Editor’s note: This homily was delivered at Holy Innocents Church, Manhattan, on May 11, 2025, World Day of Prayer for Vocations.
Since 1963, the Church Universal has used this Sunday to “pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into His harvest.” But prayer for priestly and religious vocations takes place in a context–both social and ecclesial–as does the response to such calls. What is the contemporary context in which we are asking the Lord to open the hearts and minds of our youth to hear His summons? What can or ought we do to enable His voice to be better heard?
Let me begin by being a bit autobiographical. I wanted to be a priest from the first day of kindergarten, and I entered the seminary straight out of high school. We were 37 seminarians who began our eight-year trek to the altar at Seton Hall University in 1968–that most horrible of years in the Church and society-at-large. On our first night, during the welcome event, we were asked to share our story very briefly. It struck me that all 37 of us had three things in common: We had all gone to twelve years of Catholic school; we had all been altar boys; we had all gone to the vocation club sponsored by the Passionist Fathers in Union City.
In the ensuing years, we have eroded all three of those sources of vocations as Catholic school enrollment has plummeted; as the advent of altar girls has caused many boys to sit it out; as all too many formators have looked askance at youthful vocations.
I began by speaking of “context.” What do I mean? As a high school teacher and administrator for many years, I considered our schools as veritable “seminaries,” as in “seed beds” for priestly vocations. I challenged every member of the school community to be a vocation promoter and director: “Do you think Joe might have the calling? Tell him you think he might. Ask him to consider it. Tell him you’ll be praying for him to be open to God’s will.”
What I was calling for was the establishment of a “vocation culture” in the school. One school was 28 years old when I inherited it: fourteen years before Vatican II and fourteen years after. In that entire time, it had sent only one boy to the seminary—and he didn’t last. In my four years there, we sent seven boys to the seminary—and all seven became priests. This didn’t happen because I am the Curé of Ars—because I am not. It happened because we had a “vocation culture” in our community.
So, what could or should we be doing to foster a climate in which a priestly call can be heard and answered? Let me suggest ten “best practices.”
1. We have to promote Catholic education. Having Catholic children in a government school is subjecting them to a toxic environment, which endangers their immortal souls: immoral sex education, atheistic scientism, an amoral philosophy of life. Although fewer than 20% of Catholic boys attend a Catholic school—unfortunately—they produce more than half of the ordinations every year. This is the goose that laid the golden egg, and it is not sufficiently appreciated. And, let me note as well, if a school is not producing vocations, there’s something wrong with the school! Furthermore, this also means making sure that your own children and grandchildren attend a Catholic school and, if you don’t fit into one of those categories, that you support our schools financially and morally.
2. We have to take seriously the omnipresent influence of materialism and instant gratification. Many years ago, I was very impressed by the way a fourth-grade boy had served Mass for me that whole week, at the end of which, I asked, “Gus, did you ever think about being a priest?” “Yup,” came the quick response. “That’s great. Stay close to Our Lord and to Monsignor. He taught me in high school and helped me along the way to the priesthood.” “Oh, I don’t want to be a priest anymore, though.” “Oh, what do you want to be now? A fireman? A policeman?” “No, I don’t know what I want to be, but I do know I don’t want to be a priest after I found out that you guys don’t make much money!” Imagine: By fourth grade, that boy had been sucked into the vortex of the God of Mammon.
3. We must form our boys and young men in the virtue of chastity. Surveys tell us that the average American begins having sex around the age of 12 or 13. If such a fellow enters the seminary right after high school, that could mean seven or eight years of promiscuous behavior; if after college, that would be even worse. As a priest told us in high school, “Gentlemen, sex is like candy; once you have a little, you always want more.” Nor can we forget the plague of pornography. A young priest shared with me that he is addicted to pornography. “How did this happen?” I asked. “When I was four or five, my Dad would say, ‘Tommy, come here. Take a look at this. Isn’t she something?’” And that introduction to pornography came from a father who was a practicing Catholic!
As an aside, neither materialism nor unchastity is good preparation for marriage, either.
