Anecdotal Confirmation of Increase in Priestly Vocations

ASacredPage.com ^ | September 12, 2010 | John Bergsma

[Salvation]

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Anecdotal Confirmation of Increase in Priestly Vocations

Michael Barber had a great post below about growing numbers of religious vocations in the Catholic Church in America. I believe I've seen confirming evidence of this trend at the school where I teach, the Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Franciscan has always had a strong pre-theologate program, with a fairly steady enrollment of about 50 guys at any given time. (A pre-theologate prepares men to enter a major seminary). Franciscan campus culture is heavily dominated by "households", our alternative to the Greek system. A "household" is a community of students that prays together regularly and supports one another morally, socially, etc. Three "households" on campus are entirely made up of "pre-the's" (pronounced "PRE-thees", i.e. guys in the pre-theologate, i.e. future priests.) One would think, then, that the Franciscan contribution to the priesthood of the Church would be limited to these "pre-thee" households.

I am an advisor of a different household, called the Disciples of the Word, which is not made of guys in the pre-theologate program. So they all are going to be laymen, right? Actually not! In the past three or four years, I've watched several of the Disciples graduate and then enter seminary for a diocese or religious order. Currently, a large number--one of the students estimated more than half--of the household's membership is pondering a priestly vocation.

Of course, many guys will ultimately "discern out," as we say, but in seven years at Franciscan, I have never seen so many young men in my household thinking about the priesthood at the same time and in such a serious way.

The only drawback is, this is going to make it even harder for our Franciscan U girls to find that good Catholic guy they came looking for.

 

Posted by John Bergsma at 11:49 AM 

[Salvation]

Next, watch the vocations start to snowball in England bigtime!

[sinanju]

Gee, I hope the economy isn’t the reason for this.

American religion has barely survived the generation who joined the priesthood or rabbinate to get out of Vietnam and stayed for the wrong reasons...

[firerosemom]

Hey! My son just graduated from FUS! He was a pre-the and he’s now in his 1st yr at Mt. St. Mary’s for the Diocese of Bridgeport!

p.s. - Dr. Bergsma is a well-loved professor there!

p.p.s - Please PRAY for Christopher and ALL seminarians - the stakes go UP at each milepost they pass -

[Campion]

Thank you for supporting your son's vocation! I'll remember him in my prayers.

Meanwhile, I'd like to mention to any FUS ladies who may be reading this thread that my son is a sophomore history major at Steubenville, and is very much, um ... available. :-)

[VidMihi]

Gee, I hope the economy isn’t the reason for this. What do you think.. I don't like girls, I want a job which gives security, not much work, status and I can tell others what to do. Lots of male friends. Almost everyone who applies gets hired. not bad.

There was a time when young boys were inspired by parish priests, teachers, missionary zeal. Long seminary, where only a few actually made it. Quality difference ??

[Campion]

I want a job ... not much work

That doesn't describe the life of any diocesan priest I know, sorry.

[firerosemom]

Hmmmmmmm! My daughter is a sophomore nursing major there!!!

[Salvation]

**Please PRAY for Christopher and ALL seminarians - the stakes go UP at each milepost they pass -**

I don’t think regular people realize all the mileposts that must be passed.

The priesthood is not the easy road that it used to be. A lot of tests!

Christopher is being prayed for right now!

[Salvation]

We sponsored a bowling night for a group of seminarians last night. One of the seminarians related that he had been in a serious rellationship and was thinking about marriage, but never pursued it because he did not feel at peace with that decision.

After counseling from a wise Jesuit to search for that peace, he entered the priesthood at our local seminarian.

And found the peace that had previously eluded him.

May God bless him abundantly!

[Tax-chick]

My daughter is at sea for another year. Funny how that worked out!

I hope your son is doing well at Steubenville.

[VidMihi]

Maybe. Hopefully so. But the parish priests I knew taught in parish school, ran carnivals, had Sunday Masses at 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 plus 9, 10, and 11 in chapel. Benediction and Baptisms on Sunday afternoon, regularly out on parish census, validated marriages, at least a dozen communion calls every week plus another two dozen on first Friday, active in community, ran CCD besides parish school, two or three funeral Masses every week plus long trips to cemetery, Ongoing convert classes every week, lots of private instructions, counted collection every Monday morning and frequently took additional classes at local college. One day off a week. Ran a variety of parish organizations, youth groups plus a few other things. No Deacons, no lay ministers, no parish Religion education coordinator and frequently no parish secretary. This was the life that inspired young boys, who became priests with full expectation of an active and busy ministry. No late vocations of the unemployed looking for a job.

If your parish priest does all the above after seven to twelve years in seminary - lucky you - keep him and run him through a duplicating machine.