‘I’ll
go wherever God’s calling me’
Cardinal presides at Holy Hour
for vocations
By Christie L. Chicoine
CS&T Staff Writer
WYNNEWOOD — Prior to a candlelight procession into the Chapel of
St. Martin of Tours at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Cardinal Justin
Rigali asked an assembly of approximately 100 young men to consider a
call to the priesthood, just as Jesus called the Twelve Apostles to be
His companions in His mission.
Many of the young men who attended the nighttime Holy Hour of prayer for
priestly vocations on Friday, Jan. 18, were accompanied by their parish
priests, school ministers, youth ministers or other adult chaperones.
“Whether or not Jesus is calling you to the priesthood — He
may well be — we know for sure that He’s calling you to do
something important, something beautiful for God,” said the Cardinal,
who presided at the Holy Hour.
Standing in front of the young men in the Seminary’s auditorium,
he told them, “Let’s go to the chapel and see what the Lord
has in mind. He’ll reveal things to you. He’ll let you know
what He thinks, but you have to ask Him.”
Once inside, with heads bowed in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament,
the young men appeared to be asking.
“It made me think more about the priesthood,” said Malik Neal,
16, a junior at West Philadelphia Catholic High School who belongs to
St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Philadelphia.
Dan Zirolli, 19, a freshman at Neumann College in Aston, agreed. “It
was really a great night,” said Zirolli, a member of SS. Simon and
Jude Parish in West Chester. “It’s an awesome calling to be
able to help people. I’ll go wherever God’s calling me.”
The Holy Hour was sponsored by the Archdiocese’s Vocation Office
for Diocesan Priesthood. The homilist was Auxiliary Bishop Daniel E. Thomas,
who assists the Cardinal in overseeing the vocation office.
When someone first hears the call of God, it can be surprising or confusing,
or even frightening, Bishop Thomas said.
Men who feel they may not be good enough to be a priest should take heart,
he continued. The Lord is asking them to be open to the possibility of
a call, and in doing so, to be “as good as you should be, because
He’s looking for holy young men to carry on His life for His Church,”
Bishop Thomas said.
“One of the most beautiful ways in which we, as Catholic gentlemen,
can be gifts for others is to be a Catholic priest,” said Father
Christopher B. Rogers, director of the vocation office. The priesthood
“is definitely a life worth living,” he added. “It is
a call not only worth considering, but worthy of your serious consideration.”
Approximately 40 priests attended the Holy Hour, including Msgr. Joseph
G. Prior, rector of St. Charles. Also present were the 39 seminarians
studying for the priesthood for the Philadelphia Archdiocese, and many
others at St. Charles who are studying for other dioceses.
The gathering began in the auditorium with prayer and a showing of a new
DVD promoting the priesthood in Philadelphia. It includes interviews with
diocesan priests who share what a typical day in their life is like, as
well as their reflections on celibacy, prayer and obedience.
At the conclusion of the Holy Hour, Father Rogers encouraged the young
men to stay close to the Lord, and become familiar with the seminary and
the vocation office. “Please be in touch with us,” he said.
“The Cardinal wants me to be a busy man.”
For more information, contact Father Christopher B. Rogers, director of
the Vocation Office for Diocesan Priesthood, at (610) 667-5778 or e-mail
frcrogers@adphila.org. Access the vocation office Web site at www.heedthecall.org.
CS&T Staff Writer Christie L. Chicoine can be reached at (215)
587-2468 or cchicoin@adphila.org.