattered most was finally being able to minister to those he had prayed so long for.
“One of the most memorable times in Iraq was when a sergeant was going into surgery,” Bautista recalled. “He asked me to hold his hand until he went under, and I knew this is what ministry is about.”
Bautista said he doesn’t consider the priesthood a job, but rather, his vocation and what he is dedicated to.
“A job is something you are hired to do,” Bautista explained. “A vocation is love for God and what you’ve been called to do.”
Bautista said Marines and sailors can tell when a chaplain is acting only as an officer and isn’t ministering.
“You have to be an officer as well as a chaplain,” Bautista said. “But it’d be sad if they only recognize you as an officer. A ship that doesn’t float isn’t living up to what it’s supposed to be, just as a minister that doesn’t minister isn’t living up to their potential. You have the title, but you’re not living up to it. Marines can see through that.”
While ministering in Iraq, Bautista received an early invitation from the military archdiocese to attend Mass during Pope Benedict XVI’s recent visit to the United States. Amid shouts of “Viva la Papa,” Bautista watched as the pope arrived at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.
“It was my oasis,” Bautista said. “It was nice to go from the desert to a sea of clergy, faithful people and peace.”
The next day, the chaplain attended the pope’s Mass at Nationals Park in Washington and heard the leader of the world’s Roman Catholics talk about being a witness of faith.
“[The pope] said those of hope must live different lives,” Bautista said. “We must point the way for others. Being seen as different is how people will recognize you as a person of faith.”
After the pope’s historical Mass, Bautista took meeting the pope into his own hands. He walked up past the security lines as the pope was walking off the stage. With outstretched arms, the pope grabbed his hand and shook it.
“I felt like a teenage kid. I was giggling and so emotional,” Bautista said. “The effect this man has on people is unreal.”
The pope reached out to Bautista not only physically, but also spiritually, the chaplain said, and even gave a message in Bautista’s native tongue. He said, “Paz a ustedes,” or “Peace be with you.”
“What made it so emotional was that he was reaching out to you,” Bautista said. “I felt like he was speaking directly to me, like he was reaching out to me personally.”
Bautista said it was a beautiful gift to meet the pope and be surrounded by clergy.
Although Bautista has appreciated every minute of his time as a chaplain, he said he eventually will be called back to serve in Los Angeles. He said he wants Marines and sailors never to think their dreams are too high or far away.
“I want them to know that every step they take, even the littlest step, is one step closer,” Bautista explained. “I am an immigrant from Mexico who didn’t speak English, and I never thought I’d become an officer in the Navy.”
(Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Meghan McNabb serves with 2nd Marine Logistics Group.)
Saturday, April 26, 2008
"Papal visit triggers “tsunami” of New York seminary applications"
From Catholic News AgencyYonkers, NY, Apr 26, 2008 / 03:45 am (CNA).- St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers, New York, has received dozens of applications following Pope Benedict’s visit, the New York Daily News reports.
"It's been like a tsunami, a good tsunami of interest," said Father Luke Sweeney, the Archdiocese of New York's vocations director. “I've been meeting people all week and have a lot of e-mails I haven't had the chance yet to respond to. It has been incredible.”
For the first time in 108 years, the seminary had been preparing for a year with no students. Only 23 seminarians are expected to be ordained for New York City over the next four years. A study carried out by Catholic World Report claims the archdiocese’s ratio of priests to congregation members is among the worst in the country.
Currently there are only 648 diocesan priests for the Archdiocese of New York, which has 2.5 million Catholics.
“We are facing a severe shortage,” Father Sweeney said. The vocations director recently launched a recruitment campaign that uses the slogans “The World Needs Heroes” and “You Have To Be a Real Man If You Want to Become a Priest.”
“We were hoping the Pope would convince many who were considering the priesthood to make the next step. It looks like he did,” he said.
The Pope spoke to a rally of 25,000 young people on the seminary’s grounds last Saturday, April 19.
Father Sweeney described how the Pope’s words affected one new applicant.
“One said he came, saw the crowd, heard what the Pope said and then called us," the priest said. "He said his questions and concerns were answered when he heard him speak.”
"Dozens Inquire About Priesthood After Pope's Visit"
Of course, as almost everyone reading this blog knows, "inquired" is a long way from "accepted". Still this is just the beginning of what will certainly be a long story of vocations as a result of Our Holy Father's Apostolic Journey to the United States.From NY1
April 25, 2008
Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the city last week appears to have generated interest in the priesthood.
The Daily News reports that within three days of the pope's visit, dozens of men have inquired at St. Joseph's seminary in Yonkers about becoming priests.
The pope held a youth rally there last week.
Before his visit, no one had enrolled in the seminary for this fall – the first time that's happened in more than 100 years.
The number of men entering the priesthood in the city has been declining for years, even as the Catholic population has risen to two and a half million.
April 25, 2008
Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the city last week appears to have generated interest in the priesthood.
The Daily News reports that within three days of the pope's visit, dozens of men have inquired at St. Joseph's seminary in Yonkers about becoming priests.
The pope held a youth rally there last week.
Before his visit, no one had enrolled in the seminary for this fall – the first time that's happened in more than 100 years.
The number of men entering the priesthood in the city has been declining for years, even as the Catholic population has risen to two and a half million.
Friday, April 25, 2008
"U.S. Catholics Hope Papal Visit Boosts Seminary Enrollment"
From The Washington PostBy RACHEL ZOLL
The Associated Press
Thursday, April 24, 2008; 2:31 PM
NEW YORK -- The crowd of 25,000 Roman Catholics burst into cheers when Pope Benedict XVI took the stage for a youth rally during his U.S. visit last week. Chanting "Viva Papa!" they pressed against security barriers and reached out to touch him.
Many Catholics and church leaders were happily surprised by the outpouring of enthusiasm. Now, they hope the experience will draw some of the young revelers into the priesthood.
Ever since ecstatic throngs began greeting the globe-trotting Pope John Paul II, analysts have been looking for any direct link between a papal visit and seminary enrollment.
The Rev. Donald Cozzens, a former seminary rector and author of "The Changing Face of the Priesthood," said there's no way to know the exact impact of a papal pilgrimage. But he said Benedict's warmth and grandfatherly presence could inspire many to at least consider ordination.
"There's a certain mystery to a call to ministry in the priesthood," said Cozzens, who teaches at John Carroll University in Ohio. "Some people know they are destined to be a priest from their childhood and other people discover this call much later in life. Sometimes it's awakened by a papal visit."
Younger priests today tend to have more traditional views of the church than older clergy, and many attribute that trend to John Paul's defense of orthodoxy. Others who study the priesthood say that new clergy candidates now tend to come from the most committed parts of the church, and would likely fill seminaries with conservatives no matter who was elected pope.
The Rev. Michael Morris, director of pastoral formation at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y., where the youth rally was held, credits John Paul's 1979 trip to the U.S. with moving him toward enrolling in seminary. But he said the pope's presence was not the only reason he joined.
"There were a lot of guys from my generation, who entered the seminary in the early '80s, we entered on the heels of the pope's first visit," said Morris, who teaches church history at the seminary. "I can't say that it was just a visit that inspired us to become priests. But sometimes you need a nudge."
He plans to talk about the pope's visit, the priesthood and religious life in the local parish where he helps celebrate Mass, to encourage anyone considering the vocation.
The U.S. priesthood has been shrinking for decades. More than 3,200 of the 18,600 U.S. parishes don't have resident priests, according to the Center for Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University. More lay people than clergy work full-time in the churches.
Dioceses have been hiring recruiters to travel overseas to find clergy candidates. The number of priests from other countries has grown so steadily that some seminaries are adding English classes, hiring accent reduction tutors and providing courses on American culture.
International recruitment is motivated partly by the exploding demand for Spanish speakers for the Hispanic immigrants filling the pews. About 30 percent of the men ordained in the U.S. last year were from another country, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The bishops' conference has created a recruitment campaign called "Fishers of Men," that encourages priests to invite young men to consider entering the priesthood.
George Weigel, a Catholic theologian and John Paul II biographer, said Benedict was a vibrant example to them of how fulfilling life can be in service to the church.
"It's impossible to tell, today, what numerical impact the pope's visit will have on young men discerning a vocation to the priesthood," Weigel said. "But that some men will have been moved to think of that life of self-sacrifice as a great adventure, no one should doubt."
Benedict addressed the state of the priesthood in several speeches.
He urged American bishops to be a "father, brother and friend" to their priests.
He said clergy have suffered enormously from the clergy sex abuse scandal. The shame was so intense that some priests wouldn't wear their clergy collars in public when the scandal erupted in 2002, even though most of the thousands of new claims stemmed from wrongdoing decades ago.
The priest shortage, meanwhile, has also put enormous demands on clergy, some of whom are responsible for several parishes.
However, seminary administrators say morale improved as the scandal eased.
And there are signs that the situation in some seminaries is improving.
