Length of time in seminary

Dear Friends in Christ,

Our next question to discuss: "How long do you have to study to become a priest?"  This is a great practical question.  For most people, it will be from 6-8 years.  If you go into college seminary right out of high school, you will take 4 years of undergraduate study and receive a B.A. in philosophy.  After that, there is an additional four years of theological studies.  If you are out of college and then decide to go into the seminary, it takes six years.  You will then do a two year program of pre-theology which is primarily philosophy.  In addition to philosophy, you will take usually a year of Greek and a year of Latin, and you will also take an occasional theology elective, or Spanish.  

At the end of the 6-8 years you will have a BA, as well as a Masters in Divinity, and maybe even an additional Master's Degree.  You will also be getting the best education the Church can provide, so you will be prepared to handle the priestly ministry with the training you get in seminary.  I hope this answers satisfies your question.

God bless.

On the Blessed Virgin Mary

Dear friends in Christ,

We had a request to do some writing on the Virgin Mary, and how a young man can learn to foster devotion towards her.  I first want to refer you to a blog post I wrote two months ago called "Mary, mother of priests".  That gives you an idea of the role of the Blessed Mother in the life of a priest.  But what about the average Joe or Jane out there who wants to develop further devotion to her?

Devotion to the Blessed Mother is of utmost importance in any life, not just a priest.  It is through prayer to Mary that we learn to be more like her, in being completely obedient to the will of God.  We need only look back at Mary's radical yes: Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord.  Be it down unto me according to your word.  So by prayer to Mary, we are learning how to be more like Mary in following God and His will for us.  We should always pray "May it be done unto me according to your word." This is the prayer of Mary, and we should practice imitating her.  

The most popular form of Marian Devotion is through the Rosary.  It is in the Rosary that we pray to Mary while meditating on the life of Christ.  In the letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae by Pope John Paul II, the Rosary is described as primarily a Christocentric prayer, because you are meditating on the life of Christ.  But you aren't meditating on the life of Christ alone; you are meditating with Mary on the life of Christ.  You are learning from her example of prayer.  She prays to Christ, and when we pray the Rosary, our ultimate prayer is to Christ, precisely because Mary intercedes for us.  Prayer to Mary is intercessory, something our non-Catholic Christians don't seem to understand, that when praying to Mary, we aren't asking her to grant the request, but we are asking her to pray for us so that request is granted.  I like to use to analogy that if Christ is the head of the Church, Mary is the neck of the Church, as she turns the head towards mercy.  Any decent man listens to his mother, and the relationship of Christ and Mary is no different.  

So when praying the Rosary, we must remember that all things end in Christ, and the Rosary is no different.  In the Rosary, we are uniting our prayers with Mary as together, you and Mary meditate on the life of Christ, and you learn more about Christ through her.  But we also try to imitate Mary, as she is the best example we have (except for Christ himself) of being a Christian.  Mary was with Jesus his entire life, including his death.  In the Gospel of John we read about how Mary kneels at the foot of the Cross.  We must learn to do the same, meditating on the Cross as Mary meditated on the Cross.  

I hope my short meditation on Mary helps those who are trying to foster a devotion towards her.  There are many papal writings on the role of the Virgin Mother.  I would start with Rosarium Virginis Mariam, which was writting in 2002.  I would also read Redemptorist Mater, which is a papal encyclical on the Mother of the Redeemer written by John Paul II.  I would also check out some of the posts on this blog: The Humble Servant.  This is my other blog with writings on Marian devotion.  On this blog you can also learn how to pray the Rosary, and learn more about St. Maximilian Kolbe, a 20th Century martyr in the German concentration camps who started Militia Immaculata, a Marian devotion group.  I would also pick up St. Louis de Montfort's "True Devotion to Mary."

My final note: In fostering a devotion to Mary, we can learn our vocation in life, whether it be married life, or the priesthood, or religious life.  If you really want to figure out your vocation, it is in your best interest to pray the Rosary every day with the intention of being shown your vocation in life.  May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  May God bless you.

-Bobby

Can a priest have hobbies?

Dear friends in Christ,

Today's question that I wish to discuss is the following: "Is a priest still able to achieve certain social goals, such as sharing their music to the world?" I think this question is basically getting at hobbies.

The general norm for this is the following: "A priest is encouraged to have hobbies as long as his hobbies don't inhibit his primary work as a priest." In other words, the work of a priest comes first, but a priest is still encouraged to have a hobby or two. In fact, hobbies are healthy activities, and they should allow anybody, including a priest, to relax from stressful days. In terms of hobbies, I wish to share with you a few priests who I know, and their hobbies.

