We are called to support the men and women who help us enter more deeply into relationship with Christ
Summer isn’t over yet, but we can see it from here! August is the time we start thinking about a return to school. That’s not just the students in our elementary, middle and high schools, but also our seminarians studying at St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary near Philadelphia and at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md.
Vocations to the priesthood and religious life are critical for every Catholic diocese. In the Diocese of Lincoln, over the years we have been blessed with the number and quality of young men and women who have dedicated their lives to serving Christ in this corner of the Lord’s vineyard.
We have four new seminarians beginning the propaedeutic stage of formation at St. Gregory’s this fall. They’ll spend a year getting to know themselves—and God—better, so they can then be more prepared to learn how to best love and serve others. This year of human and spiritual formation, seeks to provide seminarians with the basic groundwork they need to engage in priestly formation.
We are currently working on our annual seminarian poster that is always popular. It features photos of all the young men from the diocese discerning their vocation. The theme we have selected this year is “The Priest is Not His Own,” which is the title of a popular book by the soon-to-be beatified Fulton J. Sheen.
Archbishop Sheen writes in the book about the dedication, energy and effort it takes to serve the Lord and His people. It’s hard work, but it’s also not really work but more of a privilege granted by God. It’s really love—love for God and love for one another.
“We belong to a different union, where love, not hours, is the standard,” Sheen writes. “When we think of all the Lord has done for us, we can never do enough. The word ‘enough’ does not exist in love’s vocabulary.”
You can also see that love in the religious sisters who serve our diocese. Three of them professed their solemn perpetual vows this summer. This is the result of years of preparation—and much prayer—as these women enter into a deeper relationship with our Lord. Thank you, Sister Maria Therese of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Mercy; Sister Gabriel Perry of The Marian Sisters; and Sister Mary Chiara Middendorf of The School Sisters of Christ the King; for answering God’s call.
Our One Heart in Christ pastoral plan for the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln emphasizes the importance of religious vocations, one of the four major principles we’ll focus on in the next five years. Specifically, the plan calls for each one of us to “support our clergy, religious and aspiring vocations as spiritual fathers and mothers so they experience being seen, known and loved.”
We want our priests and religious to be confident and equipped as leaders, and to know the support they have, both spiritual and temporal from our diocesan community. We want them to lead a balanced life. It’s also important for the laity to deepen their understanding of the priesthood and religious life. Our final goal in this area is to promote a culture of vocations to increase the number of priests and religious.
We are blessed to have an active group of lay faithful in the diocese whose members work to support our priests and religious throughout the year. The Lincoln Serra Club has been fostering and promoting vocations in our diocese since 1955. This past weekend, the Serra Club of Lincoln hosted its annual banquet for seminarians and their parents in Lincoln. I was able to meet the parents of our new seminarians and to spend time with the parents of all our seminarians, to thank them for the gift of their sons and to assure them that they are in good hands in our seminaries.
Throughout the year, the Serra Club hosts dinners and receptions for the clergy, seminarians and religious communities, a luncheon for retired priests, fun activities for seminarians and a golf outing for all our priests. These Catholic men are energized to provide the support needed for our priests and religious to live their lives in service to the Lord.
That’s what our pastoral plan calls all of us to do—support the men and women who are dedicated to helping all of us to enter more deeply into relationship with Jesus Christ. Maybe that’s through an organization like the Serra Club, or maybe it’s through the Knights of Columbus or groups at your parish. It could include taking a moment to send them an encouraging note or email, or it could mean pledging to pray for them on a regular basis.
Our One Heart in Christ pastoral plan invokes the intercession of St. Alphonsus Liguori, a moral theologian and bishop, asking him to watch over and lead those called to guide us spiritually. Let us call upon this great saint as we look to promote vocations in our diocese:
St. Alphonsus Liguori, watch over the priests, religious, and all those discerning their vocation in the Diocese of Lincoln. Help them to know God’s love for them and their work. Pray they also know the vital ministry God has given to them to serve Him and His people. Pray for their protection, their health, and their constant love of our Lord. Let us be One Heart in Christ.