In San Antonio, Assumption Seminary, a bilingual school, is flourishing, with 94 seminarians from 16 dioceses and a 300 percent growth in vocations in the past four years.
Benedict's visit "will definitely make a difference," in attracting new priests, said the Rev. Arturo Cepeda, who teaches at Assumption. He downloaded Benedict's comments to U.S. bishops about the priesthood and discussed them with his classes at the school the next morning.
"He provided a very positive, a very vibrant and very realistic view of the priesthood," said Cepeda, director of vocations for the Archdiocese of San Antonio. "Most of the men here want to make a difference in the church, in the world and in society, and that takes sacrifice."
____
AP Religion Writer Eric Gorski contributed to this report.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
"U.S. hoping pope's recruiting pitch leads to more priests"
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette(emphases and comments mine - BW)
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
By Ann Rodgers,
During a six-day U.S. visit in which he called for world peace and met with victims of clergy sexual abuse, perhaps the most difficult task that Pope Benedict XVI set before U.S. Catholics was to raise up a new generation of priests, sisters and brothers.
"Young men and women of America, I urge you: Open your hearts to the Lord's call to follow him in the priesthood and the religious life," he told a cheering crowd in Yankee Stadium.
The need is urgent -- even as the number of Catholics grows, the last large classes of priests ordained in the late 1950s and early 1960s are retiring. Dioceses that ordained 10 or 20 men annually then might ordain two or three today. Ordinations in the United States are up from a low in the 1980s, but since 1997 have hovered between 400 and 600. Few today are attracted to a vocation that requires celibacy. (Why is this all that people in the mainstream media can talk about - are we really this obsessed with sex? Maybe so, but it makes me wonder how reading something like this makes people who are effectively celibate by the circumstances of their life [as opposed to a choice] feel when they understand the implication that celibacy means "unfulfilled" in the eyes of so many. Millions of people in this world go through life without having sex. Would they have chosen differently if they could - perhaps yes, but I think for people to constantly make out celibacy as the worst thing that could happen to a person is terrible. There are people all around us who are single for any number of reasons and we would never say to them "your life seems so unattractive with out sex".)
On the morning after the pope left New York it was clear to Monsignor Edward Burns, the Pittsburgh priest who directs the U.S. bishops' national office for vocations, that the visit had touched Catholics deeply. As he walked down the streets in New York, "people would stop and ask me for a blessing," he said.
"The Holy Father's visit had a great impact. I believe it will help create a vocations culture in which young men will step forward."
Although this 81-year-old pope seems like an unlikely figure to lead a youth movement, many believe he was elected in part to do so. His predecessor, Pope John Paul II, was devoted to reaching young Catholics in ways that some cardinals did not understand or appreciate. But when Pope John Paul died in April 2005 and millions of youth poured into Rome from across the globe to express their love for him, all cardinals realized he had ignited a renewal movement. They elected Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, his closest collaborator, to continue his work.
Monsignor Burns thought Saturday's youth rally in Yonkers, when 25,000 Catholic young adults responded repeatedly with applause and cheers as the pope called them to bear witness to Christ, would have repercussions far beyond those who were present.
"I'm convinced that the same Holy Spirit that hovered over the disciples with tongues of flame was present at that gathering with the Holy Father," he said.
Among 5,000 seminarians at that rally was Michael Roache, 29, who is slated to be ordained for Pittsburgh in 2011.
"In the pope's talk, he said to just be open to what the Lord is calling you to do, and that will make you happy," he said, adding that is how vocations begin.
"There was a sea of seminarians who were joyful and excited about the Holy Father and life in general," he said. When youth saw them, "I think they realized that this is a joyful thing to do."
Lauren Schlieper, 18, a senior at North Allegheny High School and a member of the St. Alexis youth group in McCandless, was already pondering becoming a sister when she attended the Nationals Park Mass in Washington. While she isn't certain of her calling, "The Mass was an eye-opener, that I should be open to it and not back away," she said.
Being among 47,000 Catholics who were as excited about the faith as she was "made me realize that no matter what your spot in the church is, God has a plan for you," she said. "Even if it's a small job, it's part of something bigger."
The pope modeled that as he encouraged Catholics to look beyond him to Christ, she said. "He seemed like a very humble man. Even though he is the head of the entire Catholic Church, he gave the impression that it is not about him, but about something bigger and better than all of us."
Her fellow youth group member, Michael Reid, had a similar impression. When Pope Benedict celebrated the Eucharist, "you could tell he was really in awe" of Jesus' presence in it, he said.
The pope's most constant theme, whether speaking to bishops, the United Nations or the youth, was the danger of a moral relativism that would allow people to justify any action that felt good to them. Young people understand that message, said Mr. Reid, 18, a senior at North Allegheny High School.
"There are so many forces in the world today that are trying to get you deeper and deeper into sin," he said. "He shed light on that and told us that we should not be sucked into what the world is saying to us."
Gary Slifley, associate director of the diocesan Department for Youth and Young Adult Ministry, led 265 teens and chaperones from the Pittsburgh diocese to see the pope at Nationals Park.
He gave each of them a "Pilgrim Triptych" to jot down reflections about what the pope had said. On the bus ride home, 10 teens on his bus volunteered to speak about their experience.
They "shared a great feeling of unity with the Holy Father and with the church. They felt his warmth and grandfatherly approach really connected, and that his message of hope spoke to them," he said.
"Something like this can transform young people by the planting of seeds," he said. "If they say yes to God today, they will continue to say yes their whole life."
The Rev. Thomas Reese, author of several books on the U.S. bishops and the Vatican, said the pope made no mistakes on this trip (What does that mean? If he's referring to Regensburg, I can assure Fr. Reese that it was not a mistake.), and did seem to bond with youth (Seemed to bond? We must not have been seeing the same thing.). But he doubts he will be more effective at inspiring new priests than was Pope John Paul. (More with the negative comparisons to Pope John Paul II. They've been doing this since Pope Benedict XVI was elected, and they continue to be proven wrong. "He's not as charismatic", "the youth won't be attracted to him", "he's out of touch with the modern world", etc., etc., etc. In every case they have been proven wrong. I actually think he will be more effective at inspiring new priests, but as a result of what Pope John Paul II did before him.)
"Pope Benedict isn't a miracle worker, though we can always hope and pray," he said. (Fr. Reese, it's OK to be positive about the Holy Father. Really it is.)
The pope's cheering fans were sometimes compared to rock fans, and, much like a rock tour, his visit had a title: "Christ our hope." That message of hope will lead to vocations over time, said Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh.
"Any time there is a genuine expression and experience of hope, people naturally want to get involved," he said.
The pope walks his talk, he said. "When people see someone who is genuinely happy doing what they are doing, they feel intrigued by what brings them that happiness. An experience like this fires up the engines."
By Ann Rodgers,
During a six-day U.S. visit in which he called for world peace and met with victims of clergy sexual abuse, perhaps the most difficult task that Pope Benedict XVI set before U.S. Catholics was to raise up a new generation of priests, sisters and brothers.
"Young men and women of America, I urge you: Open your hearts to the Lord's call to follow him in the priesthood and the religious life," he told a cheering crowd in Yankee Stadium.
The need is urgent -- even as the number of Catholics grows, the last large classes of priests ordained in the late 1950s and early 1960s are retiring. Dioceses that ordained 10 or 20 men annually then might ordain two or three today. Ordinations in the United States are up from a low in the 1980s, but since 1997 have hovered between 400 and 600. Few today are attracted to a vocation that requires celibacy. (Why is this all that people in the mainstream media can talk about - are we really this obsessed with sex? Maybe so, but it makes me wonder how reading something like this makes people who are effectively celibate by the circumstances of their life [as opposed to a choice] feel when they understand the implication that celibacy means "unfulfilled" in the eyes of so many. Millions of people in this world go through life without having sex. Would they have chosen differently if they could - perhaps yes, but I think for people to constantly make out celibacy as the worst thing that could happen to a person is terrible. There are people all around us who are single for any number of reasons and we would never say to them "your life seems so unattractive with out sex".)
On the morning after the pope left New York it was clear to Monsignor Edward Burns, the Pittsburgh priest who directs the U.S. bishops' national office for vocations, that the visit had touched Catholics deeply. As he walked down the streets in New York, "people would stop and ask me for a blessing," he said.
"The Holy Father's visit had a great impact. I believe it will help create a vocations culture in which young men will step forward."
Although this 81-year-old pope seems like an unlikely figure to lead a youth movement, many believe he was elected in part to do so. His predecessor, Pope John Paul II, was devoted to reaching young Catholics in ways that some cardinals did not understand or appreciate. But when Pope John Paul died in April 2005 and millions of youth poured into Rome from across the globe to express their love for him, all cardinals realized he had ignited a renewal movement. They elected Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, his closest collaborator, to continue his work.
Monsignor Burns thought Saturday's youth rally in Yonkers, when 25,000 Catholic young adults responded repeatedly with applause and cheers as the pope called them to bear witness to Christ, would have repercussions far beyond those who were present.
