Our diocesan Young Adult Priesthood Discernment Group will be starting Sept. 26. This first step for many who are thinking about a possible vocation to the priesthood can be a scary one. However, if you come and see what these meetings are all about, you will discover the great benefit they are to a young man discerning his vocation.
The word “discern” means to judge something well. We discern things each day without even knowing we are discerning them. We discern what we are going to eat, what we are going to wear and how we will get to work – among many other decisions in our daily lives. We might not take a lot of time to think about those things, but in each decision, we have different options and we want to choose the one that will complete our day’s mission in the best way possible.
What do we do for the bigger questions in our lives? When we think about what we want to do with our lives in service to God and his Church, we know it is something that will take time and prayer. The priesthood discernment group gives us some opportunities to pray and learn about the vocation to the priesthood. First, we pray with the day’s Gospel, seeing how the Living Word challenges us to be open to the way Jesus is calling us. Then we talk about a different aspect of the priesthood that is detailed in the book, “To Save a Thousand Souls.” This book is provided for those who attend the group, and it is a real treasure in helping in the discernment process. At the end of each meeting, we pray Daytime Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours. This is where we enter into the prayer of the Church – one that is prayed by priests, religious brothers and sisters, and many laymen and women each day.
These opportunities help us in our discernment by allowing us to experience a small piece of the life of a priest. It opens doors to help us know God and to listen to the voice we hear in our hearts. We come together with others, knowing that we are not alone and that God has a purpose for all of us.
I invite any young man who is thinking about this vocation to come to the priesthood discernment group. The decision to attend does not mean you will automatically enter the seminary and become a priest, but it can help you hear God’s voice and discern how to follow him. I pray that many will be open to this call, and will join us for the first meeting. May we pray for an increase of vocations to the priesthood, that many will hear God’s call to serve him and his Church as priests in our Diocese.
Father Adam Cichoski is the director of vocations for the Diocese of Camden. The Young Adult Priesthood Discernment Group is open to young men ages 16-39. It begins at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 26. The meetings take place each month at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Office, 135 N. White Horse Pike, Lindenwold, NJ 08021. See www.camdenpriest.org for more details.
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