The first is Fr. Kevin McGoldrick. Fr. Kevin is a parochial vicar in South Philadelphia at Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Before he went into seminary, he learned how to play the guitar. He still knows how to play, and he is really quite good. Last night I heard him play the guitar, and he was playing everything from The Beatles to Nirvana. If you can imagine a priest in a cassock playing Beatles tunes on a guitar, you must admit it can be a rather humorous picture. While Fr. Kevin knows how to play a vast array of things, he shares his gift of music to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia by playing for many different religious functions. He is in charge of the music at Catholic Underground, which is a young adult event held monthly at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. He was also the guitarist at the recent Friday Night at the Seminary, where we had over 200 young people come together to learn about discernment and seminary life. He uses his gift of music to bring people to Christ in a unique way. Not every priest knows the guitar, and so he has developed his guitar skills into a very effective way of evangelizing.

Over the Christmas holidays, there was the story about a group of three Irish priests who hit it big on the music charts with their cd of traditional religious music. Here is a link that tells you a little more about them! Again, these three priests are using their gift of music and sharing it with the world.

The Late Pope John Paul II was a writer and an actor, and he shared that gift with many people. The current Pope Benedict XVI is a gifted classical pianist.

In short, there is a place for musical talent in the priesthood. There are many priests who are musically talented. There are priests who are painters, some are great actors and help out and act in the local Catholic High School musical. Some priests are great writers.

While a priest is able to share their talents with the community and, in some cases, the world, it is important to remember that he is a priest of Jesus Christ, so his priestly ministry will always come first. There is also discretion that should be used. A priest probably shouldn't play at a night club Saturday night. The first reason is that he has to celebrate Mass in the morning, and the second being that it probably just isn't a good idea for a priest to be playing at a night club for moral reasons. Like Fr. Kevin, you can also direct your musical talent to aid in your ministry. If you are a good singer, you can sing the Mass parts, or you can start a children's choir from your parochial school.

Thanks for the question. I hope I answered it adequately. May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus

Dear friends in Christ,

When writing blogs and emails to our contacts, I always end with the phrase "may you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary". It dawned on me that perhaps you may not know about the Sacred Heart of Jesus, so I thought I would do some writing on it.

The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is exactly what it sounds like: it is a devotion to the physical heart of Jesus. It is a realization of the divine love of Jesus for humanity. But why is the Sacred Heart such a realization?

The Sacred Heart of Jesus has its origins on the cross, when Jesus was crucified. Jesus died for our sins, and you can say that his death was the ultimate reparation of sins. A reparation is a re-payment, so when you are talking about reparation in the religious sense, it is an action that someone does in order for someone else to return to God. The ultimate reparation then, was the crucifixion of Jesus, because He did it for us, because of the love that He has for us. According to Wikipedia, the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is closely associated with acts of reparation to Jesus Christ. Pope Pius XI wrote: "the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus". This is from his encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor, written in 1928.

The Sacred Heart is a realization of the diving love for man because it shows us that Jesus, who we know as God, was crucified out of love for us. He loved us so much that he gave Himself up for the sake of our salvation. From the cross comes salvation, made possible by the crucifixion of Christ.

There is also a sacramental relationship that the Sacred Heart has. On the Cross, one of the Roman soldiers thrust his lance into the side of Jesus. We read this in the Gospel of John: "When they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out" (John 19:33-34). The early Church fathers picked up an important sacramental point made here, that blood and water flowed out. So from the side of Jesus, comes forth the sacraments, and from the side of Jesus comes forth the Church, which administers the sacraments. The blood of Christ poured forth, so when we celebrate the Mass, we celebrate the Eucharist, which is truly the Body and Blood of Jesus. Think about this: the same Blood of Christ that was poured forth from His precious side is the same Precious Blood we have at Mass. The Water is the water of Baptism, which wipes away the stain of Original Sin, so how appropriate it is to have the waters of Baptism flow from the side of the Crucified One, the Christ who died to save us from our sins!

This Precious Blood that poured forth from Jesus' side was at one point in Jesus' Sacred Heart, but tradition also tells us, and this devotion, that the lance of the soldier actually pierced his Sacred Heart, so the blood literally poured forth from the heart of Jesus. This is why the actual image of the Sacred Heart is shown with a lance-wound. It is also shown with a crown of thorns, which alludes to Jesus' Passion. So the image itself points to the death of Christ.

So the Sacred Heart has a reparative aspect, as devotion to it is used as a means of reparation for the sins of others who may desecrate Churchs or abuse the sacraments, for example. It also points to the cross, and the fact that the Crucifixion of Christ saved us from sins and won our salvation, so the image is a realization of the divine love that God has for humanity. And finally, this is especially realized in the sacrament character of the Sacred Heart. From the side of Jesus poured forth blood from His heart and water, two life-giving symbols that Jesus turned into signs of salvation.