"I'm convinced that the same Holy Spirit that hovered over the disciples with tongues of flame was present at that gathering with the Holy Father," he said.
Among 5,000 seminarians at that rally was Michael Roache, 29, who is slated to be ordained for Pittsburgh in 2011.
"In the pope's talk, he said to just be open to what the Lord is calling you to do, and that will make you happy," he said, adding that is how vocations begin.
"There was a sea of seminarians who were joyful and excited about the Holy Father and life in general," he said. When youth saw them, "I think they realized that this is a joyful thing to do."
Lauren Schlieper, 18, a senior at North Allegheny High School and a member of the St. Alexis youth group in McCandless, was already pondering becoming a sister when she attended the Nationals Park Mass in Washington. While she isn't certain of her calling, "The Mass was an eye-opener, that I should be open to it and not back away," she said.
Being among 47,000 Catholics who were as excited about the faith as she was "made me realize that no matter what your spot in the church is, God has a plan for you," she said. "Even if it's a small job, it's part of something bigger."
The pope modeled that as he encouraged Catholics to look beyond him to Christ, she said. "He seemed like a very humble man. Even though he is the head of the entire Catholic Church, he gave the impression that it is not about him, but about something bigger and better than all of us."
Her fellow youth group member, Michael Reid, had a similar impression. When Pope Benedict celebrated the Eucharist, "you could tell he was really in awe" of Jesus' presence in it, he said.
The pope's most constant theme, whether speaking to bishops, the United Nations or the youth, was the danger of a moral relativism that would allow people to justify any action that felt good to them. Young people understand that message, said Mr. Reid, 18, a senior at North Allegheny High School.
"There are so many forces in the world today that are trying to get you deeper and deeper into sin," he said. "He shed light on that and told us that we should not be sucked into what the world is saying to us."
Gary Slifley, associate director of the diocesan Department for Youth and Young Adult Ministry, led 265 teens and chaperones from the Pittsburgh diocese to see the pope at Nationals Park.
He gave each of them a "Pilgrim Triptych" to jot down reflections about what the pope had said. On the bus ride home, 10 teens on his bus volunteered to speak about their experience.
They "shared a great feeling of unity with the Holy Father and with the church. They felt his warmth and grandfatherly approach really connected, and that his message of hope spoke to them," he said.
"Something like this can transform young people by the planting of seeds," he said. "If they say yes to God today, they will continue to say yes their whole life."
The Rev. Thomas Reese, author of several books on the U.S. bishops and the Vatican, said the pope made no mistakes on this trip (What does that mean? If he's referring to Regensburg, I can assure Fr. Reese that it was not a mistake.), and did seem to bond with youth (Seemed to bond? We must not have been seeing the same thing.). But he doubts he will be more effective at inspiring new priests than was Pope John Paul. (More with the negative comparisons to Pope John Paul II. They've been doing this since Pope Benedict XVI was elected, and they continue to be proven wrong. "He's not as charismatic", "the youth won't be attracted to him", "he's out of touch with the modern world", etc., etc., etc. In every case they have been proven wrong. I actually think he will be more effective at inspiring new priests, but as a result of what Pope John Paul II did before him.)
"Pope Benedict isn't a miracle worker, though we can always hope and pray," he said. (Fr. Reese, it's OK to be positive about the Holy Father. Really it is.)
The pope's cheering fans were sometimes compared to rock fans, and, much like a rock tour, his visit had a title: "Christ our hope." That message of hope will lead to vocations over time, said Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh.
"Any time there is a genuine expression and experience of hope, people naturally want to get involved," he said.
The pope walks his talk, he said. "When people see someone who is genuinely happy doing what they are doing, they feel intrigued by what brings them that happiness. An experience like this fires up the engines."
Sunday, April 20, 2008
"Youths revel in pope's message"
From The Washington TimesBy Julia Duin
April 20, 2008
NEW YORK — Pope Benedict XVI yesterday celebrated the third anniversary of his election as pope with a solemn Mass for 3,000 at St. Patrick's Cathedral, then was cheered by thousands at a joyous parade up Fifth Avenue and by thousands more at an afternoon youth rally at a Yonkers seminary.
The 81-year-old head of the Catholic Church got a rock-star reception at the seminary when 20,000 young people cheered and waved Vatican flags. Organ music loudly boomed in the background. When the crowd refused to stop cheering after several minutes, he strode out on walkways jutting into the crowd and shook hands with seminarians in the front rows.
"These are our future priests, brothers and sisters," New York Cardinal Edward Egan proclaimed to the pope. "We pray more and more young people will come forward at the urging of the Divine Master to serve as priests and religious," he said.
While it was not clear how many youths had plans to do so, about 3,000 seminarians from around the country were in the crowd. A black-and-white banner reading "nypriest.com" hung on the back fence. The Web site's slogan: "The world needs heroes."
Priests, nuns, monks and bishops were at the pope's audience at the St. Patrick's Cathedral morning Mass. In his homily, the pope again addressed the topic of the clergy sex-abuse scandal, which has victimized at least 12,000 young people, mostly adolescent and teenage boys. He encouraged his "loyal sons and daughters of the church" who had remained faithful to their vows despite the tarnishing of the priesthood's image as a result of the scandal.
"I simply wish to assure you, dear priests and religious, of my spiritual closeness as you respond with Christian hope to the continuing challenge that this situation presents," he said. "I join you in praying that this will be a time of purification for each and every particular church and religious community and a time for healing.
"I also encourage you to cooperate with your bishops, who continue to work effectively to resolve this issue," he said.
In stark contrast to his predecessor, John Paul II, who rarely mentioned the scandal, Pope Benedict has raised it repeatedly on this trip in both word and deed: expressing his shame on the flight to the U.S., chiding the American bishops for their mishandling of the crisis, mentioning the indescribable damage the scandal has done during his homily last week at Nationals Park, meeting with several Boston-area abuse victims at the Vatican Embassy, and in yesterday morning's homily.
Dressed in gold, red and white vestments, the pope said priests and religious need to be filled with an interior "mystic light," much like the stained-glass windows surrounding them in the Gothic cathedral.
"This is no easy task," he acknowledged. "The light of faith can be dimmed by routine, and the splendor of the church obscured by the sins and weaknesses of her members. It can be dimmed, too, by the obstacles encountered in a society which sometimes seems to have forgotten God and to resent even the most elementary demands of Christian morality."
Still, he called on them to have an "ever-deeper faith in God's infinite power to transform every situation, to create life from death and to light up even the darkest night."
He also hinted at divisions among his flock in a call for unity among leaders of the American Catholic Church.
"For all of us, I think, one of the great disappointments which followed the Second Vatican Council ... has been the experience of division between different groups, different generations, different members of the same religious family," he said. "We can only move forward if we turn our gaze together to Christ.
"In the light of faith, we will then discover the wisdom and strength needed to open ourselves to points of view which many not necessarily conform to own ideas or assumptions. Then we can value the perspectives of others, be they younger or older than ourselves, and ultimately 'hear what the Spirit is saying' to us and to the church."
Yesterday's ceremony was the first time a pope has celebrated Mass in St. Patrick's, a venerable New York institution founded in 1858. Just before the pope marched down the aisle, New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who is Jewish, briefly appeared in the pulpit, calling the occasion "a historic day for New York."
His predecessor, twice-divorced former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, took Communion at the Mass, even though church law forbids remarried persons to do so, without a declaration from the church that the earlier marriage was never valid. Mr. Giuliani does not have such an annulment.
When asked by a reporter whether he was uncomfortable with breaking church rules, Mr. Giuliani said, "No."
Mr. Giuliani, who also is pro-choice on abortion and favors gay rights, is not the only liberal Catholic public figure to take Communion at a papal Mass. Democratic Sens. Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, and Edward M. Kennedy and John Kerry of Massachusetts partook at Thursday's Mass at Nationals Park in Washington. (Beyond tragic - news of this saddened me greatly.)
Today is the final day of Pope Benedict's U.S. trip. He will visit the former World Trade Center site and celebrate Mass at Yankee Stadium.
Following the Mass and a private lunch at the cathedral, the pope made his way down Fifth Avenue, which was packed at least 10-persons deep on both sides. He then headed to St. Joseph's Seminary in Dunwoodie, a suburb in Westchester County.
The pope had visited the seminary once before in 1988 as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. He had planted a small sapling on the grounds, which has grown into a medium-sized oak.
After a brief service with 50 disabled children in the seminary chapel, he received an adoring welcome from the crowd of thousands of young people who had been waiting since late morning to see him. During the interval, they had listened to Grammy Award-winner Kelly Clarkson, Father Stan Fortuna (aka the "rapping priest"), the Christian rock group Third Day and vocal trio Three Graces and watched a dance performance by the St. Michael's Warriors Dance Company.
The pontiff's speech, for which many of the youths remained standing throughout, began with memories of his own teen years under the Nazis. It then shifted to an explanation of the nature of truth and the dangers of relativism.
