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ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Salesian Sister Jennifer Kane is a living conversion story, who has gone, she said, from “bombs to Bibles.”
A 16-year military veteran who at one time was a missile systems engineer working on intercontinental nuclear weapons, Sister Jennifer is preparing to make her first profession of vows with the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco in August.
How does someone make the conversion? Read more »
The Diocese of Wilmington’s Vocations Guild has announced the names of the first- through fourth-grade winners of its annual Vocations Drawing Contest.
Brynn Fassano, a first-grader at St. John the Beloved School in Wilmington, submitted the winning art that answered the question, “What does a priest, sister, brother or deacon do?” Read more »
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis telephoned retired Pope Benedict XVI, the former Joseph Ratzinger, to wish him a happy “name day” on the feast of St. Joseph.
Pope Benedict has been following the many events taking place in Rome, especially the Mass, March 19, which formally marked the start of his successor’s ministry as bishop of Rome and as pope, the Vatican said.
The retired pope, who has been living at the papal villa in Castel Gandolfo, outside Rome, since Feb. 28, “has followed with strong interest the events these past days, especially this morning’s celebration” inaugurating Pope Francis’ ministry, the Vatican said in a written statement March 19.
Pope Benedict assured “his successor of his continued closeness in prayer,” the statement said.
Pope Francis called the retired pope in the late afternoon March 19 to send him best wishes on the feast of St. Joseph “and show him once more his and the church’s gratitude for his service,” the Vatican said.
The telephone conversation was “lengthy and cordial,” the Vatican said.
Pope Francis was scheduled to meet with his predecessor at Castel Gandolfo March 23.
During the March 19 Mass marking his installation, Pope Francis told the some 150,000 participants that it was a “coincidence rich in significance” that the start of his ministry would fall on the same day as the feast of St. Joseph, husband of Mary and patron of the universal church, and “also the name day of my venerable predecessor.”
“We are close to him with our prayers, full of affection and gratitude,” he told the crowds as they applauded with enthusiasm.
Staff reporter
Although the director of priestly vocations for the diocese is technically a one-man job, Father David Kelley emphasizes that it takes many, many people to lead men from one station in life through seminary studies to the priesthood.
“It’s an impossible job for just one person,” said Father Kelley, who assumed the position last July, along with the pastorate of St. Joseph’s Parish in Middletown.
“When they stand there at ordination, it’s this huge community that’s brought them there,” he added. “We tend to forget that.”
Since his appointment, Father Kelley has been focusing mainly on the fourth of Bishop Malooly’s priorities for the future of the Diocese of Wilmington. That priority has to do with vocations, primarily to the priesthood, and Father Kelley is the chairman of the committee that will handle this priority. Until the committee figures out where it is headed, it makes little sense to institute any changes, he said.
In a general sense, however, the priest knows what his job is and how he will approach it. A principal facet is supporting those who have expressed an interest in the priesthood.
“When someone first calls the office and says that he has some kind of calling, may believe he has a vocation and would like to talk about it, where do we go from there?” he asked.
Drumming up interest, or asking young men to consider whether their future might lie in ordained ministry, is another part of the job.
“In a sense it’s recruiting. It’s not quite like military recruiting, but a lot of people will use that term, and that’s a fair term,” he said. “There’s a lot of studies that have been done over the last few years that have tried to target when’s a good time to raise some of these issues with young people.”
Approaching young people does not necessarily mean that they will head to the seminary; it is more to ask them if they have considered the possibility of a vocation. It is similar to having parents come into school on career day and talking about what they do for a living, Father Kelley said.
“You can go in and talk to a group of sixth-graders and you’re not expecting them to be going into the seminary in the next couple years, but down the road you’ve planted a seed,” he said.
Seven seminarians
The diocese currently has seven seminarians. Two are juniors in the college seminary at Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J. The other five are in major seminary, which Father Kelley described as a graduate school of sorts. Of those five, one is at Immaculate Conception Seminary, also located at Seton Hall, while the other four are at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore.
Three of the men are transitional deacons and hope to be ordained this June.
Before being assigned to St. Joseph’s and the vocations position, Father Kelley was the pastor at St. Ann’s in Bethany Beach for 12 years and was in Ridgely, Md., before that, so he did not know the seminarians until last summer, when he met with them.
“I’ve been pretty impressed with the guys that we have. They’re working to be holy, and they’ve got a lot to offer the church at the diocesan and parish level,” he said.
Attracting men to the priesthood is challenging, Father Kelley said.
“As they say, nothing is impossible with God, but it doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. I understand it’s not an easy position to be in. You’d like to have lots of folks showing up and wanting to do it. It takes an awful lot of patience.”
