BEAR — When we talk about vocations, it is important to know that God is with us. God is leading us if we are open to his voice.
That was the message Bishop Koenig had for about a dozen high school-aged boys who gathered at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church on March 13 for “Pass the Word,” the annual event held by the diocesan vocations office. The students came from Aquinas Academy, St. Elizabeth High School, Saint Mark’s High School, plus a few who are home-schooled.
During his homily at the Mass, the bishop asked the boys to do three things: look out, look in and look up.
Bishop Koenig recalled that when he was in eighth grade, he went to a presentation by three boys who attended St. Pius, a minor seminary. He liked what he heard and decided to attend the school.
“That is one of the ways that God can be speaking to you and calling you to consider being a priest,” he said.
“As we look out, God speaks to us in the ways that we see people. We realize how they can help others, how they can impact others, how they can contribute to building this world.”
Looking in, Bishop Koenig said, is what it sounds like. We should look at ourselves and realize the gifts and talents that we have that would benefit others.
The bishop recalled the story of St. Ignatius, one of the founders of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits. Ignatius was a soldier early in his life and was seriously injured when his leg was broken by a cannonball.
During his convalescence, Ignatius thought about what he wanted to do. He read about the lives of the saints, and instead of being a soldier, he thought about dedicating his life to God.
“When he thought about being a soldier, that peacefulness left,” Bishop Koenig said. “As he thought about being a saint, that sense of contentment and peacefulness continued. He realized that was God’s voice speaking to him. ‘This is who I’ve created you to be.’”
Lastly, the bishop suggested the boys look up. St. Paul is a great example. St. Paul, he said, was very aware of what he was called to do, which is be a missionary for Christ. That was clear through his writings, Bishop Koenig said.
St. Paul recognized his own limitations and let God work through him.
“Let us, above all, open our hearts to God’s voice, the way that God speaks to us, to one another,” Bishop Koenig said.
After Mass, several of the participants spoke about their decision to attend Pass the Word. Dominic Gaunt, a junior at Aquinas Academy and a parishioner at St. Patrick in Wilmington, said he attended last year. He has thought that perhaps the priesthood is part of his future, but he was happy to be at Pass the Word nonetheless.
“It’s just a great day to talk about our vocations and what we feel we’re going to do in the future. I’m excited to see what today will bring,” Gaunt said.
Gaunt liked that last year the students had some one-on-one time with the seminarians.
“We got to talk about what we were thinking about for the future and anything else we had struggles with. I’m excited, and I hope that we talk about that again,” he said.
Seth Fagles, a freshman at Aquinas who attends church at St. Paul’s in Delaware City, said he also has thought about the priesthood and he wanted to learn more. There were also other reasons he liked being there.
“I’m always excited to come to Mass and adoration,” he said.
St. Elizabeth sophomores Zachary Tolvaisa and Landen Reyburn were making their first trip to Pass the Word. Both are parishioners at St. Elizabeth and know Father Norman Carroll, the diocesan director of vocations, pretty well. Father Carroll, now the pastor at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, used to lead St. Elizabeth. (As Father Carroll noted at Pass the Word, he also used to be pastor at St. Benedict Parish in Ridgely, Md., and its mission, St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Denton, Md., meaning he’d been pastor of every St. Elizabeth in the diocese.)
Tolvaisa said he really hadn’t thought about the priesthood, but he was interested in hearing what the seminarians had to say.
“I want to hear their stories,” Tolvaisa said. I like hearing about the newer guys.”
Reyburn said it was a good opportunity to focus on his faith. He wanted to learn about “what (priests) do, how they are.”
Alex Ralsten, a senior at Saint Mark’s, is headed to Auburn University next year. He said he wanted to “discern what is right for me.
“I want to keep myself open to whatever God has for me, whatever opportunities lie ahead. Coming into today with an open mind and an open heart, see where it leads me,” said Ralsten, a member of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Hockessin.
Tolvaisa noted that many of the seminarians for the diocese were out of high school for several years before realizing that the priesthood was their vocation.
“You never know,” he said.
One of those men, Kaya Manizade, spoke to the students before Mass. A parishioner at St. Francis de Sales in Salisbury, Md., he is in his first year of seminary. He said his time in the Army helped prepare him for this next step. In both institutions, he has answered a call, relied on others and given his life to the care of others.
He encouraged the boys to “do things that are intimidating, that are going to challenge you to grow. Go ahead and get out of your comfort zone.”