"In some circles, to speak of truth is seen as controversial or divisive, and consequently best kept in the private sphere," he said. "But what purpose has a 'freedom' which, in disregarding truth, pursues what is false and wrong?
"How many people have been offered a hand, which — in the name of freedom or experience — has led them to addiction, to moral or intellectual confusion, to hurt, to a loss of self-respect, even to despair, and so tragically and sadly to the taking of their own life?"
He urged his listeners to "turn to the saints" for inspiration on how to live and not to doubt their faith.
"Sometimes we are looked upon as people who speak only of prohibitions," he said. "Nothing could be further from the truth. Authentic Christian discipleship is marked by a sense of wonder. We stand before the God we know and love as a friend, the vastness of His creation and the beauty of our Christian faith." The latter remark prompted a huge burst of applause.
His listeners were entranced.
Francesca Grix, 15, of Pearl River, N.Y., spent the afternoon text-messaging her friends about what she was seeing.
"He is, like, such an important person," she said. "He is the closest figure to Jesus."
Brian Thomas, a former employee of the Archdiocese of New York now living in Rochester, N.Y., admitted he pulled strings in Cardinal Egan's office to get a ticket for his daughter, Liz, who celebrated her 14th birthday yesterday.
The youthful crowd was the one of the most enthusiastic in Pope Benedict's U.S. journey so far, and the pope paused frequently in his speech to acknowledge spontaneous cheers. Planners of the event lost few opportunities to remind the young listeners of the church's declining vocations. St. Joseph's Seminary has only 22 men currently enrolled, six of whom graduate this spring. None are slated to enter its first-year theology program.
Still, when Pope Benedict brought up vocations late in his speech, the crowd cheered again. They also cheered when the pope mentioned marriage and family life.
"I am sure that some of you young people will be drawn to a life of apostolic or contemplative service," he said. "Do not be shy to speak with religious brothers, sisters or priests [about it]."
He added, "Dear seminarians, I pray for you daily."
The black-garbed young men standing beneath him broke into a cheer: "We love you! We love you!"
The pope smiled.
"Thank you," he said. "Thank you very much."
April 20, 2008
NEW YORK — Pope Benedict XVI yesterday celebrated the third anniversary of his election as pope with a solemn Mass for 3,000 at St. Patrick's Cathedral, then was cheered by thousands at a joyous parade up Fifth Avenue and by thousands more at an afternoon youth rally at a Yonkers seminary.
The 81-year-old head of the Catholic Church got a rock-star reception at the seminary when 20,000 young people cheered and waved Vatican flags. Organ music loudly boomed in the background. When the crowd refused to stop cheering after several minutes, he strode out on walkways jutting into the crowd and shook hands with seminarians in the front rows.
"These are our future priests, brothers and sisters," New York Cardinal Edward Egan proclaimed to the pope. "We pray more and more young people will come forward at the urging of the Divine Master to serve as priests and religious," he said.
While it was not clear how many youths had plans to do so, about 3,000 seminarians from around the country were in the crowd. A black-and-white banner reading "nypriest.com" hung on the back fence. The Web site's slogan: "The world needs heroes."
Priests, nuns, monks and bishops were at the pope's audience at the St. Patrick's Cathedral morning Mass. In his homily, the pope again addressed the topic of the clergy sex-abuse scandal, which has victimized at least 12,000 young people, mostly adolescent and teenage boys. He encouraged his "loyal sons and daughters of the church" who had remained faithful to their vows despite the tarnishing of the priesthood's image as a result of the scandal.
"I simply wish to assure you, dear priests and religious, of my spiritual closeness as you respond with Christian hope to the continuing challenge that this situation presents," he said. "I join you in praying that this will be a time of purification for each and every particular church and religious community and a time for healing.
"I also encourage you to cooperate with your bishops, who continue to work effectively to resolve this issue," he said.
In stark contrast to his predecessor, John Paul II, who rarely mentioned the scandal, Pope Benedict has raised it repeatedly on this trip in both word and deed: expressing his shame on the flight to the U.S., chiding the American bishops for their mishandling of the crisis, mentioning the indescribable damage the scandal has done during his homily last week at Nationals Park, meeting with several Boston-area abuse victims at the Vatican Embassy, and in yesterday morning's homily.
Dressed in gold, red and white vestments, the pope said priests and religious need to be filled with an interior "mystic light," much like the stained-glass windows surrounding them in the Gothic cathedral.
"This is no easy task," he acknowledged. "The light of faith can be dimmed by routine, and the splendor of the church obscured by the sins and weaknesses of her members. It can be dimmed, too, by the obstacles encountered in a society which sometimes seems to have forgotten God and to resent even the most elementary demands of Christian morality."
Still, he called on them to have an "ever-deeper faith in God's infinite power to transform every situation, to create life from death and to light up even the darkest night."
He also hinted at divisions among his flock in a call for unity among leaders of the American Catholic Church.
"For all of us, I think, one of the great disappointments which followed the Second Vatican Council ... has been the experience of division between different groups, different generations, different members of the same religious family," he said. "We can only move forward if we turn our gaze together to Christ.
"In the light of faith, we will then discover the wisdom and strength needed to open ourselves to points of view which many not necessarily conform to own ideas or assumptions. Then we can value the perspectives of others, be they younger or older than ourselves, and ultimately 'hear what the Spirit is saying' to us and to the church."
Yesterday's ceremony was the first time a pope has celebrated Mass in St. Patrick's, a venerable New York institution founded in 1858. Just before the pope marched down the aisle, New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who is Jewish, briefly appeared in the pulpit, calling the occasion "a historic day for New York."
His predecessor, twice-divorced former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, took Communion at the Mass, even though church law forbids remarried persons to do so, without a declaration from the church that the earlier marriage was never valid. Mr. Giuliani does not have such an annulment.
When asked by a reporter whether he was uncomfortable with breaking church rules, Mr. Giuliani said, "No."
Mr. Giuliani, who also is pro-choice on abortion and favors gay rights, is not the only liberal Catholic public figure to take Communion at a papal Mass. Democratic Sens. Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, and Edward M. Kennedy and John Kerry of Massachusetts partook at Thursday's Mass at Nationals Park in Washington. (Beyond tragic - news of this saddened me greatly.)
Today is the final day of Pope Benedict's U.S. trip. He will visit the former World Trade Center site and celebrate Mass at Yankee Stadium.
Following the Mass and a private lunch at the cathedral, the pope made his way down Fifth Avenue, which was packed at least 10-persons deep on both sides. He then headed to St. Joseph's Seminary in Dunwoodie, a suburb in Westchester County.
The pope had visited the seminary once before in 1988 as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. He had planted a small sapling on the grounds, which has grown into a medium-sized oak.
After a brief service with 50 disabled children in the seminary chapel, he received an adoring welcome from the crowd of thousands of young people who had been waiting since late morning to see him. During the interval, they had listened to Grammy Award-winner Kelly Clarkson, Father Stan Fortuna (aka the "rapping priest"), the Christian rock group Third Day and vocal trio Three Graces and watched a dance performance by the St. Michael's Warriors Dance Company.
The pontiff's speech, for which many of the youths remained standing throughout, began with memories of his own teen years under the Nazis. It then shifted to an explanation of the nature of truth and the dangers of relativism.
"In some circles, to speak of truth is seen as controversial or divisive, and consequently best kept in the private sphere," he said. "But what purpose has a 'freedom' which, in disregarding truth, pursues what is false and wrong?
"How many people have been offered a hand, which — in the name of freedom or experience — has led them to addiction, to moral or intellectual confusion, to hurt, to a loss of self-respect, even to despair, and so tragically and sadly to the taking of their own life?"
He urged his listeners to "turn to the saints" for inspiration on how to live and not to doubt their faith.
"Sometimes we are looked upon as people who speak only of prohibitions," he said. "Nothing could be further from the truth. Authentic Christian discipleship is marked by a sense of wonder. We stand before the God we know and love as a friend, the vastness of His creation and the beauty of our Christian faith." The latter remark prompted a huge burst of applause.
His listeners were entranced.
Francesca Grix, 15, of Pearl River, N.Y., spent the afternoon text-messaging her friends about what she was seeing.
"He is, like, such an important person," she said. "He is the closest figure to Jesus."
Brian Thomas, a former employee of the Archdiocese of New York now living in Rochester, N.Y., admitted he pulled strings in Cardinal Egan's office to get a ticket for his daughter, Liz, who celebrated her 14th birthday yesterday.
The youthful crowd was the one of the most enthusiastic in Pope Benedict's U.S. journey so far, and the pope paused frequently in his speech to acknowledge spontaneous cheers. Planners of the event lost few opportunities to remind the young listeners of the church's declining vocations. St. Joseph's Seminary has only 22 men currently enrolled, six of whom graduate this spring. None are slated to enter its first-year theology program.
Still, when Pope Benedict brought up vocations late in his speech, the crowd cheered again. They also cheered when the pope mentioned marriage and family life.