4. Youthful commitment is very important. For at least two generations now, we have allowed young people to wander about life aimlessly; some of their elders have even encouraged it. In the Church, we have made a cottage industry of “discernment” which, to my way of thinking, is perpetuating delayed adolescence. Fifty years ago, it was not unusual for a man of eighteen or nineteen to be married, holding down a stable job, and on his way to being a father.
I had a conversation recently with a gentleman who is contemplating a priestly vocation, but his emotional gear is stuck in neutral. “How old are you, Tony?” I asked. “Thirty-nine,” came the response. “I was a priest for fourteen years at that age,” I replied. “Now you’re making me feel bad,” he said. “I hope so,” said I. We need to facilitate decision-making and also to lift up for emulation the beauty of a youthful “yes” to the Lord. St. John Henry Cardinal Newman waxed eloquent in that regard: “Blessed are they who give the flower of their days, and their strength of soul and body to Him; blessed are they who in their youth turn to Him who gave His life for them” (Sermon 16, “The Shepherd of Our Souls”).
An interesting “factoid”: The new Pope entered the seminary after eighth grade!
6. It is essential that we return priests to the education apostolate, especially in our high schools. In the 1980s, all too many bishops ran scared about a clergy shortage and yanked priests from full-time work in high schools to place them in parishes; it was a short-sighted if understandable move–but a disastrous move. All the studies show that, for the vast majority of priests, the call to priesthood first surfaced in grammar school but really blossomed in high school. The daily presence of a priest in the classroom, in the cafeteria, at games and dances is an indispensable presence, just as is that of the priest in his own parish school.
7. Parents’ attitudes are often quite problematic. In fact, most of the young men I have shepherded through formation encountered significant opposition from their parents–even parents who took their faith seriously.
Some years ago, my late mother was standing in line at the supermarket; the woman behind her recognized her and asked, “Didn’t your son go to St. Joe’s High School?” When my mother acknowledged that, the lady went on to ask how many priests had taught there in my time. Upon hearing that a then-new and tiny parish high school of 180 students had had five full-time priests, she expressed disgust that the same school of nearly 700 students today had not a single full-time priest. My mother smiled and said, “Maybe one of your four boys will become a priest and eventually be assigned to St. Joe’s.” “God forbid,” came the swift response; “I want my sons to have a real life.” To which, my mother responded, “So, it’s fine for my only child to become a priest, and it’s important to have priests teaching your children, but you don’t want any of yours to make the sacrifice?” I think you see what I mean. Vocation recruitment is the responsibility of everyone in the Church, with all cooperating according to their specific abilities and states in life. When that is an ecclesial fact of life, our problem will not be a vocations shortage, but a vocations glut.
8. We have to be clear about roles and identity issues. St. John Paul II frequently decried what he called “the laicization of the clergy and clericalization of the laity.” When every priestly task is portioned out to lay people, save allowing him the sole task of the consecration at Mass and absolution in Confession, the image created is that of nothing more than a sacramental magician—and that appeals to no young man. Or, as one eighth-grader once said to me: “Why study for eight years, make a small salary, have to go wherever the bishop sends you, when my grandmother already gives out Communion?” Why, indeed!
9. The bad-mouthing of priests has to stop; it is poisonous. Now, that doesn’t mean to pretend that all priests are angels—because they’re not. It does mean, however, adopting a proper stance in their regard: Affirming good priests and challenging the lukewarm or even the few who are, objectively speaking, bad. When a priest celebrates the Sacred Liturgy properly, with devotion and according to the mind of the Church; when he preaches an effective homily, particularly dealing with an unpopular topic; when he teaches consistently and effectively what the Church teaches; when his life-style is a mirror-image of what he preaches and teaches, always looking and acting like a priest; see it as your personal privilege and obligation to let him that know you notice these things, that you appreciate them, that you thank our Heavenly Father for allowing him to be so clear a sign of His divine Son’s holy priesthood.