This is an image of St. Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who had visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She lived in France in the 17th Century. She would often have visions of Jesus growing up, and she thought they were part of the normal experience of life. She became a nun, and Jesus continued to reveal Himself to her. She eventually was allowed to build a chapel to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in her convent. She was the first person to start devotion to the Sacred Heart, but the devotion was not recognized until 75 years after her death. The devotion was propogated by the Jesuits after her death.




This is a picture of St. Faustina Kowalska, who is a 20th Century Saint who lived in Poland. She spread devotion to the Mercy of God, often called Divine Mercy. In many Divine Mercy images, the mercy flows forth from the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Below, I have included an image of the Divine Mercy. The Polish at the bottom is translated: "Jesus, I trust in you". Jesus revealed to her that He wanted her to spread deovtion to Divine Mercy, and so she had an image drawn, and her dairy was eventually published. She also started the popular Chaplet of Divine Mercy, which is a recitation of the following prayer: "For the sake of His sorroful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world", which is prayed on the Rosary beads. For information on how to pray it, this is a link to instructions on how to pray it. For those of you discerning your vocation, whatever it may be, it will be a great practice to begin praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet, as this Divine Mercy flows from the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

May you always remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. May God continue to bless you and may you remain close to Him and His Holy Catholic Church.

St. John Vianney, pray for us.

St. Margaret Mary Alocoque, pray for us.

St. Faustina, pray for us.

Posted by Bobby Murphy

The Promise of Obedience

Dear friends in Christ,

This past Friday, the Vocation Office for the Diocesan Priesthood hosted and sponsored an "Evening for Young Men at the Seminary", which included a talk by Cardinal Rigali, Fr. Chris Rogers (the Vocation Director), a video on seminary life and discernment, a candlelight procession, and a Holy Hour. The night was a tremendous success, and there had to be over 200 people there altogether, and we only expecting about 170. But you know, it was a success not because of the numbers, but because I saw the guys who were there, and you can tell that they were touched, and their hearts were moved. And we got back many information cards stating that they were interested in the priesthood. Even though I coordinated the event, I couldn't have done it without my team of seminarians who helped me out with the procession and the Holy Hour. There are too many to thank individually here, but they know who they are, and I graciously thank you for your hard work.

Part of our follow-up from the evening is that the young men wrote questions on index cards. We have gotten at least 75 index cards back, so this blog will be used to answer some of the questions that were posed.

The first question: "Why is the priesthood like the military in the sense of being sent to a random parish and not being able to choose?"

This is an interesting analogy that you can use when talking about parish assignments. There are many things on which we can meditate from this question. The first is the promise of obedience that priests give at the time of their ordination to the priesthood. At the time of ordination, the candidate must make two promises, the first to chastity and the second to obedience. For many people, the promise of chastity is hard, and we will tackle that in other posts. Obedience though, can be equally hard, and from what priests tell me, the older a priest gets, the harder obedience gets. A man is called to serve a specific diocese, like the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Being sent to a parish and not being able to choose is a necessary following of this virtue of obedience that a priest is expected to take up. A priest pledges obedience to the bishop, so the bishop as a result, can send the priest wherever the priest may be needed.

This obedience is also practiced in the military as well. A soldier is sent where he is needed. When talking about obedience, there is the theological understanding of it, as a priest laying down his life, and being obedience, like Christ was obedient. A husband and wife are called to be obedient to each other, and a priest is called to be obedient to the Church in a special way. He is married to the Church, so when the Church needs something, a priest is supposed to provide it if he can. So, to go back to the question, it is a result of the virtue of obedience that seminarians learn before they become priests that help them take any assignment that they are given.

Obedience also points to an important to the truth that our life is not our own. Our life isn't intended to be self-centered, but rather flowing out to something or somebody else. When our life isn't our own, we realize that it is a gift, a gift to be shared. When a priest willingly takes the promise of obedience, he recognizes that gift that he is called to give to the Church.

Another point that needs to be made are random parishes. First, there is no such thing as a random parish. Every parish is there for the purpose of providing the sacraments to the local people as a way to help them to get to heaven. Every parish is important for this purpose. Some parishes might be smaller, but they serve the same purpose as the larger parishes.

So, we must ask ourselves, are we obedient? Do we listen to those in authority as a way to cultivate the virtue of obedience? Whatever you are called to, we must always remember that obedience is a prime factor in it, whether it be the priesthood, religious life, or married life. For those who have trouble listening, I encourage you to try to start listening and obeying. Obedience isn't easy, but by continuing to practice obedience, you will be made holy by it. Obedience isn't the end result of obedience, but rather being made holy is the end result of obedience, and it is through our sanctification (being made holy) that we can be given heaven when we die.

May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
St. John Vianney, pray for us.

Posted by Bobby Murphy.

