Jerry Usher's blog

When it comes to training our military forces, we don’t ask bankers to handle the task. Or when we want to teach men and women to be the best doctors they can be, they aren’t sent to law school.

Then, who better to show seminarians what the life of a priest is like? That’s why part of the formation process in almost every diocese is having young men spend time in parishes engaging in various types of ministry and “rubbing elbows” with experienced priests. For an example of how important this is, click here.

I remember with great fondness the “pastoral year” I spent at St. Rose of Lima parish in Portland, Oregon, under the excellent tutelage of Fr. Richard Hunegar. I gained experience ministering to the sick, the homebound, youth, young adults, and so much more. And I became St. Rose’s “favorite son” in the process.

If you or someone you know has a seminarian spending a summer or an entire year in your parish, it’s a fantastic opportunity to show your support of his priestly vocation. While he may or may not go on to be ordained, it will be something he’ll remember forever, and will be time very well spent.

As you’ve read on this blog, vocation directors have let us know that it’s important for prospective candidates for the priesthood to have access to accurate information about the priesthood and the teachings of the Church. That would seem to go without saying, but I think they might be implicitly stating that the information which has been presented to young men in the recent past perhaps hasn’t always been as solid and dependable as it could be.

What these young men need to know, among other things, is that:

• The Church’s practice of ordaining only men to the priesthood is rooted in the apostolic tradition and is not subject to change based on cultural trends or developments. This issue was put to rest once and for all by the statements of Pope John Paul II, which you can read here, and then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, available here. The declaration by the Pope on this very important issue is not at all discriminatory against women. In fact, according to Inter Insigniores, the 1976 document issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “The Church desires that Christian women should become fully aware of the greatness of their mission: today their role is of capital importance, both for the renewal and humanization of society and for the rediscovery by believers of the true face of the Church.”
• While the Latin Church’s expectation that priests remain celibate is considered a discipline, not a doctrine, it, too, has its roots in the apostolic age, and to lead prospective priestly candidates to believe that this will one day change is imprudent and misguided. A book worth reading on the topic, The Apostolic Origins of Priestly Celibacy, by Fr. Christian Cochini, S.J., illustrates the ancient history regarding this matter. In the Eastern Churches, married men can be ordained as deacons and priests, though bishops are only chosen from among celibates. This practice has been in force for many centuries.
• Receiving the Sacrament of Holy Orders truly changes a man’s soul, conforming him to Christ in such a profound way it’s hard for our human minds to fully comprehend. That character remains on his soul for all eternity, identifying him as one of God’s ordained servants. This enables a mere sinful mortal to perform actions that otherwise only Jesus – who is God – could perform, such as feed us with the Lord’s body and blood, forgive our sins, and more.
• A vocation to the priesthood is both a tremendous blessing and a grave responsibility. No other call given to mankind can compare with the glory of the priesthood. At the same time, there is no other duty on earth that carries the same terrifying burden of fidelity to Jesus and the Church. Both are due to the very nature of the priesthood, and the fact that an ordained man bears the indelible mark of Jesus Christ on his soul, thus endowing him with a unique and sublime dignity, while at the same time placing a responsibility upon him which is not shared by any layperson.
• There’s a two-sided discernment to every priestly vocation. The man who feels called to the priesthood must devoutly ask for God’s guidance, while the Church, through the local bishop, engages in its own process of discernment to determine whether or not a man is indeed called to receive holy orders.
• God is still calling men to the priesthood. To believe otherwise would make Him a liar (“I will give you shepherds…” – Jer. 3:15). While the majority of men do not have a priestly vocation, the Lord would not have possibly established the Church – and the priesthood in particular – as the means of salvation and then abandoned Her at any age in history.

Armed with accurate information, there’s a greater likelihood that a young man will give serious consideration to pursuing a vocation to the priesthood. After all, they’re seeking the truth above everything else. When the truth about the priesthood is presented to them – and lived out joyfully by our priests – the result will be a continued increase in priestly vocations!

Additional reading on this topic: John Paul II, Letter To Priests For Holy Thursday, 1995

I had the tremendous blessing of being a guest on Catholic Answers Live Monday evening. Having been the host of the show for about ten years (until March of this year), it was great being back on the show and interacting with the listeners as I talked about the priesthood, vocations, and Vocation Boom in particular. In case you missed the broadcast, you can listen to it here.

Among the callers to the show were:

• A young man who feels God is calling him to discern the priesthood who was looking for advice on the next steps he should take
• A grandmother who wondered if she should pray for her four grandsons by name when asking God to lead one or more of them to the priesthood
• A lady who asked if ordination to the priesthood was a lifetime commitment, and if it is a mortal sin for a man to leave the priesthood
• And a young priest who recently celebrated his 500^th day of ordination (talk about a happy priest!)

During this Year for Priests, let’s all remember our priests and seminarians – and those we think might have a vocation – in a special way in our prayers. I believe the graces from this holy year will be experienced for years and years to come. God bless Pope Benedict for proclaiming the Year for Priests!

So, you think you’re not worthy to be a priest, huh? Perfect! Because no one is worthy of such an awesome vocation.

Yet, Jesus continues to call men of all different backgrounds to join Him in the priesthood. Reminds me of the quote from St. Therese – “God doesn’t call those who are worthy, He calls those whom it pleases Him to call.”

No matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done, you should never allow yourself to think that God could not possibly call you to the priesthood. That’s a temptation from the devil.

I recently came across a great video featuring Brian, a seminarian at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. It’s a beautiful personal testimony filled with details about how Brian had started out down the wrong path, but the grace of God got a hold of him and now, God-willing, he’s on his way to the priesthood!

This can be a great lesson for all of us because we all know young men – maybe even you – who are wandering, searching, not yet ready to trust God and seek His will for their lives. Give ’em time.

And pray for them.