January 28, 2019

Year for Vocations: Father David Aufiero

REGIONAL

During this Year for Vocations in the Springfield Diocese, Catholic Communications has invited seminarians and priests, both active and retired, to participate in a “mini-survey” by submitting answers to three questions. Their answers will be posted in The Catholic Mirror, on iobserve.org and the Catholic Communications Facebook page, and in the Parish Packet for use in parish bulletins.

Here are the responses from Father David Aufiero, pastor of Holy Name Parish in Springfield.

What gives you the most joy as a priest?

The most joy I get is celebrating the Mass and preaching. Celebrating Mass is a great way to start the day.

What do you find most inspiring about the Catholic faith?

The Eucharist and the apostolic mission of the church. I also find the lives of the saints particularly helpful. It is inspiring to read about the men and women who have lived courageously through different challenges in the life of the church.

What gives you hope for the future of vocations in the Catholic Church?

Despite some of the hardships we have recently faced, Catholics remain enthusiastic about sharing their faith. There are different podcasts and uses of social media that people of all ages can plug into to get a closer look at what our faith teaches.

I also attended a Steubenville East Conference this past summer and it overwhelmed me to see how young men marched toward the stage when they were asked if they thought about a vocation to the priesthood at the end of the conference. The same happened when young women were asked if they were thinking about the religious life.

Lastly, on the parish level, there are many teens and young adults whom I have the privilege of meeting and they are well spoken, well educated, and desire to learn more about their faith.