Daily Bulletin Interview With Fr. Chris Rogers

For Vocations Awareness Week, the Daily Bulletin of Philadelphia published an interview with Fr. Chris Rogers, the Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Here is the interview.
-Bobby

Sexual Sins

Dear Friends in Christ,

Of all the blog posts that I have written on here, I may find this to be the most difficult, but just because it is difficult to write about, doesn't mean that I shouldn't write about it. For too long has the difficult teachings of the Catholic Church been ignored by the media, and by a good percentage of practicing and non-practicing Catholics. Even some priests are not free from blame, as some priests refuse to preach the hard teachings of contraception, abortion, and euthanasia, and for that matter, the Church's teaching on pre-marital sex and issues related to that. Now, I am not lumping everybody together, and I have heard priests preach on that, and how refreshing is it to hear that, instead of the usual weekend homily you hear every week?

Today I wish to do some writing on priestly celibacy. This blog had a comment last week that asked the question: "What about men who are sexually active? How can they possibly become a priest? How do priests do it? And who can we look to for spiritual guidance?

The first thing about sexuality that must be stated here is the Church teaching of when sexual intercourse is permissible. Sexual Intercourse is taught to be permissible when a man and a woman who are married engage in it with the end result of there being unity and an openness to new life. Sexual intercourse, or the Marital Act, is done for those two reasons, unity and procreation. This was taught by St. Thomas Aquinas, so this teaching goes back at least 900 years. We must further define the Marital Act: if the end of Marital Act is for an openness to procreation, then we must say that sexual acts that don't have this end cannot, then, be the end of the Marital Act. The most common example of this is oral sex, which, if done solely exclusive and separated from the marital act, is an act not open to procreation, and it is an act not open to union between a man and woman in marriage. These types of sexual acts though, can lead to the marital act, so if these sexual acts act as a precurser to the marital act of sexual intercourse, then they are morally allowed.

The other issue is when a non-married man and woman engage in the sexual act. For them, because it is not done under the context of marriage, they are not giving themselves totally to each other. Sex is to be reserved for those married couples because it is the greatest expression of love that a man and woman can give each other. This is why a priest is ordained. He is spiritually married to the Church so that from that spiritual marriage the Eucharist can come into this world.

Another important thing to consider is the use of pornography and masturbation. This is a big problem in current society, and it has led to the breakup of millions of marriages, and it has led to the downfall of priests. Pornography is the exploitation of women for the purpose of men to be sexually aroused by themself. From pornography comes masturbation, or the self stimulation of oneself for sexual gratification. This is a terribly addictive behavior.

There was a series of brain scans done on men who habitually masturbate and watch pornography, and they compared it to men who were life long cocaine addicts. The amazing thing is that the brain scans came back basically identical. An addiction to pornography is so addicting that it is like cocaine, which from what I hear is one of the most addictive substances known to man. I am not saying this to cause despair in men who have an addiction to pornography, but I am not going to sugar-coat it either. A man who has this problem has a huge battle ahead if he is to become free from this addiction.

Luckily, for those men who have any type of sexual problem, whether it be pre-marital sex, or the use of pornography, or even those men who struggle with homosexuality, we have some important weapons on our side that can help us. The first is the sacraments. I implore you men out there, that when you fall into sexual sin, to immediately go out and find a priest for confession. I have talked to men who struggle with this, and they say that when they fall into pornography, it can be spiritually deadening. It makes them even want to avoid confession because of the shame it makes them feel. Well, let me tell you something, that the priests are just waiting to hear from you. Not breaking the seal of confession, but a priest told me once that pornography and masturbation is the most common type of sin that is confessed by men. Actually, I think I read it in a blog. Wherever I read it, men, if you think you are alone in this struggle, you are not. Therefore, find a priest, and ask him to hear your confession. Confession is probably the biggest tool we have to combat this sin.

Another essential tool we have is the Eucharist. If you have an addiction to pornography, confess your sins, and go to Mass even more often. Go daily, if possible. The more we receive the Lord Jesus in the Most Precious Body and Blood, the more we become like Him in thought and action. We become more God-like. So if there is a big sin on your heart, confess it, and then strive to receive the Eucharist at every moment possible. In addition, find some time to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Try to attend Eucharistic Adoration. In short, keep yourself close to the Sacraments Jesus gave us for our redemption, for it was at the Cross that poured forth the Sacramental Life of the Church. It was the precious blood of Our Lord that poured forth from His Sacred Side for the Salvation of Mankind.

Now, when you are at prayer, the important thing to do is to pray ernestly for the gift of chastity. Chastity is that virtue which every man and woman practices. It is the use of your sexual gift appropriate to your state in life. It is designed to help us give ourselves to people more. A married couple practices chastity by ordering their love making in the marital act to union and pro-creation. A priest orders his chastity so that there can come from him totally inclusive love for His Church. Instead of having a wife, he has the Church, his spouse, and he is supposed to give himself totally to his Church in a spiritual, non-exclusive way.

