I was recently talking to a Catholic gentleman who told me, “When I was younger, I was thinking of becoming a priest.”
“Why didn’t you choose that vocation?” I asked.
He responded, “Well, frankly, Father, no one ever asked me if I wanted to be a priest.”
Saint Teresa of Avila, whose feast we celebrated on Oct. 15, reminds us: “Christ has no body now but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes with which He looks compassionately on this world. Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which He blesses all the world.”
Can we not also say that Christ has no voice on earth but yours? What if yours is the voice through which Christ says to a young man: “Follow me”?
This November, the Diocese’s Office of Vocations is sponsoring a simple but powerful initiative: “Called by Name.” Each parishioner is being asked to prayerfully consider young men, from high school through age 39, who show the qualities of a good priest. This is an opportunity for each of us to do exactly what Jesus did when he chose the apostles: to notice, to pray and to call.
Did you know that, by and large, priests are some of the happiest people in America? Earlier this month, a Gallup study commissioned by The Catholic Project at The Catholic University of America found that in the United States, Catholic priests scored an average of 8.2 out of 10 on the Harvard Flourishing Scale, which measures, among other things, happiness and life satisfaction. By contrast, the average American only scores 7.1 out of 10.
Priests are happy!
Perhaps there is a young man in your parish who could one day discover the joy of saying ‘yes’ to God’s call – the joy that makes priests some of the happiest people in the world.
You may have already noticed and prayed for a young man you thought could become a priest. Maybe he prays with quiet devotion, serves at the altar with reverence, or steps up to lead when others step back. Maybe he volunteers at parish events, mentors younger students, or shows a natural kindness that draws others in.
But now, are you willing to allow the Lord to call this young man through you?
On the weekend of Nov. 1-2, you’ll find “Called by Name” response cards in every parish. Take one home – or fill it out during Mass. As you pray, think of one or two young men who come to mind. Write their names and, if possible, their contact information on the card, and return it in the collection basket. That’s all we’re asking.
From there, the Office of Vocations will reach out personally. Each young man who is nominated will receive a letter from Bishop Joseph Williams congratulating him on being recognized by his parish community and inviting him to take part in upcoming discernment events offered by the Office of Vocations. Your prayer and encouragement could be the moment that helps a young man hear God’s call more clearly.
Many priests will tell you that their own experience of hearing God’s call to the priesthood began because someone saw something in them and said, “You’d make a good priest.” That simple encounter, that simple phrase changed the direction of many priests’ lives.
Christ has no voice on earth but yours. Will you lend your voice to Christ?
For more information about “Called by Name,” visit camdenpriest.org/CBN.
Father Joshua Nevitt is an associate director of vocations for the Diocese of Camden and parochial vicar at Holy Angels Parish in Woodbury.
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