This kind of work is not what Father Kelley was used to in his prior life. He was an engineer before entering the priesthood, and he was used to having projects that followed schedules until completed. As a vocations director, he will encourage and plant seeds and listen, but there is no guarantee that it will result in a vocation.
Work of the church
His vision is that this is more than a one-man job. Parish priests, he said, know their parishioners and would have a better inkling of whether someone might have a vocation. The priests do not need to actively recruit.
“Keep an eye out and offer encouragement to anyone, or even just ask the question, ‘Have you ever thought about it?’ That’s usually an important thing,” Father Kelley said.
Priests should be open to talking about their own ministry and be ready to answer questions about why they entered the priesthood, what they like, if they find it fulfilling, if they are happy, he said.
He also would like to form a group of people to work on programs for various age groups.
“You don’t appeal to a sixth-grader as you do to a 24- or 25-year-old. How do you make them think about a possible vocation?” he asked.
Once a person makes that decision, he needs the support of family and friends, co-workers (if he is coming from the working world), the vocations director and staff, the seminary system and more.
“It’s the work of the whole church,” he said.
Staff reporter
Vocations directors from two congregations of women religious with a significant presence in the Diocese of Wilmington know the numbers of women entering their orders will never approach what they were 50 years ago. They also know, however, that there are women for whom religious life is the direction they want to take.
“I think it’s an important witness in our world today. We’re called to be of service, to be that witness,” said Sister Mary Beth Antonelli, director of East Coast vocations for the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia.
The Franciscans currently have three women in their novitiate, Sister Mary Beth said. One is in her late 20s, one in her 30s and another who is older.
More important than numbers is quality, said Sister John Marie, the vocation director for the Oblate Sisters of St. Francis de Sales in Childs, Md. The Oblate Sisters have initiated a few programs designed to help women discern whether this life is for them.
At De Sales University in Center Valley, Pa., an Oblate has started a discernment group, and the congregation has partnered with the Diocese of Arlington, Va., to hold a weeklong program where women can ponder vocations, talk with each other and ask questions. Just recently, Sister John Marie said, the sisters opened a retreat house in Galena, Md., where groups of three or four women can rest, take a canoe ride, “spend time with the sisters, if you want to ask questions, if you want to talk. It’s a beautiful experience.”
The group at De Sales gives young women a chance to think seriously about their future, so the talk is not only about religious life, but married life and consecrated life as well, Sister John Marie said.
“We’re trying to help young girls who perhaps are confused or frightened,” she said. “It’s mostly, ‘I want to talk about my future.’ How do you know what is the true way for you? Your time is often spent reassuring them.”
The Oblates have 11 sisters in residence in Childs, where they operate Mount Aviat Academy. In the Diocese of Wilmington, the Franciscans minister primarily in parishes, at St. Francis Hospital and with the Ministry of Caring, but their motherhouse in Aston is next to Neumann University, which the congregation founded. Sister Mary Beth said the sisters have a good relationship with the students at Neumann.
Sister Mary Beth works on service projects with the students, and groups of young people visit the motherhouse for dinner and to get to know the sisters.
“They get to know our sisters,” she said, who inform the young people about their way of life.
“There aren’t as many religious in the schools now, so it allows them to meet religious and hear a little about our lives,” she said.
When Sister Mary Beth visits schools, she talks about religious life in general and how everyone is called to a vocation and has a baptismal call. For some, the way to live out their faith life is through religious life. Her goal for those visits is to cause people to think.
“It’s like planting the seeds, as far as visiting the high schools and the grade schools. It’s important for them to know that a vocation to religious life is an option for them down the line as they get older,” she said.
The Franciscans also hold gatherings with other congregations, where those who may have a vocation can hear about the differences between orders. Each has its own charism, which is its spiritual orientation and any unique characteristics specific to that order.
“We encourage young people to explore the possibilities of the different congregations so they can see what is a fit for them,” Sister Mary Beth said.
Upswing in some areas
Each congregation has its own specific timeline for new vocations, but in general a young woman will spend a year as a postulant, then another year or two as a novice, followed by annual temporary vows and, lastly, final vows.
“By that time, you surely know if you’re finding fulfillment in the life or not,” Sister John Marie said.
The Oblates have one sister who will be making final vows this June.
The Oblate novitiates in South America and Africa are doing well, Sister John Marie said, while the motherhouse in France has seen an upswing in vocations as well. The sisters in the United States are doing “whatever we can to help foster that movement.”
Sister Mary Beth finds her role with the Franciscans to be very rewarding because she has the opportunity to meet with young people who are serious about their relationship with God. And a vocation, to her, is about living out that relationship.
“I believe there are young people who are searching for that way that is the best way to live out their relationship with God,” she said.
