Vocations

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Seminarian Fund Collection
January 17-18, 2009

A vocation is more than a job, more than a career or a hobby. The word vocation means “a calling.” It is a calling from God to serve. The men of New Hampshire who have heard God’s call to the priesthood did not come to their decisions suddenly. They discovered they had a vocation through many years of formation in parish and family life. But even after one gets the call, the journey has just begun. Please remember our seminarians in your prayers, and offer your support to the Seminarian Fund.

Bishop's Message
About the Need and How You Can Help
Meet Our Seminarians
Seminarian Stories - "What Helped Shape Your Vocation?"

Dear Friends in Christ,

I first would like to thank you for your past support of the Seminarian Fund. It is obvious from last year’s collection that supporting vocations to the priesthood is very dear to the Catholics of New Hampshire.

Grateful to God for your generosity, I am also grateful for the men who have taken God’s call to heart and are discerning their vocation in the seminary. Three new men entered the seminary this past fall which brings our number of seminarians to ten. Each time I hear the story of how a young man discovered his vocation I am reminded that it was given to him by God but it was shaped by individuals such as parents, priests, religious pastoral ministers or teachers and coaches. As you have read from their personal testimonies, a seminarian’s vocation doesn’t just happen; their vocation has been shaped by someone.

In the process of shaping vocations to the priesthood a young man may spend six to eight years in the seminary, which is a great but necessary expense. The gifts you make go directly to help pay for the seminarians’ education and formation. I pray that you continue to be generous.

Sincerely and gratefully,
Bishop of Manchester

How You Can Help On January 17-18, 2009.

Educating seminarians is an investment in the future of the Catholic Church in New Hampshire, but this goal cannot be fulfilled without the help of the faithful.

• The cost to educate a seminarian is more than $100 for every day he is in formation. This expense includes tuition, room and board at a seminary.
• 100% of every dollar collected for the seminarian fund goes toward supporting the education of men studying for the priesthood.
• This annual collection is the primary source of funding for seminarian formation.

A gift of $50 or more from every adult or family attending Mass would help educate our seminarians for another year. Please use the envelope in the vocation bulletin insert or your parish envelope to make a contribution to the Seminarian Fund. Envelopes will be collected at Mass on January 17-18. You can also mail the envelope directly to the Office of Vocations, PO Box 310, Manchester, NH 03105.

What More You Can Do.

• Consider a commitment to fund one year of a seminarian’s education.
• Include the Seminarian Fund in your estate planning.
• Consider your own vocation and ask your pastor about the priesthood or consecrated life.
• Pray for vocations to the priesthood and to consecrated life.
• Encourage a young man to consider the priesthood.
• Welcome priests to your home, and learn more about their vocations.
• Visit the diocese’s vocations Web site www.liveinblackandwhite.com

Prayer for Vocations We acknowledge the great need to pray for vocations to the priesthood. It is not surprising that, where people pray fervently, vocations blossom. O Father, raise up among Christians numerous and holy vocations to the priesthood, to keep the faith alive and guard the gracious memory of your Son Jesus through the preaching of his word and the administration of the Sacraments, with which you continually renew your faithful. Give us holy ministers of your altar, who are careful and fervent guardians of the Eucharist, the sacrament of the supreme gift of Christ for the redemption of the world, Call ministers of your mercy. Who, through the sacrament of Reconciliation, spread the joy of your forgiveness. Grant, O Father, that the Church may welcome with joy numerous inspirations of the Spirit of your Son and, docile to His teachings, may she care for vocations to the ministerial priesthood and to the consecrated life. Sustain the Bishops, priests and deacons, consecrated men and women, and all the baptized in Christ, so that they may faithfully fulfill their mission at the service of the Gospel. This we pray You through Christ our Lord. Amen. Mary, Queen of Apostles, pray for us.

To contact the seminarians, please use their respective addresses from the following list:

• Mundelein Seminary, 1000 East Maple Avenue, Mundelein, IL 60060
• St. John’s Seminary, 127 Lake Street, Brighton, MA 02135
• Blessed John XXIII National Seminary, 558 South Avenue, Weston, MA 02493-2618
• St. Mary’s Seminary, 5400 Roland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21210
• Franciscan University, 1235 University Boulevard, Steubenville, OH 43952

Seminarian Stories - "What Helped Shape Your Vocation?"

-How my parents helped shape my vocation-

It is very true that the men currently discerning the priesthood for the Diocese of Manchester, including myself, did not all of a sudden come to know that we were called to be priests by the Lord.  I believe that God worked incessantly through the efforts of my mother and father to bring me to this realization.  My mom always made the effort to take me to Mass whenever possible when I was young, and to expose me to the sacramental life of the Church made possible by the work of Christ through His priests.  I can remember my family praying for vocations many nights during my teenage years.  I can remember my dad showing me daily what it meant to be a good father so that I could come to see the priesthood as a kind of universal fatherhood.  Both my parents made sure that I was involved in parish life, and this more than anything allowed me to recognize God’s call when it came.  There is no substitute for participation in a strong and vibrant Catholic community lead by a good and faithful pastor when it comes to showing young men the power of the Church, her need for holy priests, and the beauty that lies at the heart of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. 