We must pray for the grace of chastity. Pray for it every day. For the men who are reading this who are sexually active, there is hope for you. Your first step though is to seek out confession. For God's sake, seek out Confession, where you experience the healing love of God. And when you are forgiven of your sins, go to confession every week, without fail, to continue receiving the graces to live a Christ-filled life. And go to Mass and receive the Eucharist there, and pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament as often as possible, and pray for the grace of chastity.

There is also a great gift that Mary, the Mother of God has given us. The Rosary is a great tool that we have to help us in our sexual struggles. Start praying the Rosary. Go to http://www.militia-immaculata.blogspot.com/ for information on how to pray the Rosary. Praying the Rosary every day is a great way to battle sexual temptation.

There is also spiritual direction. Talking with a priest about your struggles will help you get an idea of what to do as well as a way to combat those sins. Many spiritual directors are specifically trained to assist a man in identifying those things which lead him into sin.

Now, prayer can take you a really long way in one's struggle with sexual temptation. There are other practical things you can do that can help you in your struggle. If the computer is a great temptation, get rid of it. Or, put it in the kitchen at your house, somewhere with high traffic. Don't put your computer in a small back room with the monitor pointed away from the door. If it is there, the temptation will be relentless. Put it in a place where you would be afraid other people would see what you are looking at. But really, if you don't need the computer (and you don't need video games), get rid of it. If you need it for school or work, put it in a public place. I heard a story of a kid once who was 17, and he recognized his addiction to pornography, who asked his parents to move the computer to the kitchen. They did so, but he still struggled. So he actually chewed through the internet wire to prevent himself from looking at it. The parents thought it was a mouse or a rodent! But be creative, and please, don't tell your parents I told you to chew through your internet wires!

There are also many websites that may help you in your porn addiction. The problem with them is that when searching for them, you may also come across an actual porn site and get distracted, and when you have porn on the mind, it isn't a good idea to then get on the internet, even if for a good intention. It is the same idea as not taking an alcoholic to a bar, even if he is the designated driver. The temptation is there. And try not to put yourself in that temptation.

I have focused on pornography, but what about a man who is engaging in sex with his girlfriend? Well first, you must tell the girl that you want to stop having sex and any kind of sexual contact. But sex is like a Lay's Potato Chip, since you probably can't have just one. If the girl is still pressuring you to have sex, you must put your foot down and say no. If that doesn't work, you should probably consider breaking up with her, if she won't respect your beliefs and values. I know a man who broke up with his girlfriend because she had different ideas about sex then he did; he wanted to wait until marriage, and she didn't want to wait.

I know many priests who were major party animals before they went into seminary, and it is through the above suggestions that they were able to repent of their sins and break their addictions to sexual things.

The last thing I wish to mention is the story of a man that I read about. He grew up Christian, but soon abandoned his faith and became a hedonist, getting pleasure in many women in his late teens and early twenties. He was a frequenter of orgies, and he tried to get the most pleasure possible. For him, it was a different woman every night. He soon settled down with one woman, but they never sacramentally married, and they had a child. I know his mother prayed ernestly for him, and she even got other people who knew her son to pray for him. Well, eventually he overcame his unchaste ways, and through the reading of St. Paul in the Bible, was able to be clean of his unchaste ways. I mean, this guy was so far away from the faith, and just totally immersed in every sexual pleasure you can imagine. Now we call him St. Augustine, one of the greatest saints of the Church. And we call his mother St. Monica. We can take St. Augustine as a great example of a man who fell away from the faith and immersed himself in every way sexually possible, and now we call him a saint for his great holiness. If Augustine can do it, anybody can do it. For spiritual reading, consider reading "Confessions" be Saint Augustine. There it is his story up through his conversion, so it can help you get a better understanding of him.

These are my musings regarding sexual sins, ranging from pornography and masturbation to pre-marital sex. This post certainly isn't exhaustive, and if you want more information about something I didn't explcitly cover (or even elaborate on something I did cover), please leave me a comment. You can do so anonymously, and there should be no shame felt about asking a question.

May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Saint Augustine, pray for us.

Post written by Bobby Murphy

On The Sacrament of Confession

The Holy Sacrament of Confession has become a lost sacrament in the eyes of many Catholics. When I visit a parish and I see their bulletin, I am not surprised by the fact that any given parish may have confession for merely 30 minutes on a Saturday afternoon. It has been greatly de-emphasized. There are probably many reasons for the de-emphasis that has happened in recent years. The biggest reason, I believe, for the loss of this Sacrament is that the world somehow got the idea that sin does not really exist. And if sin did not really exist, then why is there a need for a sacrament to forgive sins?