On the other hand, when priests fail to be the type of men Christ and His Church desire and deserve, do not be afraid to speak to them, charitably but firmly, of their responsibilities and your legitimate needs, indeed, your rights. St. Catherine of Siena never hesitated to speak thus to the Sovereign Pontiff himself—all the while referring to him constantly as “my dear sweet Christ on earth.”
10. Develop an attitude of gratitude for the priesthood in general and for individual priests in particular. Therefore, pray for priests. Take some time every day to lift up in prayer the priests who introduced you to the Christian life or nourished it: the priest who baptized you, the priest who heard your first confession, the priest who gave you your First Holy Communion, the bishop or priest who confirmed you, the priest who witnessed your marriage or received your vows, the priest who may have anointed you.
In 1992, Saint John Paul issued an apostolic exhortation on priestly formation. He entitled it, Pastores Dabo Vobis, harking back to the prophecy of Jeremiah as God assured His people: “I will give you shepherds after my own heart.” The “will” of that verb is not a simple future tense; it conveys a determination on God’s part to give us the shepherds that we need.
Therefore, even when society tries to dirty our faces, God says, Pastores dabo vobis. Even when some in Church leadership sit on their hands in the face of crises, God says, Pastores dabo vobis. Even when the vessels of election show themselves to be vessels of clay, God says, Pastores dabo vobis. And they are to be shepherds of a most special kind—shepherds after the heart of none other than the Good Shepherd Himself.
The Holy Father reflects on the divine pledge thus:
Today, this promise of God is still living and at work in the Church. At all times, she knows she is the fortunate receiver of these prophetic words. She sees them put into practice daily in so many parts of the world, or rather, in so many human hearts, young hearts in particular. On the threshold of the third millennium, and in the face of the serious and urgent needs which confront the Church and the world, she yearns to see this promise fulfilled in a new and richer way, more intensely and effectively; she hopes for an extraordinary outpouring of the Spirit of Pentecost. [n. 82]
My dear friends, may our poor prayers and efforts always seek to be worthy of God’s holy determination to provide His flock with the shepherds it needs, shepherds of appropriate quality and quantity, shepherds after the Lord’s own heart.
An old adage asserts: “You always get the priests you deserve.” A woman once asked me, “How did we get so many weirdos in the priesthood?”
Said I: “You gave them to us; they came from your homes and neighborhoods!”
A corollary to that is the all-too-frequent complaint about parishes being staffed by foreign clergy, with a particular lament about their accents. I saw a video a few weeks ago of an African priest preaching and then stopping to say: “I know many of you say you find me hard to understand, but this is the best you’re gonna get until you produce your own priests.” African bluntness for a reality check.
For more than a quarter of a century, Pope John Paul sent a letter to the priests of the world as his personal gift to us each Holy Thursday. I wish to conclude these reflections with a most poignant passage from his letter of 1979, the very first of his pontificate. For those whose hearts have grown cold and ungrateful, for those who take for granted or even have little esteem for either the priesthood or the Eucharist, listen to these words of John Paul II, the twentieth anniversary of whose death we marked last month:
Think of the places where people anxiously await a priest, and where for many years, feeling the lack of such a priest, they do not cease to hope for his presence. And sometimes it happens that they meet in an abandoned shrine, and place on the altar a stole which they still keep, and recite all the prayers of the Eucharistic Liturgy; and then, at the moment that corresponds to the trans-substantiation a deep silence comes down upon them, a silence sometimes broken by a sob. . . so ardently do they desire to hear the words that only the lips of a priest can efficaciously utter.
I hope you realize how fortunate you are to have priests literally at your beck and call. As an act of thanksgiving for such a gift, on this World Day of Prayer for Vocations, make a commitment to be part of a “vocation culture,” as we pray:
Lord, give us priests.
Lord, give us holy priests.
Lord, give us many holy priests.
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Is clericalism really bad? Perhaps we have gone too far the other way!