-How my grandparents helped shape my vocation-

Growing up, my family shared a house with my grandparents, so I was always very close to them.  My grandparents would often bring me to daily Mass when I was in elementary school, especially during Lent, and I think this experience really helped instill in me a love for the Eucharist.  It was during these trips to my parish, that people began to encourage me to consider a vocation to the priesthood.  Plus my grandparents personal example of a faithful marriage of over fifty years taught me the value of Christian vocation and commitment.  Our faith is one that is passed on from generation to generation and I am grateful to have benefited from my grandparents strong faith and love for Christ.  It was a joy to have them sitting in the front row as I was ordained a deacon last May.

-How my friends helped shape my vocation-

The path to the priesthood is not one that can be travel alone rather there is a group of friends who travel with a man along the way.  In my own life, I would not be where I am today if it were not for my friends, parishioners at the parish, religious, and my family, who have and continue to encourage, support, and guide me through along the path.  Hundreds of people have accompanied me on my journey, through their generosity in their prayers, letters, phone calls, and even through spiritual adoption by a number of religious education classes and Catholic schoolchildren.  It is through all of my friends, who have made and continue to make my preparation to the priesthood one that is fruitful, joyful, and spiritual.

-How my pastor helped shape my vocation-

The best advertisement I have ever seen for any career was not on a web-site, billboard, or anywhere on television. Just attending Mass on Sunday morning and seeing the natural joy radiating from my pastor, Fr Gary Belliveau, said everything to me about the Priesthood. His enthusiasm gave a contagious excitement that made me really stop and think, “Could that be me? A Priest?” I had thought about the priesthood prior, but never was comfortable enough to express my thoughts. In talking openly with him about my discernment, and finding out more about his vocation and motivation, it became clear that he and other priests are REAL men who are devoted to serving Christ. After being a part of various ministries and getting to know my pastor more, I began to see that the priesthood is not about tasks to be performed, but about the person, or identity that one becomes as another Christ. Watching him over the years living and preaching the Gospel authentically, with joy and conviction, was a tremendous factor in me finally saying “Yes” to exploring the possibility in my own life. So my entering the seminary did not come from any flashing signs, just observing one happy priest, living his life dedicated to serving his family, the Church.

-How seminary has helped shape my vocation-

My time in seminary is nothing short of absolutely necessary.  In reflecting on my life and how God has used seemingly ordinary life experiences to lead me to the point I am at now, well immersed into my third year of formation, I am amazed at the depth of growth necessary to become a priest.  Everything I experience as a seminarian, in terms of ministry, is a learning experience of some sort.  Whether it be working with the poor in an AIDS hospice or shaking hands with parishioners after Mass; when reflected upon in light of Jesus' call, there is always an opportunity to grow and allow myself to be formed into the priest Christ calls me to be. These opportunities are necessary. Every now and then, when I reflect on my time in seminary I can positively see the movements of the Holy Spirit in my life. It is truly humbling to consider the nature of the vocation I am called to.  Seminary is the place where I change from being a lay person to becoming a priest.  With the help of my formators both here in New Hampshire and at seminary in Baltimore and the support of the thousands of people who pray for me, every aspect of my being is stretched and developed, challenged and encouraged.  I used to wonder how on earth I could ever become a priest, now I see that the measure of my success will be the amount I avail myself to all of the gifts God has given to me through the people he puts into my life.  Seminary is much more than priest college; it is Human, Intellectual, Spiritual, and Pastoral development; not for my sake alone but for the people I serve, the Body of Christ.

-How college helped shape my vocation-

During my college years at Franciscan University of Steubenville I grew first in my understanding of Christian life as discipleship and from this my vocation was not only affirmed but shaped. Shaped in three ways: first, I was accepted as a man called to priesthood by my Catholic peers, the people of God were inviting me to accept God’s call and be a priest for them. Second, I was able to live publically as a man called to priesthood and I became comfortable with this identity. Third, being so closely linked to God’s diverse people allowed me to see the brokenness of humanity - within myself, in my peers, and in those I encountered through the university’s missionary work. This closeness revealed the world’s need for the Gospel and stirred within me a deepening desire to be a Bearer of that Gospel. With confidence, I can say my college years at Franciscan University instilled within me an awareness that the grace of vocation is something lived over the course of time. A vocation is developed, grown and shaped, it is a grace that has to unfold... and it will.

-How my workplace helped shape my vocation-

Working in a Catholic school I was blessed to be in a prayer filled and life enriching community each and every day.  My vocation was fostered not only by the nature of my work, but also by those I shared it with.  In so many ways I was fortunate to have a supportive boss and colleagues, caring parents and amazing students.  Together all of these people helped me to discern my calling.  They witnessed to me each day through their insightful conversations, encouraging words and thought provoking questions.   For me, my vocation and calling were not the product of one decisive action or moment in time.  Rather they were products of those around me who proclaimed the Gospel message with their lives and in a special way by my students who shared their deep faith in Christ and challenged me to grow in mine.