Now, I am not pointing blame to the parish priests, who were probably taught this by rogue theologians of the last 40 years. Joseph Fuchs, a very well known moral theologian, propogated the fundamental option theory, saying essentially that a person is like a ship, and if our fundamental option is to choose Christ, then it would take a lot of the turning of the ship to not choose Christ. Essentially, a mortal sin might only slightly veer us off-course. Fuchs was one of the great moral theologians that was taught in the seminary, and his theology did a lot of damage.

Among the younger Church, we are blessed to be having a resurgence of the Sacrament of Confession. Unlike the older generations of baby-boomers, which were by and large individualistic, youth and young adults of today recognize the importance of community, and they recognize sin as a separation from that community. This community is the Holy Catholic Church, and grave sin separates us from it. We recognize that Confession is the reconciling of our sins so that we might be freed of them and enjoy the graces we obtain through the Sacraments of the Church.

Some may make the following argument: "Why offer confession? Youth and young adults don't really know about it, or appreciate it anyway. They would never come." For the last few years, I was privileged to take part as a volunteer at Mount 2000 and Beyond. This was a Eucharistic based retreat that was not only centered on the Eucharist, but also on the Sacrament of Confession. At any point of the day, from 7 AM to 11 PM, there were around 10 priests hearing confessions at any given point. The only exception was during Mass, where the priests concelebrated. The seminarians in charge of the confessional area and the line for confessions were asked to count all of those going to confession to get a rough number of the number of confessions that were heard throughout the weekend. Now, I must say that we capped the number of participants at 1,600 for the weekend. We do this because of the space issue we experienced. And wouldn't you know, that those keeping track counted 991 confessions that were heard throughout the weekend? And these were youth in high schools! Not only did we make confession amply available, but we also talked about confession the entire weekend and the importance of it. We also supplied confession guides called an examination of conscience. We recognized that a lot of these kids may not have been to confession in a long while, so out of pastoral charity we nurtured them and helped them along, that they would make good confessions. It was really moving to see the number of people who had their sins forgiven that weekend. It was very uplifting.

When I was in high school, I went on a retreat that one night offered the Sacrament of Confession. It had been a long while for me, and there were many things I had to confess, things that had collected over a number of years. What a great relief it was, that after confessing my sins to a priest, that he offered me absolution! I was freed of my sins. It felt great. And you know, now I am in the habit of goes at least once every two weeks, and every time I go to confession, I leave feeling spiritually refreshed, knowing the sins I committed were no longer there to weigh me down.

Now, going to confession can be hard. There have been many times for me where I think about going, but there is a little voice in my head trying to persuade me not to. Perhaps it is the evil one trying to put thoughts in my head; perhaps it was me trying to avoid the shame my sins bring. But let me tell you, of the hundred plus times I have gone to confession (I don't even try to keep track any more the number of times I had gone), I never had a priest tell me that I was an idiot, or that I should have a lot of shame. Every time, the response was a response of love and forgiveness. So really, my excuses for not going because of some sort of shame was completely unfounded. What I am saying is that, no matter what your sin is, you will be met with love and forgiveness by the priest who meets with you. The reason why priests post times to hear confessions is that they want you to go. It is an invitation to you and I to take advantage of this great gift of God to man, the forgiveness of sins in a very literal way.

Now, I do have to address this: some readers may have had a bad experience at one time or another of a priest who yelled at them, or some other insult. I am not going to condone or try to explain why a priest may have done that; I don't know why a priest would be condemning when you are seeking love and forgiveness. I will tell you though, that if you are afraid of going to a priest, please contact me, and I will give you the name of several priests I know, and you can arrange with them a meeting for confession. I know good priests in the Archdiocese of Washington, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia.

For the priests who may be reading this, I have offered some tips that I hope you can use for the promotion of confession. Let me give you a few well defined ideas:
1. You must preach that sin is a grave reality of the human condition, and only through the mercy and love of God will it be possible for those sins to be forgiven. We have a deep experience of the love of God and the forgiveness of God through the sacrament of confession, since it is the priest who is "in the person of Christ". Preach this often, preach this every day, and tell your school kids. Tell everybody you meet of the redeeming power of Christ found in Confession.
2. You can't just tell everybody about confession, but you must provide resources to your parish and those to whom you minister that will help them make a good confession. The first resource you provide is your own priestly example. People recognize holiness, and when they do, it inspires them to do better. In addition, a good examination of conscience is essential; please invest in something like this. The investment will be returned 100 times over if even one good confession is made, which results in the salvation of a soul.
3. We must remember that Jesus did not hear confessions merely from 4-4:30 on a Saturday afternoon. Whenever the need for forgiveness was there, he was ready to give it. He didn't tell the people he met, "come back on the Sabbath, since I am not scheduled right now." If a priest is truly "in persona Christi", and if he is truly all things to all people, he needs to be ready to hear confession at any point of the day. When a priest is too busy to hear a confession, then he is too busy. The celebration of Mass and Confession should be the top two priorities of a priest during the day. Please expand the amount of time confession is heard. Do it before daily Mass, have a special night of Eucharistic Adoration with confessions available once a week. Be creative in the scheduling of times for confessions. And also be on call for that lost soul who may come up to you at the most unexpected time. When this happens, we must recognize this as a true moment of grace for that person, and if you turn him away because you are busy, you may have just lost a soul. Offer confession as much as possible.