"I am sure that some of you young people will be drawn to a life of apostolic or contemplative service," he said. "Do not be shy to speak with religious brothers, sisters or priests [about it]."
He added, "Dear seminarians, I pray for you daily."
The black-garbed young men standing beneath him broke into a cheer: "We love you! We love you!"
The pope smiled.
"Thank you," he said. "Thank you very much."
"Young adults holding vigil rewarded with papal handshake"
By Catholic News ServiceNEW YORK (CNS) -- Several hundred young adults holding a vigil behind the security perimeter around the house where Pope Benedict XVI was staying were rewarded April 18 with a papal handshake.
Helen Osman, director of communications for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said more than 1,000 people had gathered throughout the evening near the residence of the Vatican's permanent observer to the United Nations.
Members of the Sisters of Life, a religious order founded by the late Cardinal John J. O'Connor of New York, organized young people from three New York parishes to keep a vigil at the residence where Pope Benedict was staying.
"Some just came out of curiosity," but there also were members of the Legionaries of Christ, playing guitars and beating drums, and members of the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal and Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, she said.
Obviously, Osman said, they had let archdiocesan officials know of their plans and at about 8 p.m., the U.S. Secret Service began allowing small groups to pass the traffic blockade and approach the residence.
Pope Benedict came outside "after dinner" at about 9 p.m., said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman.
The pope spent about 10 minutes shaking hands with the young religious and other young adults who got the Secret Service nod.
They sang "Happy Birthday" to the pope; he waved to them and to a small group of media that had staked out the residence, then he went back inside.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Excerpt on Vocations from Pope Benedict XVI's Meeting with young people and Seminarians at St. Joseph's Seminary, Yonkers, NY
...Dear young people, finally I wish to share a word about vocations. First of all my thoughts go to your parents, grandparents and godparents. They have been your primary educators in the faith. By presenting you for baptism, they made it possible for you to receive the greatest gift of your life. On that day you entered into the holiness of God himself. You became adoptive sons and daughters of the Father. You were incorporated into Christ. You were made a dwelling place of his Spirit. Let us pray for mothers and fathers throughout the world, particularly those who may be struggling in any way – socially, materially, spiritually. Let us honor the vocation of matrimony and the dignity of family life. Let us always appreciate that it is in families that vocations are given life.
Gathered here at Saint Joseph Seminary, I greet the seminarians present and indeed encourage all seminarians throughout America. I am glad to know that your numbers are increasing! The People of God look to you to be holy priests, on a daily journey of conversion, inspiring in others the desire to enter more deeply into the ecclesial life of believers. I urge you to deepen your friendship with Jesus the Good Shepherd. Talk heart to heart with him. Reject any temptation to ostentation, careerism, or conceit. 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 (cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis, 33). Dear seminarians, I pray for you daily. Remember that what counts before the Lord is to dwell in his love and to make his love shine forth for others.
Religious Sisters, Brothers and Priests contribute greatly to the mission of the Church. Their prophetic witness is marked by a profound conviction of the primacy with which the Gospel shapes Christian life and transforms society. Today, I wish to draw your attention to the positive spiritual renewal which Congregations are undertaking in relation to their charism. The word charism means a gift freely and graciously given. Charisms are bestowed by the Holy Spirit, who inspires founders and foundresses, and shapes Congregations with a subsequent spiritual heritage. The wondrous array of charisms proper to each Religious Institute is an extraordinary spiritual treasury. Indeed, the history of the Church is perhaps most beautifully portrayed through the history of her schools of spirituality, most of which stem from the saintly lives of founders and foundresses. Through the discovery of charisms, which yield such a breadth of spiritual wisdom, I am sure that some of you young people will be drawn to a life of apostolic or contemplative service. Do not be shy to speak with Religious Brothers, Sisters or Priests about the charism and spirituality of their Congregation. No perfect community exists, but it is fidelity to a founding charism, not to particular individuals, that the Lord calls you to discern. Have courage! You too can make your life a gift of self for the love of the Lord Jesus and, in him, of every member of the human family (cf. Vita Consecrata, 3).
Friends, again I ask you, what about today? What are you seeking? What is God whispering to you? The hope which never disappoints is Jesus Christ. The saints show us the selfless love of his way. As disciples of Christ, their extraordinary journeys unfolded within the community of hope, which is the Church. It is from within the Church that you too will find the courage and support to walk the way of the Lord. Nourished by personal prayer, prompted in silence, shaped by the Church’s liturgy you will discover the particular vocation God has for you. Embrace it with joy. You are Christ’s disciples today. Shine his light upon this great city and beyond. Show the world the reason for the hope that resonates within you. Tell others about the truth that sets you free. With these sentiments of great hope in you I bid you farewell, until we meet again in Sydney this July for World Youth Day! And as a pledge of my love for you and your families, I gladly impart my Apostolic Blessing.
Gathered here at Saint Joseph Seminary, I greet the seminarians present and indeed encourage all seminarians throughout America. I am glad to know that your numbers are increasing! The People of God look to you to be holy priests, on a daily journey of conversion, inspiring in others the desire to enter more deeply into the ecclesial life of believers. I urge you to deepen your friendship with Jesus the Good Shepherd. Talk heart to heart with him. Reject any temptation to ostentation, careerism, or conceit. 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 (cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis, 33). Dear seminarians, I pray for you daily. Remember that what counts before the Lord is to dwell in his love and to make his love shine forth for others.
Religious Sisters, Brothers and Priests contribute greatly to the mission of the Church. Their prophetic witness is marked by a profound conviction of the primacy with which the Gospel shapes Christian life and transforms society. Today, I wish to draw your attention to the positive spiritual renewal which Congregations are undertaking in relation to their charism. The word charism means a gift freely and graciously given. Charisms are bestowed by the Holy Spirit, who inspires founders and foundresses, and shapes Congregations with a subsequent spiritual heritage. The wondrous array of charisms proper to each Religious Institute is an extraordinary spiritual treasury. Indeed, the history of the Church is perhaps most beautifully portrayed through the history of her schools of spirituality, most of which stem from the saintly lives of founders and foundresses. Through the discovery of charisms, which yield such a breadth of spiritual wisdom, I am sure that some of you young people will be drawn to a life of apostolic or contemplative service. Do not be shy to speak with Religious Brothers, Sisters or Priests about the charism and spirituality of their Congregation. No perfect community exists, but it is fidelity to a founding charism, not to particular individuals, that the Lord calls you to discern. Have courage! You too can make your life a gift of self for the love of the Lord Jesus and, in him, of every member of the human family (cf. Vita Consecrata, 3).
Friends, again I ask you, what about today? What are you seeking? What is God whispering to you? The hope which never disappoints is Jesus Christ. The saints show us the selfless love of his way. As disciples of Christ, their extraordinary journeys unfolded within the community of hope, which is the Church. It is from within the Church that you too will find the courage and support to walk the way of the Lord. Nourished by personal prayer, prompted in silence, shaped by the Church’s liturgy you will discover the particular vocation God has for you. Embrace it with joy. You are Christ’s disciples today. Shine his light upon this great city and beyond. Show the world the reason for the hope that resonates within you. Tell others about the truth that sets you free. With these sentiments of great hope in you I bid you farewell, until we meet again in Sydney this July for World Youth Day! And as a pledge of my love for you and your families, I gladly impart my Apostolic Blessing.
"For some, a pope's words are a call"
From The Star LedgerBY Peggy McGlone
Thomas Quinn was working as an oncology nurse at Hackensack Medical Center when Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass at Giants Stadium in 1995.
John Carlos DeSousa was a funeral director in Elizabeth who left work early that rainy October day to attend Mass with almost 83,000 others.
Joe Mancini was working part time as a youth minister in his home parish, also in Elizabeth, during the last papal visit.
All three men say John Paul's presence was a crucial milepost in their journey to becoming Roman Catholic priests.
"It confirmed what I felt at the time ... confirmed in me what I felt God was calling me to do," said Mancini about the Mass at Giants Stadium.
One of the greatest challenges for the American Catholic Church is recruiting the next generation of priests.
While no statistics are available to document the connection between papal visits and subsequent vocations, the Newark Archdiocese said it saw an increase in candidates for the priesthood after John Paul's visit 12 years ago.
In addition, many candidates entering the seminary say their decision to enter the priesthood was motivated in part by attending a papal Mass or having an audience with the pope.
Pope Benedict XVI will meet with hundreds of seminarians and other youth today in St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y. Those involved in soliciting vocations are hopeful his influence will match that of his predecessor.
"I think it can change lives, change spiritual lives. It could produce enough fervor or zeal that someone on the fence can be pushed over," said Monsignor Thomas Nydegger, vice rector and director of formation at Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange of the pope's visit.
Sometimes that push can be immediate, as was the case with Mancini, who entered Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange within a year of John Paul II's visit. But for Quinn, John Paul's influence played out in his life over the years.
Quinn's connection to John Paul dates back to 1979 and the new pontiff's first American visit, when he celebrated Mass in Boston for more than 100,000.