All good points, but think the days of vocations, sad to say, coming out of high schools are long gone. Catholic high schools are super expensive. Also when I was considering it, I found the religion teacher to be not what I wanted my children exposed too. The teacher had her own version of Catholicism. So if your going to spend the money for a Catholic Education it must be Catholic, not just in Catholic in name only.
Going beyond that it looks like now priestly vocations are now coming later in life. This might be a good thing in that the new priests have seen the secular world and in effect reject it to serve Christ. So while it would be great if high schools were vocation centers, in todays world, the emphasis for building priestly vocations should be on Newman Centers and related organizations.
I was at Holy Innocents this morning for this homily. I will add that it starts with people actually getting married and having children. Children– and priests– don’t grow on trees. You can’t encourage a child you never had, and marriages start with a man and a woman who are committed to each other and to rearing faithful Catholic children. Then all the rest of this comes into play. As far as Catholic schools, one has to be wary– if any even exist nearby when so many have closed for any number of reasons. That’s why so many vocations come from homeschooled boys these days. It’s the only safe bet for many parents.
In the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas, where ordinations are the highest, per capita, in the US. I may have missed it, but Eucharist Adoration was not a point of mention. The importance of Eucharist Adoration in parishes is paramount to increasing priestly vocations. Mamy parishes in the Diocese of Wichita have perpetual adoration 24/7 or almost 24/7. The article was fine but many other things can influence a young man. As the parent of a priest, remember, “if a man enters the Seminary thinking he will be a priest, he will likely leave the Seminary as a Seminarian.” Let the Holy Spirit do his thing and stay out of the way
“if a man enters the Seminary thinking he will be a priest, he will likely leave the Seminary as a Seminarian.”
I have never heard anything so ridiculous. What’s he supposed to think he will become? A lawyer? A doctor?
As for Wichita, it’s the only diocese in the country with a totally free K-12 Catholic school system — validating my point about the importance of our schools!
I believe what he my be referring to is to ‘answer the call,’ first, vs ‘becoming a priest.’ It can be a bit overwhelming if you just plan/decide on the latter. It is definitely a crisis, and many of us are resigned to eventually you may have to travel a distance to attend mass, and the community priest will be replaced by deacons.
At one time, 30 years ago? the Boston bishops said to give us your worst and we can help them (in schools; perhaps someone can expound on/correct my memory recall if needed)- but people in the cities are voting in the liberals over and over again, and they don’t believe in the voucher system; in most rural areas we have to charge for attending a Catholic school; (hopefully something good comes out of the pending Oklahoma case). Almost no one will, or can work for free anymore, and to be honest they don’t know how to teach the Catholic faith or understand the sacrifice our recent ancestors went through; let alone teach how to follow the catechism. I have a friend that works for a Catholic health system and the vast majority of coworkers don’t espouse Catholic beliefs (argue FOR abortion around the water cooler, for example), and they hate Trump.
Perhaps Thomas tried to suggest that some men discern out of seminary. I had high hopes for one young man who did that and was sorely disappointed. I was told that the percentage discerning out may be higher than those staying in, but I don’t know if that is in fact true.
Always faithful telling us about the realities of priesthood, the challenges, the glories. That is, glory in suffering abuse from parishioners, the slings and arrows of a secularized culture. The failures all of us have to contend with, refuge in the wounds of Christ.
We’re not experiencing an avalanche of vocations. Young men require the examples of the greats, Damian de Veuster, Nigerian martyr priests, the elderly presbyter [not the ones retired in FL] two steps from death still forcing himself to brear Christ to his lambs. It’s the drama of assuming the cross, making it a real life reality. Young men, the red blooded ones require the vision of the bloodied Christ as their standard. Hollywood stuff won’t do.
Mistakenly wrote brear rather than bear, to carry. As it stands, old English brear refers to a thorny briar of roses. Being inclined to poetic verse though not a poet, I thought there’s mistaken beauty here. Christ’s life was one of roses and thorns. Many persons priests visit in medical centers suffer the thorns. The Holy Eucharist is likened to a rose emerging from the thorns and spikes of crucifixion. We may reference this to their suffering.