The prophet Samuel heard the Lord calling his name in the middle of the night. Ordinarily, however, we hear God calling us through the circumstances of life and the deep longings of the heart. In any event, Samuel’s simple prayer is the best response we can give: “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening” (1 Sam 3:10).
Sister Virginia Peckham is striving earnestly to listen to the Lord’s call. She is the newest member of our religious community, the Little Sisters of Jesus and Mary. On Oct. 8, she received the veil and became a postulant. She has been busy ever since learning about our way of life and our ministry to the poor on the lower Delmarva Peninsula.
Born in New York, Sister Virginia lived in New York City for many years and worked as an editor, writer, and artist. She married Hugh Gumpel, another artist, and they eventually settled in Maine.
After her husband died, Sister Virginia began to revisit thoughts she once had about becoming a missionary:
“I decided to look at religious communities rather than short- or long-term missions because I wanted to jump into the religious life with both feet. But my age, 60, was a problem. I got discouraged, but then a friend sent me the web address of Vocation Match, which pairs up religious communities with discerning candidates. I filled out the online questionnaire and found nine matches. Two contacted me.
“My initial phone conversation with the Little Sisters of Jesus and Mary was with Sister Pat Lennon. It was wonderful and great fun. And from their website it seemed to me it would be a good fit. The Little Sisters required that I consult a spiritual director, so I approached a local priest who had recently gone through a discernment process himself to become a contemplative. I met with him and explained my thoughts and feelings.
“He suggested I go ahead. He said that if a certain course of action both made my heart warm and at the same time served God, then it was the right choice. That helped me to choose between my current life, which was very comfortable and pleasant and of course familiar, and this religious life, which seemed attractive but also much more challenging and unknown.
“It wasn’t difficult to respond to my vocation because my life was so changed anyway when my husband died. He had been ill for several years and I was his main caregiver.
“The Little Sisters’ way of life combines intense prayer and service to the poor, with prayer at the center. That seemed right to me. I liked the fact that they wore a habit, too. I liked the idea of being everyone’s little sister, and the habit automatically conveys that you’re there to help, to serve, to be a friend. When I met the Little Sisters, I was delighted to discover how down-to-earth and humorous they are.
“It’s very rewarding to have a mission and purpose that I can wholeheartedly believe in. I find that praying the Divine Office gives me strength and stamina. The balance of work, prayer and recreation works well for me. Most of all, I’m grateful that my most important assignment is to become closer to Christ, because I am so in need of his joy and his peace.”
To learn more about the Little Sisters, their ministry, religious vocations for women, and resident volunteer opportunities for both men and women, visit www.thejosephhouse.org or email Sister Marilyn Bouchard at LSJM@comcast.net, call her at 410‑742‑9590, or write to her at P.O. Box 1755, Salisbury, MD 21802.
Staff reporter
NEWARK — Inside the Jeanne Jugan Residence, two young men who are just beginning their journey as Franciscans are helping bring companionship and the faith to others, many of whom are more than 50 years older than them.
Casey Cole and Dennis Bennett are among five postulants who are in the midst of their formation for the Franciscans’ Holy Name Province. Two others are working at St. Francis Inn Ministries in Philadelphia, which includes a soup kitchen, women’s shelter, thrift store and social services center. The other one is in parish ministry at St. Paul’s in Wilmington, where the five live.
The U.S. Catholic Church is celebrating National Vocation Awareness Week to promote vocations to the priesthood, diaconate and consecrated life through prayer and education.
This distinctive week gives Catholics an opportunity to renew prayers and support for those who are considering one of these vocations. Read more »
Pray and work “That in all things God may be glorified.” The Benedictine Sisters of Ridgely, Md., strive to fulfill this directive of their founder, St. Benedict. On Nov. 16, 2011, the feast of their patroness, St. Gertrude the Great, the sisters rejoiced to receive a new novice, Jo-El McLaughlin, who joined them in their seeking of God.
Though they are involved in various active ministries, the primary ministries of Benedictines are communal prayer — “The Work of God” — and the formation of Christian community. From these core ministries flow the external ones. Read more »
“A vocation to consecrated life, like every true vocation, is necessarily described within the context of mystery: the mystery of God’s call and the mystery of human freedom.”
– Constitutions of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia
The above quote expresses in a beautiful way the call of God within my life. I have always felt a close relationship with God since the time I was young and have always felt drawn to deepen this relationship. I was brought up in a loving and caring family. Our Catholic faith was a very important part of our lives. I remember praying the rosary and going to church together. My parents modeled for us what it meant to be generous and faith-filled people. It is their loving example and God’s grace in my life that led me to religious life. Read more »