Quinn, who describes the Boston Mass as a "joyful, epic event," wasn't able to attend the 1995 Giants Stadium celebration. But he remembers looking out the window that afternoon and seeing the Meadowlands lit up in the distance.
"I was taking care of my patients, but I was aware that the Holy Father was celebrating Mass," he said.
The next week, a colleague who attended the event brought Quinn the program, which featured a prayer for vocations on the back cover.
"I remember looking at that and saying, oh, yeah, I'm definitely going to consider that," said Quinn, 51, who was ordained in May 2005, almost 10 years after John Paul's visit.
"I wasn't looking for a sign, clouds parting or something extraordinary happening," said Quinn, now parochial vicar at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Ridgewood. "It's not razzle-dazzle. It's the whisper of God in your own soul."
Nydegger described many of the students at Immaculate Conception Seminary as "John Paul II seminarians" who grew up during the papacy of a highly visible and well-traveled pontiff.
"Definitely John Paul influenced many of the seminarians and young priests we have," said Stephen Saffron, 29, who is in his third year at Immaculate Conception and on track for a 2009 ordination. "I don't know if it was just his visit to New Jersey, but in general his entire pontificate influenced (us). It was the clarity of his message."
DeSousa was so inspired by the papal Mass at Giants Stadium that he traveled to Toronto for World Youth Day. He said he was amazed by the enthusiasm of the other young Catholics he met.
"That was significant for me," he said. "Seeing the energy, the love. Everyone felt the same."
"What John Paul did ... for the younger members of the church is to make us aware of what it is, how much it has to offer and how much the church needs us," he said.
DeSousa and Saffron will be at the seminary event today with the pope. Saffron said the event, coming a month before he is ordained a deacon, is an important step toward his ordination next year.
"It's exciting. I'm meeting him a the beginning of my ministry, I'm looking forward to listening to what he has to say," he said.
Benedict will conclude his first trip to the United States with a Mass at Yankee Stadium tomorrow, an event Mancini, a die-hard Mets fan, will attend.
"I hope others who are in the situation I was in 1995 might find in Benedict's visit some of the same confirmation," said Mancini, who was ordained in 2001 and is executive director of youth and young adult ministries for the Archdiocese of Newark. "We need to be in presence of God. And the pope can make that real for us."
Pope Benedict XVI Answers a Question from US Bishop about the Decline in Vocations
RESPONSES OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI TO THE QUESTIONS POSED BY THE BISHOPS3. The Holy Father is asked to comment on the decline in vocations despite the growing numbers of the Catholic population, and on the reasons for hope offered by the personal qualities and the thirst for holiness which characterize the candidates who do come forward.
Let us be quite frank: the ability to cultivate vocations to the priesthood and the religious life is a sure sign of the health of a local Church. There is no room for complacency in this regard. God continues to call young people; it is up to all of us to encourage a generous and free response to that call. On the other hand, none of us can take this grace for granted.
In the Gospel, Jesus tells us to pray that the Lord of the harvest will send workers. He even admits that the workers are few in comparison with the abundance of the harvest (cf. Mt 9:37-38). Strange to say, I often think that prayer – the unum necessarium – is the one aspect of vocations work which we tend to forget or to undervalue!
Nor am I speaking only of prayer for vocations. Prayer itself, born in Catholic families, nurtured by programs of Christian formation, strengthened by the grace of the sacraments, is the first means by which we come to know the Lord’s will for our lives. To the extent that we teach young people to pray, and to pray well, we will be cooperating with God’s call. Programs, plans and projects have their place; but the discernment of a vocation is above all the fruit of an intimate dialogue between the Lord and his disciples. Young people, if they know how to pray, can be trusted to know what to do with God’s call.
It has been noted that there is a growing thirst for holiness in many young people today, and that, although fewer in number, those who come forward show great idealism and much promise. It is important to listen to them, to understand their experiences, and to encourage them to help their peers to see the need for committed priests and religious, as well as the beauty of a life of sacrificial service to the Lord and his Church. To my mind, much is demanded of vocation directors and formators: candidates today, as much as ever, need to be given a sound intellectual and human formation which will enable them not only to respond to the real questions and needs of their contemporaries, but also to mature in their own conversion and to persevere in life-long commitment to their vocation. As Bishops, you are conscious of the sacrifice demanded when you are asked to release one of your finest priests for seminary work. I urge you to respond with generosity, for the good of the whole Church.
Finally, I think you know from experience that most of your brother priests are happy in their vocation. What I said in my address about the importance of unity and cooperation within the presbyterate applies here too. There is a need for all of us to move beyond sterile divisions, disagreements and preconceptions, and to listen together to the voice of the Spirit who is guiding the Church into a future of hope. Each of us knows how important priestly fraternity has been in our lives. That fraternity is not only a precious possession, but also an immense resource for the renewal of the priesthood and the raising up of new vocations. I would close by encouraging you to foster opportunities for ever greater dialogue and fraternal encounter among your priests, and especially the younger priests. I am convinced that this will bear great fruit for their own enrichment, for the increase of their love for the priesthood and the Church, and for the effectiveness of their apostolate.
Dear Brother Bishops, with these few observations, I once more encourage all of you in your ministry to the faithful entrusted to your pastoral care, and I commend you to the loving intercession of Mary Immaculate, Mother of the Church.
Let us be quite frank: the ability to cultivate vocations to the priesthood and the religious life is a sure sign of the health of a local Church. There is no room for complacency in this regard. God continues to call young people; it is up to all of us to encourage a generous and free response to that call. On the other hand, none of us can take this grace for granted.
In the Gospel, Jesus tells us to pray that the Lord of the harvest will send workers. He even admits that the workers are few in comparison with the abundance of the harvest (cf. Mt 9:37-38). Strange to say, I often think that prayer – the unum necessarium – is the one aspect of vocations work which we tend to forget or to undervalue!
Nor am I speaking only of prayer for vocations. Prayer itself, born in Catholic families, nurtured by programs of Christian formation, strengthened by the grace of the sacraments, is the first means by which we come to know the Lord’s will for our lives. To the extent that we teach young people to pray, and to pray well, we will be cooperating with God’s call. Programs, plans and projects have their place; but the discernment of a vocation is above all the fruit of an intimate dialogue between the Lord and his disciples. Young people, if they know how to pray, can be trusted to know what to do with God’s call.
It has been noted that there is a growing thirst for holiness in many young people today, and that, although fewer in number, those who come forward show great idealism and much promise. It is important to listen to them, to understand their experiences, and to encourage them to help their peers to see the need for committed priests and religious, as well as the beauty of a life of sacrificial service to the Lord and his Church. To my mind, much is demanded of vocation directors and formators: candidates today, as much as ever, need to be given a sound intellectual and human formation which will enable them not only to respond to the real questions and needs of their contemporaries, but also to mature in their own conversion and to persevere in life-long commitment to their vocation. As Bishops, you are conscious of the sacrifice demanded when you are asked to release one of your finest priests for seminary work. I urge you to respond with generosity, for the good of the whole Church.
Finally, I think you know from experience that most of your brother priests are happy in their vocation. What I said in my address about the importance of unity and cooperation within the presbyterate applies here too. There is a need for all of us to move beyond sterile divisions, disagreements and preconceptions, and to listen together to the voice of the Spirit who is guiding the Church into a future of hope. Each of us knows how important priestly fraternity has been in our lives. That fraternity is not only a precious possession, but also an immense resource for the renewal of the priesthood and the raising up of new vocations. I would close by encouraging you to foster opportunities for ever greater dialogue and fraternal encounter among your priests, and especially the younger priests. I am convinced that this will bear great fruit for their own enrichment, for the increase of their love for the priesthood and the Church, and for the effectiveness of their apostolate.
Dear Brother Bishops, with these few observations, I once more encourage all of you in your ministry to the faithful entrusted to your pastoral care, and I commend you to the loving intercession of Mary Immaculate, Mother of the Church.
"Nuns from Ann Arbor Township convent head to New York to attend papal events"
Something tells me that the sisters in my previous post, the ones who were unfazed by the precipitous decline in the number of vocations to their communities, will not be traveling with much joy and enthusiasm to see Pope Benedict XVI.From THE ANN ARBOR NEWS
By ELIYAHU GURFINKEL
Nuns at the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist convent in Ann Arbor Township pick up snacks for their bus tripvFriday to see the Pope in New York City.
For days, the sisters in the convent off Warren Road had watched the television news for word of Pope Benedict XVI's trip to the United States.
Before sunrise this morning, all 56 of the sisters living at the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor Township planned to board a chartered bus to travel to New York City, where they will attend two of the big papal events.
Other members of the convent on missions elsewhere in the country will join them.
"Each time we hear him and see him the excitement grows," said Sister Teresa Benedicta.
On Thursday evening, the sisters were busy packing lunches and snacks for the trip. Bags of popcorn and boxes of games stood ready to go by the door. "They won't even sleep tonight," said Sister Mary Samuel.