Comments here discuss the importance of family and religious education. A rich source for vocations. That was yesterday. There are fewer such families. It seems the call to priesthood can appeal to any young man whatever his background if he has some sense of justice and good, of the meaning of love. My sense is that today the appeal to the priesthood can be couched in language that touches the heart, the perception of justice, the mission of bearing Light to those in a darkened world.
This was a wonderful essay and I agree with what was said. Too many “catholic” families dont appear to be invested in the religious education of their children. When the kids show up for Mass they clearly dont know ever the most basic prayer, when to kneel, or to genuflect in front of the tabernacle. They do not attend Mass in general, or if they do, its rare. First, many never bother to get married in a catholic church. They dont want to go to pre-cana, are likely already living together. Sadly, the priests seem to be ok with that. A friend told me when their adult child went to get their baby baptized recently after having had a non-catholic wedding, the priest asked if they intended to attend church or eventually get married in the church. The answer was no, but the priest accommodated them with the baptism anyway. When church membership is treated like a breakfast buffet, select what you want and reject what you don’t, it will not be valued. I would like to hear our priests say “NO” to people a lot more, and let the chips fall where they may. I dont believe we should be trying to retain people as members at ANY cost when they have no respect for the rules and belief system. A smaller more faithful congregation might be a better idea. Stand for SOMETHING. A religion with no rules to be observed has little value in my opinion. Certainly, it will produce no priests.
A few thoughts about post-Christian culture in free-fall, and its effects on the alternative vocations of either marriage or the priesthood, both of which are threatened. Undivided hearts in either case, as in freely choosing only one…
As for item #3–“the average American begins having sex around the age of 12 or 13.” Small wonder, then, that so many get locked into terminal LGBTQ tribalism. Some surveys report 17% of the upcoming generation have backed into this. Many by early experimentation, but also sexual abuse and parental estrangement or abandonment.
As for item #8–“my grandmother already gives out Communion.” Erased today is the sacral and sacramental understanding of creation ex nihilo, from nothing, and not even from some kind of pre-existing matter.
The absolute simplicity and spirituality of triune and Uncreated Love. A refreshing signal was Pope Leo XIV on the balcony—vested in papal attire once again, as if the papacy should remind us of the kingship of Christ. Whose divine and personal relationship with each of us is not reflected in shirtsleeve Fr. Joe sharing finger food with Susie Coed, while voting equally on whether the unambiguous Natural Law or sacramental Holy Orders still exist in any meaningful way.
As for mind games confusing the celibate priesthood or religious life, this from the former preacher of the papal household:
“…it is not a question of a virgin man or woman renouncing a ‘concrete’ love for the sake of an ‘abstract’ one, a real person for an imaginary one. It is a matter of renouncing one concrete love for another concrete love, one real person for Another Who is infinitely more real. The difference is that in one case the union is ‘according to the flesh,’ in the other ‘according to the Spirit’; in one case the couple form ‘one flesh,’ in the other, they form ‘one spirit.’ Indeed, it is written that ‘anyone who attaches himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him’ (1 Cor 6:17)” (Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap, “Virginity: A Positive Approach to Celibacy for the Sake of the Kingdom of Heaven,” Alba House, 1995, pp. 23-24).
The entire book can be read in one sitting (96 small pages). The second half assures the wisdom of balance: “Matrimony and Virginity: Two Charisms,” both learning from each other and ordered in their distinct ways to the “common good,” rather than privately.
If you don’t have babies, you’re not going to get priests.
Exactly Miss Cleo.
It is not just the lack of children.
If parents believe that the seminaries (indeed the hierarchy as a whole) is, um, not especially chaste (Janet Smith has an opinion piece on what the new Pope must take care of during this reign over at Crisis Magazine), they aren’t too likely to be happy about their sons (and they may only have the one) going in to the priesthood.
Every time that I leave the confessional I say two things before departing: “Thank you for hearing my confession and thank you for being a priest.”
Invariably they are taken aback by being thanked for being a priest. I like to think that my thank you comforts, encourages and inspires them.
