‘Be encouraging and ready to listen,’ parents say

Even from a young age, Kevin Mohan was leading others to Christ.

As a kindergartener at Blackwood’s Saint Jude elementary school, he came home to his parents, Maryann and Kevin, disappointed in the day’s events.

“He told me, ‘The teacher wanted to know who goes to Church, and I couldn’t raise my hand,’” Maryann recalls. “After that, we started going back to Sunday Mass.”

Now pastor of the Parish of Saint Monica in Atlantic City, Father Mohan’s influence has spread, and his mother couldn’t be happier.

“I realized that everything I expect a priest to do for my family – say Mass, hear confessions, give counsel, anoint the sick, officiate at weddings and funerals – he would be doing for countless people,” she says. “To realize that his hands would hold up the consecrated host and give blessings to so many … I’m in awe that he can do these things.”

The faith journeys of priests and religious – from early childhood to discernment, ordination to ministry – are not completely theirs alone, but shared with those who loved them long before they made their first vows, and continue to do so today.

‘The Faith Around’

Diane and Joe Camaioni of Williamstown made sure their children “grew up with the faith around them.”

Communicants at both Our Lady of Peace Parish, Williamstown, and Mater Ecclesiae Mission, Berlin, their witness had an impact on their youngest daughter, Nina, who would “make a career of working for the Church,” Joe said. Her service included time as a Catholic Campus Minister for the Diocese of Camden at Rowan University, and also in the Diocese of Harrisburg, Pa.

When Nina, in 2019, told her parents of her intention to enter the convent of the Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia in Nashville, Diane admits, “It was a bit of a surprise, but I did see it coming. She had been discerning for a time.”

Haddonfield’s Ann and Kevin Gallagher had an inkling of their son’s Peter’s path while he was a middle-schooler at Christ the King Regional School.

“He was an altar server, he was Jesus in the school’s Living Stations, and when he found out his father was going to Eucharistic Adoration from 2 to 3 in the mornings, he wanted to go with him,” Ann recalls.

As well, Kevin says, the priesthood track was “in the family business,” as Peter’s great-uncle, Msgr. Paul Gallagher, served in the Diocese of Camden for more than 40 years beginning in the 1950s.

‘Never second-guessed’

The Camaionis recently returned from a three-day visit in Nashville with Nina, now Sister Lily Anne, and are already looking forward to later this year when they go back.

“We get six days a year with her, so we like to split it up,” Diane says. 

She admits these limited visits, along with the only other communication allowed for non-emergencies being snail mail, “are a big adjustment. When I want to say something, I can’t just call her,” Daine says of Sister Lily Anne, whose new name represents purity and new life.

Sister Lily Anne professed first vows last summer, and in the next few years, as she completes her master’s degree in secondary education from Aquinas College, she will be assigned to one of the 53 schools in the United States and abroad to continue the community’s teaching tradition. In about four years, final vows will take place.

Despite this uncertainty for Diane and Joe, “When we walk into the motherhouse, she looks so happy and content; it’s where she should be. The community, with its ever-present joy, has brought out the best in her,” Diane says.

Coming back to New Jersey after their visit was difficult, she says, but “I feel good, too, because I know she’s in the best place for her.”

The Camaionis also feel the fruits of not only their daughter’s vocation, but that of her entire religious community.

“To see these young women dedicate themselves to God, it makes us realize we should focus more on Him,” Diane says. Adds Joe, “The amount of time [Sister Lily Anne] prays now, we hope to get the most from.”

From seminary studies at Seton Hall University in South Orange and Rome’s North American College, to a 2020 ordination and assignment as parochial vicar at Holy Angels Parish in Woodbury, now-Father Peter Gallagher has “never second-guessed” his decision, Kevin Gallagher says.

One of the only changes in his son, he notes, “is that he’s calmer than he used to be. He’s still energetic, enthusiastic and sincerely happy.”

Profound moments during Father Gallagher’s priesthood for the family, Kevin Gallagher says, were some of his first. “Hours after his ordination [to the priesthood], he administered the Anointing of the Sick to his grandmother, and 10 days later, celebrated her funeral Mass.”

For Maryann Mohan, seeing her son as he underwent seminary studies at Saint Charles Borromeo in Wynnewood, Pa.; Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio; and Saint Mary’s, Baltimore, “my husband and I were extremely proud and happy that he was taking the next step in discerning his vocation. We just wanted him to be content and happy in whatever choices he made.”

Noting a standout from Father Mohan’s 2013 priestly ordination, she mentions the tradition when, after anointing the new ordinandi’s hands with Sacred Chrism, the ordaining Bishop wipes his hands with a white linen towel called a maniturgium.

“This [maniturgium], as well as the stole worn when he heard his first confession, were given to me and my husband, to be buried with us,” Maryann says. Therefore, when the parents reach the gates of heaven, when the Lord asks them what they have given them, they can hold out the maniturgium and stole, signs that they gave their son to Him and His work.

“This is a great blessing,” Maryann says.

Another blessing: witnessing her son’s ministry these past 10 years throughout the Diocese. “Grateful parishioners still take the time to talk with me about how much he meant to their parish and their own lives. I know with the help of the Lord, he will continue to do good work, and I pray for him to have the strength of body, mind and spirit to know and do God’s will.”

‘What a Wonderful Gift’

From prayer to encouragement, tithes to outreach, these parents continue to support not only their child’s vocation but those of others, with advice on how to build up and cultivate a culture of discernment.

When a son or daughter speaks to a parent about a life to the priesthood or religious, “Be supportive, pray and realize what a wonderful gift God has given you, a child who wants to serve Him,” Diane Camaioni says.

Kevin and Ann Gallagher will be found April 30 at iRace4Vocations, helping to register walkers and runners like their son. As well, the two contribute to the Diocese’s seminary fund, because “their education is expensive, and they need our support,” Kevin says.

He also advises parents of discerning children to reach out to the diocesan vocations directors: “Speak with them, and even see if there are parents of priests willing to speak with you.”

“It’s important to show support, which brings confidence [to your child’s vocation],” he adds.

In addition, Maryann Mohan adds, “Let your child continue to just be themselves.”

“Be encouraging and ready to listen. Pray for your child,” she says. “Be proud of all of your children and encourage each one to pursue the vocation where they can serve the Lord and His people best. When you use the gifts from the Holy Spirit, you are fulfilled.”