They'll stay with a parish in New York City, sleeping in a school, retreat center and a parishioner's home. They'll return home to Michigan on Sunday.
This is Benedict's first trip to the United States, where he'll spend six days in Washington D.C. and New York. In New York, the sisters will attend a massive youth rally with Benedict, and then the Mass in Yankee Stadium with the pontiff. The sisters said Benedict is bringing a message of hope.
"He's very gentle," said Sister Maria Guadalupe. "He has a reputation of being very harsh and extreme, but he just comes across as very fatherly."
"Promoting call to the priesthood"
Albany Diocese sending men considering life as priests to papal event From Albany Times Union
By MARC PARRY, Staff writer
Friday, April 18, 2008
GREEN ISLAND -- The young men who live in this house love the Yankees and Giants. They've stocked the refrigerator with a case of Molson Golden. They rib each other about their Irish culinary skills.
Brian Kennedy, 25, gets needled as a pretty good Italian cook "for an Irish guy."
"Usually Irish guys just burn things," jokes Brian Slezak, 24.
This Green Island home next to the Hudson River might be a small college dorm. It isn't. The block-shaped, red-brick building is a former Catholic rectory. And the men who live here are all preparing for the priesthood.
Saturday, the vocation to which these men feel called will come under an international spotlight as Pope Benedict XVI rallies young people and seminarians at an event in Yonkers. The pontiff is expected to encourage vocations during the appearance. Catholic dioceses across New York are using the Pope's visit to promote the priesthood.
In Albany, the official making that pitch is the Rev. James Walsh. The 51-year-old priest, a former Mazda RX7-driving engineer who nearly married twice, is the public face of clerical recruiting in the 14-county diocese. Walsh keeps typed lists of collar prospects in an office decorated with Notre Dame and Giants football helmets. He also runs the St. Isaac Jogues House of Discernment in Green Island, where priests-to-be live before entering seminary.
Walsh is taking more than a dozen "discerners," men considering the priesthood, to a weekend retreat structured around the Pope's New York appearances. About 85 discerners from across the state will gather at a Long Island seminary to talk about the priesthood. "It's an opportunity for these guys to see that there are other talented and gifted guys who are thinking about this -- that they're not in isolation," Walsh said.
The shortage of men thinking about the priesthood is a problem in the Albany Diocese, as it is elsewhere. About 411 priests were available for liturgies in 1980, including priests from religious orders like the Franciscans and "active retired priests."
Today, about 145 priests are available for full-time parish ministry service in the 165-parish diocese. Jack Manning, director of pastoral planning, projects it will fall to 95 by 2015.
Walsh describes two obstacles as "killers" that depress the numbers of new priests.
One, a culture he feels defines success in material, not spiritual, terms. And two, families are smaller, which can leave parents less supportive of their children pursuing the priesthood.
Add to that the fear discerners can feel when they consider the permanence of priestly vows. Some speak of a tug they might wrestle with for years before mustering the courage to become priests.
Rendell Torres, a seminarian now doing an internship-style "pastoral year" at Blessed Sacrament Church in Albany, came to it only after giving up a career as an RPI professor.
The Berkeley-educated 36-year-old had envisioned the benchmarks of professional success: tenure, research funding, publishing, attracting lots of students, becoming well-known. He didn't find them very exciting.
Though his parents were supportive, his mother feared he'd be lonely and find the priesthood difficult, especially after the clergy sex abuse scandal.
"She knew it was hard to be a priest publicly -- that people might look down just because you have a collar on," Torres said.
In 2002, still just considering the idea, Torres traveled to Toronto to see John Paul II. He found unexpected inspiration in a homily that encouraged young men to pursue the priesthood. "Do not be afraid to follow Christ on the royal road of the Cross!" the Pope said. "At difficult moments in the church's life, the pursuit of holiness becomes even more urgent."
Slezak speaks in similar terms of helping a church that "needs good men to pick up the task."
The Rotterdam Junction resident got on Walsh's radar as a high school student at Bishop Gibbons in Schenectady. Walsh invited him to discernment meetings after someone in the school suggested the teen as a possible candidate. But by the time he got to the College of Saint Rose, Slezak began to doubt the church. He dated and drank like a typical college student. He also delved into a deeper study of Catholicism.
The result was a complete turnaround. While friends abandoned the church, Slezak fell in love with it. In January, he began to "take some time off" from a two-year relationship with a woman.
Now he's discerning whether he is called to the priesthood or marriage. He prays the rosary and tries to attend daily Mass, where he sticks out both for being young and 6 foot 3 inches tall. He maintains a perpetual conversation with God, turning the car radio off to talk with him on the way to his job as a substitute teacher in the Scotia-Glenville district. He speaks of having one set of "secular friends" and another of discerners, seminarians and priests.
To his mother's surprise, he is 95 percent sure he wants to become one himself.
"I've always wanted to be part of something greater than myself, something awesome," he said. "I see the church as something real, something timeless."
By MARC PARRY, Staff writer
Friday, April 18, 2008
GREEN ISLAND -- The young men who live in this house love the Yankees and Giants. They've stocked the refrigerator with a case of Molson Golden. They rib each other about their Irish culinary skills.
Brian Kennedy, 25, gets needled as a pretty good Italian cook "for an Irish guy."
"Usually Irish guys just burn things," jokes Brian Slezak, 24.
This Green Island home next to the Hudson River might be a small college dorm. It isn't. The block-shaped, red-brick building is a former Catholic rectory. And the men who live here are all preparing for the priesthood.
Saturday, the vocation to which these men feel called will come under an international spotlight as Pope Benedict XVI rallies young people and seminarians at an event in Yonkers. The pontiff is expected to encourage vocations during the appearance. Catholic dioceses across New York are using the Pope's visit to promote the priesthood.
In Albany, the official making that pitch is the Rev. James Walsh. The 51-year-old priest, a former Mazda RX7-driving engineer who nearly married twice, is the public face of clerical recruiting in the 14-county diocese. Walsh keeps typed lists of collar prospects in an office decorated with Notre Dame and Giants football helmets. He also runs the St. Isaac Jogues House of Discernment in Green Island, where priests-to-be live before entering seminary.
Walsh is taking more than a dozen "discerners," men considering the priesthood, to a weekend retreat structured around the Pope's New York appearances. About 85 discerners from across the state will gather at a Long Island seminary to talk about the priesthood. "It's an opportunity for these guys to see that there are other talented and gifted guys who are thinking about this -- that they're not in isolation," Walsh said.
The shortage of men thinking about the priesthood is a problem in the Albany Diocese, as it is elsewhere. About 411 priests were available for liturgies in 1980, including priests from religious orders like the Franciscans and "active retired priests."
Today, about 145 priests are available for full-time parish ministry service in the 165-parish diocese. Jack Manning, director of pastoral planning, projects it will fall to 95 by 2015.
Walsh describes two obstacles as "killers" that depress the numbers of new priests.
One, a culture he feels defines success in material, not spiritual, terms. And two, families are smaller, which can leave parents less supportive of their children pursuing the priesthood.
Add to that the fear discerners can feel when they consider the permanence of priestly vows. Some speak of a tug they might wrestle with for years before mustering the courage to become priests.
Rendell Torres, a seminarian now doing an internship-style "pastoral year" at Blessed Sacrament Church in Albany, came to it only after giving up a career as an RPI professor.
The Berkeley-educated 36-year-old had envisioned the benchmarks of professional success: tenure, research funding, publishing, attracting lots of students, becoming well-known. He didn't find them very exciting.
Though his parents were supportive, his mother feared he'd be lonely and find the priesthood difficult, especially after the clergy sex abuse scandal.
"She knew it was hard to be a priest publicly -- that people might look down just because you have a collar on," Torres said.
In 2002, still just considering the idea, Torres traveled to Toronto to see John Paul II. He found unexpected inspiration in a homily that encouraged young men to pursue the priesthood. "Do not be afraid to follow Christ on the royal road of the Cross!" the Pope said. "At difficult moments in the church's life, the pursuit of holiness becomes even more urgent."
Slezak speaks in similar terms of helping a church that "needs good men to pick up the task."
The Rotterdam Junction resident got on Walsh's radar as a high school student at Bishop Gibbons in Schenectady. Walsh invited him to discernment meetings after someone in the school suggested the teen as a possible candidate. But by the time he got to the College of Saint Rose, Slezak began to doubt the church. He dated and drank like a typical college student. He also delved into a deeper study of Catholicism.
The result was a complete turnaround. While friends abandoned the church, Slezak fell in love with it. In January, he began to "take some time off" from a two-year relationship with a woman.
Now he's discerning whether he is called to the priesthood or marriage. He prays the rosary and tries to attend daily Mass, where he sticks out both for being young and 6 foot 3 inches tall. He maintains a perpetual conversation with God, turning the car radio off to talk with him on the way to his job as a substitute teacher in the Scotia-Glenville district. He speaks of having one set of "secular friends" and another of discerners, seminarians and priests.