Now, there is also a role for the family in the formation of what the Sacrament of Confession is. In the family, there is an essential role in the formation and catechesis of Confession. Here are a few easy, applicable tips that parents can use when talking to their children.
1. Pick up the Catechism of the Catholic Church and become familiar with Confession yourself. Understand what it is, why we do it, and what exactly happens. Also, before you can truly explain what Confession is, go to it yourself and see firsthand what it is. This is especially poignant if you haven't gone in a while.
2. At the dinner table, start a discussion and catechesis on the Sacrament of Confession. Start with the notion that sin is a reality, and that God loves us so much that He lets His priests forgive those sins, precisely because a priest is in the person of Christ.
3. Schedule a time with a priest when your whole family can go to confession. Of course, the confessions will be individual, but when you go as a family, you can further stress the importance of it. You can also use this as a nice family activity one evening, and family activities are important. Doing this stresses the importance of not only confession and reconciliation, but also it stresses the family. Also, invite your local priest over to dinner every now and then. They really appreciate that, and it gives your kids an example of a priest who really cares, which would further encourage them to frequent the Sacrament of Confession.

Now, I also want to address young men and women who may be reading this. You may not be a parent yet, or you still may be in high school or college.
1. Also pick up a Catechism and learn about confession.
2. You are at a special time in life when you are trying to figure out God's call for you. The best way to figure out God's call for us is through prayer and the frequent reception of the Sacraments. If you are serious about discerning the will of God on your life, then you mus be serious about the sin that may be holding you down. It is important, that when discerning and praying, to know that sin distorts our relationship with God, and so it is important to know that sin will affect our prayer life. We must, as a result of this, realize that going to Confession often will spiritually make us disposed to hear the voice of God. As a result of this, one of the best things we can do spiritually is by going to Confession frequently.
3. Know that even though you may be the only young person in line for Confession at your Church, there are other young adults who go to Confession. We are called to spread the joy and love of God with people we know, so we must act as sacramental missionaries, sharing the joy of Confession with others and encouraging them to go as well. You are called to be Christ to your friends, so next time you go to confession, invite a friend to go as well. There have been so many conversions that happened because of simple gestures like this. Be Christ to others.

And now, for everybody, we must realize that it is a priest who can hear and forgive sins in the Sacrament of Confession, or Reconciliation. As a result, we must continue that the grace of God moves the hearts of young men everywhere, so that they may offer themselves as candidates for the priesthood. And if you are a young man reading this, please consider such a charge for your life. We need men to offer themselves as candidates for the priesthood.

I hope that in my musings I have moved some of you to consider going to Confession. I like to say, that if my writing and actions move just one person to repentence, then my writings and actions are a success, but not because I made them successful, but because Christ made them successful. May you always remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Sacrament of Confession.

Our Lady, help of Christians, Pray for us.
St. Augustine, pray for us.
St. Raymond of Penafort, pray for us.

Vocation Awareness Week

The observance of National Vocation Awareness Week (NVAW) began in 1976 when the Bishops' Conference designated the 28th Sunday of the year as the beginning of NVAW. In 1997 this celebration was moved to coincide with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

Let us remember to pray for priests and consecrated men and women this week, and for married couples and families. Send a card to a priest or consecrated person this week, thanking them for the gift of themselves given to Christ and to His body, the Church, or invite them for dinner. Pray for more vocations to priesthood and consecrated life – and consider a vocation to priesthood or consecrated life!

Be sure to check out all of the Vocations Events in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia by going to http://www.heedthecall.org/. There, you can click on all of our events. The dates for Vocation Awareness Week is January 11-18th, 2009.

In the Office of Vocations, we are especially focused on priestly vocations, since it is through the priesthood that the universal Church can have Holy Mass. It is not the role of just our office though, to encourage young men to consider a vocation to the priesthood. It is the role of the whole Church, from families to single people, from religious to parish priests. The fact of the matter is that vocations are everybody's business. The vocations office might get a man who is 18 and seriously thinking about a vocation to the priesthood; but what about the first 18 years of his life? It is through the example of his family, his parish priest, and other influential people in his life that will help the young man develop a potential vocation to the priesthood. The parish priests then have an essential role in the vocation of a young man, since more times than not, it is the parish priest who is the example of priestly holiness for the young man. Many people may know only their parish priest, so it falls onto them to give them a good example of living.