That’s a great idea Mr. Meynier. Thank you so much for sharing that. We thank our law enforcement & military for their service, but can fail to remember to thank our clergy.
My brother was in the seminary in the 60s and all but one ‘fell off the wall’ is what they called it. One did complete and became a priest.
Fr. Stravinskas omits entirely what I believe to be the two most important impediments to vocations today. First, we have to restore the role of the priest at Holy Mass. (But of course, in order to do that, we must first restore the liturgy.) Frankly, I wonder about the emotional stability and spiritual maturity of any young man who would wish to dedicate his life to celebrating what passes for liturgy in the average Catholic parish today. Secondly, we must have a pope and bishops who do not abuse and persecute orthodox priests, and promote and defend the heterodox, the homophile, and the heretic. I have known very few good, holy, Catholic priests who have NOT been persecuted, sometimes severely, by their own bishop.
I believe I did address the liturgical issue. Read more carefully!
Well, not exactly in the way I intended to say… The Novus Ordo, irrespective of what we want it to be, is what it is: the Mass of the laity, not the priesthood. It encourages this false sense of participation and collaboration. It will never produce enough vocations. And I do not believe it is reformable, unless we make it much much more like the Vetus Ordo, at which point we may as well use the older rite.
“The Novus Ordo, irrespective of what we want it to be, is what it is: the Mass of the laity, not the priesthood. It encourages this false sense of participation and collaboration.”
I could not disagree more. For a start, Mass is of clergy and laity both, together. Next comes the orientation of Mass. It is supposed to be oriented (spiritually) towards God and not towards a priest or laity. Some priests manage to make it about themselves, via involving laity in an inappropriate way (like becoming “entertaining”).
Novus Ordo, unfortunately, can be easily turned into “Mass about ourselves”, not about God. Yet Novus Ordo Mass celebrated in the Westminster Cathedral, London, was the most reverend Mass I have participated in. And beautiful as well.
Thank you Anna. From a Novus Ordo priest.
Just today, CWR carries an interview with the directors of a new liturgical institute at Christendom College. Director Dr. R. Matava describes liturgy:
“Liturgical worship is the central act of any Christian life. The liturgy makes present the saving deeds of Jesus so that the faithful can partake of the redemption he offers and even cooperate with him in accomplishing the salvation of the world. This holds the key to the meaning of any Christian’s life. It is Jesus who gives liturgy, including the sacraments, to the Church. Liturgical acts are primarily his acts: the liturgy is the public worship that Jesus renders to the Father.”
Arguments contrasting VO and NO obscure or diminish what each IS and SHOULD be about.
I suspect many seminaries are in need of reform. A young man man finding himself in an odd-ball seminary would consider transferring but the option has to be identifiable. Acting on it could bear out the mark of true initiative of his priesthood.
CHURCH MILITANT people were on the forefront of this issue but it seems didn’t handle it coherently and in the event alienated the local ordinary at the time and gentry.
Consider how far-gone some seminary situations could be by now, from director of formation to spiritual director to librarian to teaching staff to group activity to parish links and to vocation-understanding links connected in different orders.
Some order have really wacky wings long thriving within them.
I mentioned some time ago about the problem of resistance. Unless there is a sudden total overhaul of a seminary, the malaise inside it will tend to persist and later take advantage of any opportunity to reassert itself like any chronic disease or malignancy.
You have to recognize the different and separate problems and how they relate. There is everything from homosexualism to inherited Jansenism to Pelagian dating to criminal acquiescence-support in contraception/abortion lifestyle and basic obstinacy.
A demonstration of past -tried and re-sought- tactics and of determination –
‘ It’s worth recalling this bit of history when considering the currently popular line about the culture war. That war is over, it’s said, and the culture warriors fighting for traditional values should recognize its ending and accept the fact that they lost. Those of their opponents who persist are somewhere between troublesome and dangerous and should be suppressed. ‘
https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2014/12/11/why-the-culture-war-continues-and-must-continue/