To his mother's surprise, he is 95 percent sure he wants to become one himself.
"I've always wanted to be part of something greater than myself, something awesome," he said. "I see the church as something real, something timeless."
Sunday, April 13, 2008
"Catholics making trek to see Pope"
Local seminarians, lay people will journey to the East Coast
From Ventura County Star
By Tom Kisken
Sunday, April 13, 2008
It was a dream lottery for the future priests standing anxiously in a circle at St. John's Seminary. Up for grabs was a chance to see the pope.
"I was praying Please, please someone pick my name,' " said Kelly Yalmadau, a third-year seminarian who comes from the state of Yap, a series of islands in the Western Pacific and part of the Federated States of Micronesia.
When his name came up, Yalmadau started jumping. He hasn't stopped. He'll be one of about 16 people associated with the Camarillo seminary and a handful of others from Ventura County who will journey to New York and Washington, D.C., this week for Pope Benedict XVI's first papal visit to the United States.
Yalmadau, who is 27, doesn't know if he'll be one of thousands of people straining to see the pope, or if he'll be lucky enough to get close. He thinks he may be the first person from Yap, certainly the first of the about 500 people on his tiny home island, to be in the presence of the man Catholics call the Holy Father.
"I don't know how to express it," he said, sitting with other anxious seminarians for a lunch of chili dogs and fried rice. "It's really, really big. Just to be able to see the pope and people of the same faith come together in one place."
Joseph Alois Ratzinger, who will celebrate his 81st birthday during his visit, was elected pope three years ago, succeeding the hugely popular Pope John Paul II. As a cardinal, he was known as the Vatican's enforcer for people or groups who strayed from Catholic teachings. As pope, he has spoken out against Islamic extremism, embraced Latin Mass and presented himself as a defender of truth and tradition.
"He's an intellectual and an academic," said Thomas Dillon, president of Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, who met the pope when he was a cardinal. "He loves to think and he loves to discuss. He wants to help others come to better understand the truth. He's also warm and kind."
Dillon, who twice met Pope John Paul II, will be among the 200 leaders of Catholic colleges clustered at The Catholic University of America in Washington to listen to Benedict. A story in The Washington Post suggested Catholic leaders are concerned colleges are straying from faith teachings with offenses ranging from a campus rally for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who supports abortion rights, to a University of Notre Dame student presentation of "The Vagina Monologues," which includes discussions of infidelity and homosexuality.
Dillon doesn't anticipate a laundry list of complaints; instead, he thinks the pope will exhort universities to live up to Catholic tradition and the belief in certain absolute truths.
"We live in an age of skepticism. We're living in an age where universities are saying there is no such thing as truth," said Dillon, who leads a school that embraces orthodoxy. "I think our college has been holding up the kind of things he's calling for."
The pope's itinerary includes an address to the United Nations, a visit to a synagogue in New York, a trip to the ground zero site of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack and Masses in two baseball stadiums.
He'll be greeted Tuesday by President Bush at Andrews Air Force Base and the next day will be at a welcoming ceremony at the south lawn of the White House. David Bender, a Ventura lawyer, will be there.
"Anytime you get an opportunity to be in the presence of the pope, it's a special honor. That's a lifetime experience," said Bender, who was invited by a friend and is a member of a Catholics for Bush political group. He's also a board trustee for Holy Cross College in Notre Dame, Ind.
A Pew Forum poll suggests about 30 percent of all Americans say they don't know enough about the pope to offer an opinion on him. Bender sees Benedict as a historic pope serving at a time when the church is at a crossroads.
Upset about "The Vagina Monologues" at Notre Dame, his alma matter, and other Catholic institutions distancing themselves from church teachings, Bender sees the pope's message as "an affirmation of what it means to be Catholic."
Whatever the theme, any visit from the leader of the world's estimated 1.13 billion Catholics generates excitement.
Sabrina Rush, a junior at Ventura High School, learned on her 17th birthday she's going to New York with her uncle, the Rev. Eliseo Gonzalez, a priest at the St. Augustine priory in Oxnard. She'll go shopping, see the Statue of Liberty and take in a Broadway play.
And, her uncle happened to mention, he has tickets to see the pope at Yankee Stadium.
"Everything came at me so fast I didn't have time to process it," said Sabrina, who had to go through a background security check. "I'm really going."
It will be a whirlwind trip for the seminarians from St. John's. They leave on Friday and return on Sunday. In between, they'll attend a rally and prayer service in New York for youths and seminarians. Some at the seminary worried about the dizzying pace and that their time at the prayer event would be limited. Not Kelly Yalmadau.
"It's the pope," he said. "Leave everything. Even if it's an hour, if it's three seconds. Go."
Sunday, April 13, 2008
It was a dream lottery for the future priests standing anxiously in a circle at St. John's Seminary. Up for grabs was a chance to see the pope.
"I was praying Please, please someone pick my name,' " said Kelly Yalmadau, a third-year seminarian who comes from the state of Yap, a series of islands in the Western Pacific and part of the Federated States of Micronesia.
When his name came up, Yalmadau started jumping. He hasn't stopped. He'll be one of about 16 people associated with the Camarillo seminary and a handful of others from Ventura County who will journey to New York and Washington, D.C., this week for Pope Benedict XVI's first papal visit to the United States.
Yalmadau, who is 27, doesn't know if he'll be one of thousands of people straining to see the pope, or if he'll be lucky enough to get close. He thinks he may be the first person from Yap, certainly the first of the about 500 people on his tiny home island, to be in the presence of the man Catholics call the Holy Father.
"I don't know how to express it," he said, sitting with other anxious seminarians for a lunch of chili dogs and fried rice. "It's really, really big. Just to be able to see the pope and people of the same faith come together in one place."
Joseph Alois Ratzinger, who will celebrate his 81st birthday during his visit, was elected pope three years ago, succeeding the hugely popular Pope John Paul II. As a cardinal, he was known as the Vatican's enforcer for people or groups who strayed from Catholic teachings. As pope, he has spoken out against Islamic extremism, embraced Latin Mass and presented himself as a defender of truth and tradition.
"He's an intellectual and an academic," said Thomas Dillon, president of Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, who met the pope when he was a cardinal. "He loves to think and he loves to discuss. He wants to help others come to better understand the truth. He's also warm and kind."
Dillon, who twice met Pope John Paul II, will be among the 200 leaders of Catholic colleges clustered at The Catholic University of America in Washington to listen to Benedict. A story in The Washington Post suggested Catholic leaders are concerned colleges are straying from faith teachings with offenses ranging from a campus rally for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who supports abortion rights, to a University of Notre Dame student presentation of "The Vagina Monologues," which includes discussions of infidelity and homosexuality.
Dillon doesn't anticipate a laundry list of complaints; instead, he thinks the pope will exhort universities to live up to Catholic tradition and the belief in certain absolute truths.
"We live in an age of skepticism. We're living in an age where universities are saying there is no such thing as truth," said Dillon, who leads a school that embraces orthodoxy. "I think our college has been holding up the kind of things he's calling for."
The pope's itinerary includes an address to the United Nations, a visit to a synagogue in New York, a trip to the ground zero site of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack and Masses in two baseball stadiums.
He'll be greeted Tuesday by President Bush at Andrews Air Force Base and the next day will be at a welcoming ceremony at the south lawn of the White House. David Bender, a Ventura lawyer, will be there.
"Anytime you get an opportunity to be in the presence of the pope, it's a special honor. That's a lifetime experience," said Bender, who was invited by a friend and is a member of a Catholics for Bush political group. He's also a board trustee for Holy Cross College in Notre Dame, Ind.
A Pew Forum poll suggests about 30 percent of all Americans say they don't know enough about the pope to offer an opinion on him. Bender sees Benedict as a historic pope serving at a time when the church is at a crossroads.
Upset about "The Vagina Monologues" at Notre Dame, his alma matter, and other Catholic institutions distancing themselves from church teachings, Bender sees the pope's message as "an affirmation of what it means to be Catholic."
Whatever the theme, any visit from the leader of the world's estimated 1.13 billion Catholics generates excitement.
Sabrina Rush, a junior at Ventura High School, learned on her 17th birthday she's going to New York with her uncle, the Rev. Eliseo Gonzalez, a priest at the St. Augustine priory in Oxnard. She'll go shopping, see the Statue of Liberty and take in a Broadway play.
And, her uncle happened to mention, he has tickets to see the pope at Yankee Stadium.
"Everything came at me so fast I didn't have time to process it," said Sabrina, who had to go through a background security check. "I'm really going."
It will be a whirlwind trip for the seminarians from St. John's. They leave on Friday and return on Sunday. In between, they'll attend a rally and prayer service in New York for youths and seminarians. Some at the seminary worried about the dizzying pace and that their time at the prayer event would be limited. Not Kelly Yalmadau.
"It's the pope," he said. "Leave everything. Even if it's an hour, if it's three seconds. Go."
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