The Harvest is Plenty! Come and See!
Article from the ACTS Diocesan Newsletter, 2009 by Fr. Phillip M. Lavery, Pastor Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Canonsburg, PA.
As we approach Thanksgiving and the official start of the holiday season, we often reflect on the blessings of the crops grown over the summer and the bounty we are fortunate to partake of on Thanksgiving Day. We gather to reap what we have sown and enjoy the company of friends and family in giving thanks. With gratitude for the labors of Bishop Thaddeus Peplowski, a solid voice and advocate for Church growth, our Diocese is adding to the number of congregations joining our communion. He has been such an inspiration to his priests because of his dedication and evangelization work as he promotes the PNCC and empowers other church groups to start new congregations.
When all of us priests gathered October 20-22 with the Bishops at Holy Mother of the Rosary Cathedral in Lancaster for the Clergy Conference, you would often hear priests talking about the future of our Church. Comments were made about the need to staff our churches with good priests to carry on our traditions and faith. The need for priests in every Catholic community is urgent, yet, I believe that God does not fail in calling new shepherds to the fold. It is sometimes that those called hear other voices attracting them to different lifestyles or more lucrative careers. I remember being a young boy and having the support and encouragement of my family and my pastor when I wanted to be an altar server. Secretively, I wanted to be a priest. I would often role play being a priest at home and would invite my family to join in my “Mass” and receive Holy Communion, which consisted of some crackers and grape juice. As I got older my Pastor, Fr. Joseph Swierczynski, a Polish Roman Catholic Priest invited me to remain an assistant at the altar by serving as a Master of Ceremonies. He, along with my family encouraged me to go on to a high school seminary, something not heard of these days. I learned the Priest’s Liturgical Book (Sacramentary) and turned pages for my pastor when I was just in high school. His invitation to serve as a chief acolyte enabled me to be comfortable around sacred and sacramental objects and places. I learned more prayers, gestures, and chants by his example and leadership. While other altar boys were graduating from serving at the altar and moving back to the pew, I graduated to the desire to serve the Lord more as a priest. My pastor didn’t just listen to my desire to be a priest. He actively nurtured my calling. He could have said “make an appointment and we can discuss it sometime.” He didn’t. He told me what he expected me to do. He wanted me at weddings, funerals, devotions, benediction, etc. and he simply taught by actively involving me in these services to help me know what a priest does and how to come to appreciate the call to ministry. Fr. Joe inspired me early in my vocational discernment. I have him to thank for that now.
Today many older men are turning towards the priesthood after developing a trade or career in another field. They realize that something is lacking in their lives. The need to make money, to climb the ladder of success, is not “making them happy.” Their faith means so much to them that they now want to serve the Church as a priest or deacon to bring fulfillment to their lives by serving God’s people. Perhaps you feel the same desire. You wish that you could do more for your Church and you want to lead others in a spiritual way. Talk with your Pastor. Ask if there is a way for you to become more involved at the altar, even as an acolyte or altar assistant. Consider the possibility of entering our diaconate program or priestly formation program. One of the things that hold us back most is the feeling of inadequacy. We think, “I could never preach or teach like my pastor.” We forget that grace builds on nature and that the Sacrament of Holy Orders supplies us with grace and gifts that we never dreamed were possible. The Letter to the Hebrews reminds us that all priests are “beset by weakness.” Still, God elevates his priests and deacons and gives them the grace to bring to fulfillment the good he has begun in them.
The future of our Church depends upon the willingness of others to sacrifice for the good of God’s people. Bishops, priests, deacons, and lay leaders have served our Church well over the past 103 years. I know that there are people in our congregations who secretively want to be priests or deacons and they need to feel comfortable when the time is right for them to approach their Pastor. If this describes you, won’t you consider whether God may be calling you to serve in His vineyard and come forward? Come and See!
Posted by fatherlavery 
Posted by fatherlavery 
Posted by fatherlavery 
