This weekend begins “Vocation Awareness Week” in the Church. Our bishop, Dennis Sullivan, has asked us to specifically preach on “Diocesan Priesthood.” There are many needs in the Church for all types of vocations, from religious to diaconate, but it is the diocesan priesthood in particular that is in “crisis mode,” according to Bishop Sullivan. I for one agree with him, especially since it will be about two years from now when we ordain the next priest for our Diocese.
So, part of what I will be doing today is in some ways turning into a type of college athletic recruiter, recruiting young men to the priesthood, but also sharing some of my priesthood with you as well.
Before I begin a little education is in order because with the priesthood things can get confusing or there may be questions of what does it actually take to become a priest. Often times we will hear about religious priests and or diocesan priests. They are all priests, all ordained, except one group (religious priests) belong to a communit such as the Franciscans, Jesuits, Dominicans, etc. They are men living in community which have their own structures, i.e. superiors. Diocesan priests belong to the Diocesan community and do not take any promises or vows to a community, except for the vows we make to Christ in the person of the Bishop, the vow of celibacy and obedience. Diocesan priests do not make a formal vow of poverty but should live with that spirit. Diocesan priests are under the direction of their local Bishop and work within those Diocesan boundaries. Our diocese consists of the six southern most counties in N.J.
In regards to what it takes to become a priest, well, in one word that would be, “grace.” As in all things it is God who calls us, we do not call Him. This is not just for the priesthood, but for the vocation of marriage or religious life and even the single life. Beyond that, the actual work involved includes about eight years of college. This includes a Bachelor’s Degree with a minor in Philosophy + an additional 2 courses totaling 24 credits. That may have gone up since I was in school. Traditional Seminaries require two years of pre-theology after a Bachelor’s Degree and then a Masters in Theology which could be a Masters of Divinity Degree or something similar which takes about four years to complete. I did not do pre-theology since my Bachelors Degree was in Religious Education. As you can see there are quite a bit of educational requirements. Training does not only consist of education, in our Diocese, the seminarians do a pastoral year after their second year of master’s work. They work in a parish setting for one year in order to gain experience but to also begin their hands on training. Every year in the summer they also have some type of ministry - parish experience.
My own experience of priesthood has been a wonderful experience. This does not mean it has not had its difficulties. The difference between an athletic recruiter and recruiting vocations is that we have to be honest. I can only go by personal experience. Some of the difficult moments for me was even before I was ordained. As you remember the pedophilia scandal broke in the early 2,000's. As seminarians we followed it closely. It was a very disappointing time and some of the fellas left. Many persevered because we realized we had a calling, a calling to serve even when times may be rough.
When I left religious life and joined Diocesan life I experienced both anger and joy. The anger was at what sometimes becomes a very bureaucratic - hierarchical - medieval Church, and it did so in my case, I saw and experienced the worst about priesthood, but I also experienced the best of the priesthood and I found that in my brother priests here in the Diocese of Camden. I found commitment, loyalty, dedication, and most of all genuine friendship and fraternity.
So yes, there are tough moments, there are also joyous moments. These moments come from all sides. But there are moments about priesthood I have not yet mentioned and these are the most powerful, affirming, and amazing moments, the moments when Jesus speaks right to your heart and you see Him at work in His priesthood through you, in this case me. I will finish with one of those moments in which that happened to me and I ask all those considering priesthood to reflect and focus on these types of moments as they are the moments in which priesthood is truly practiced.
I remember the very first anointing of the sick that I was called to. It was my first week working in the parish at St. Joe’s Woodstown. It was a call to a nursing home in Carney’s Point. When I arrived the man’s wife met me outside in the hallway. She explained to me that her husband has had dementia for over ten years and that for the last two years he was completely unresponsive, he basically sat in his chair. His health was also failing and failing fast. I asked her, “will he know who I am, that a priest is here?” She replied, “father he doesn’t even know how I am.” That was very sad to hear. As I was entering the room I felt in my heart, “o.k. I’m the priest I will bring them all God’s grace.” When I approached him and said who I was he remained unresponsive. His sister was also in the room sitting with his wife. I began to take out the oils and holy water, I got my book ready. As soon as I began with, “In the Name of the Father . . .” Martin’s head went up and he traced himself with the sign of the cross. I was left confused since his wife told me he was completely unresponsive. I could hear both his wife and sister gasp out loud. I said, “Martin, I am Fr. John I am here to anoint you.” He looked me in the eyes and said, “thank you Father, please do so.” At this point his wife almost fainted and his sister was crying very loudly. I could feel God’s presence in the room and trust me I felt nervous since it was my first anointing, but then quickly a spirit of calm came over me. I continued with the sacrament of the sick and Martin responded throughout and thanked me when I was finished. As soon as I ended the rite, Martin went right back into his catatonic state.
The wife and sister followed me out into the hallway, both were crying, but they were tears of joy, my eyes were also swelling up with tears. I couldn’t believe what just happened, but more importantly the presence of God, it was clearly felt by all of us. After I said my goodbyes and as I was driving home, my hands were shaking on the steering wheel, not because I was afraid but I realized how unworthy I was and that it was the Lord working through me. As soon as I thanked Jesus for allowing me to experience His grace, I could hear in my heart, “The miracle you witnessed was not for Martin, but for his wife and his sister, and also for you that you always remember it is my priesthood that you bring to others and not your own.” I cried the whole way home. I thanked God for calling me, his unworthy servant to do His work.
Jesus gives us these moments as priests to remind us of His work in our world, but most of all His love, for those to whom we minister but also to reward us a hundred-fold in this life for the work we do in His name. Priesthood is not easy and not everyone is called, but if you think you are remember these moments, like I had with Martin you too will experience, and I can think of nothing greater in this life than to minister to God’s people, I pray you feel the same.
FJ
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