It also goes for the family. It is the family which is the seedbed for vocations. It is through the day in and day out of family life that will help train the boy to become a man filled with virtue and love for the Catholic Church. The family is called the seedbed of vocations because it is most often in the family where the first inklings of a vocation develops. The boy may only see their parish priest once a week, but their family he sees every day. The way a boy is raised is essential in the type of man he will become. As a society, we have lost the culture of vocations within the family. The family has become disconnected, and almost at odds with each other in the family. The family can also start to look for too many excuses not to follow the precepts of the Catholic Church, and it is in the family where a boy gets his influences. If his influences are bad, then it can wreck havoc on him for his entire life. One prime example of this is the fact that the divorce rate is as high as it is. Time and time again, there have been reports that come out that show the effects a divorce has on a kid, and yet, time and time again, a husband and wife opt out of it. As a society then, we must get back to the basics. I am convinced that when marriage is reestablished as the sacrament it truly is, then from that, vocations will spring forth. The priesthood and matrimony are dependent on each other. A couple needs the ordained ministry of a priest or deacon to get married, and the priesthood depends on good families, from which will spring forth vocations to the priesthood. So, if there is a husband or wife out there reading this, I thank you for your gift of marriage that you give to the Church, and I encourage you to continue loving your spouse, and may your family become a seedbed of vocations.

And finally, if you are a single man reading this, I do hope that you consider a call to the priesthood. I hope during this week of Vocation Awareness Week, you may take some extra time to pray to God for the graces to know your vocation. For you out there, please know that myself and the rest of the vocation office is praying for your continued discernment.

In the end, vocations are everybody's business. It can never fall onto one office, or one priest. We must all do our part to continue to seek out men who will give their lives for the sake of others. For more information on how you can encourage vocations, visit http://www.heedthecall.org/. May God continue to bless you, and may you always remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Happy New Year!

Dear friends in Christ,

With the celebration of the New Year at 12 midnight Thursday morning, we say goodbye to 2008, and say hello to 2009. This is the time of year where millions of people make New Year's Resolutions. A common one is to lose some weight, but resolutions can also include trying to do more outdoor things, such as hiking and fishing. There are many resolutions that we can take up that will improve out state of life.

In the life of a Christian, especially one discerning a religious vocation, the idea of resolutions is not a foreign idea. At the beginning of every academic year, there are formation goals that the seminarian takes up that will help him in the areas of academic, spiritual, pastoral, and human formation. Most of the New Years resolutions that people take up would follow under human formation, that is, losing weight, or going to the gym more often. These are typical goals that a seminarian may take up from year to year. But there are also academic and spiritual goals that we can take up. Spiritual goals may include trying to pray the Rosary more often, or attending daily Mass more often. Academic goals may include trying to read an hour a week of academic theological inquiry. Like a New Year's resolution, a formation goal a seminarian or religious, or priest may take up help the individual to be a better person, and to live a better life. Nobody would take up a goal to overeat, or to stop going to the gym. Goals are designed to help the individual grow as a person. The difference though, between many New Year's resolutions and the formation goals a religious person may take up is that fact that many New Year's resolutions are not done in the shadow of Jesus. By the term, not done in the shadow of Jesus, I intend to mean those resolutions not done in imitation of Christ, and without the assistance of Christ. Formation goals, on the other hand, are in the shadow of Jesus. It allows for grace to help the individual to work on their goal, if the person asks for it.

The point I am trying to make is this: while New Year's Resolutions are not inherently bad, as we should all strive to do better, we should do this resolutions in the shadow of Jesus. We are all striving to be more like Christ, in our daily lives, and in what we do in life. Instead of making just another resolution this year, I would consider making a resolution that will help your soul. Praying more is a great resolution to make because by prayer we are coming to encounter Christ more and more, and in doing so, we are learning how to live like Christ. But we can also have a goal of losing weight, and to be in the shadow of Jesus for doing that we must ask Jesus for the determination to not give up and to keep going, even when we don't want to give up. Instead of making your resolutions self-centered, you should make your resolutions Christ-centered. As a result of doing that, He will give you the graces to be virtuous and steadfast in your formation goal, or New Year's Resolution. You will also strive to be more like Christ, who so humbled himself by becoming man. As a result of this great mystery, we can imitate Him.

In a God centered, Christian life, we are always striving to be Christ like. It is for this reason that we push ourselves so we don't become still in our spiritual life. It is easy to be comfortable. The challenge is to push ourselves in the way to imitation of Christ. So when making New Year's Resolutions, remember to make these resolutions in the shadow of Jesus, the Christ. May our goals always strive to help us imitate Christ, and may we remember that it is Christ's grace that helps us in our goal of imitating Him. May you always remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. God bless.