November 10, 2021

Diocesan vocations recruiter says God is still calling young people

REGIONAL
By Rebecca Drake

Father Jonathan Reardon, director of vocations recruitment for the Springfield Diocese, celebrates the Nov. 7 “Chalice of Salvation” Mass. (Photo from video by Catholic Communications)

SPRINGFIELD – As the Catholic Church in the U.S. marks National Vocations Week Nov. 7-13, Father Jonathan Reardon, director of vocations recruitment for the Diocese of Springfield, offered words of hope and encouragement as celebrant of the diocese’s “Chalice of Salvation” televised Mass on Sunday. Nov. 7.

In his homily, Father Reardon referenced two recent events in the diocese that drew interest from local young men considering a call to priesthood: last summer’s Quo Vadis Retreat directed by Springfield Bishop William D. Byrne at Holy Family Church in South Deerfield, and the Oct. 18 St. Andrew Dinner held in Springfield.

Speaking of the St. Andrew Dinner, at which young men joined Bishop Byrne in conversations about the priesthood, Father Reardon said, “Recently Bishop Byrne and I, along with some of our other priests, gathered right here in this chapel with 18 young men all seriously considering a vocation to the priesthood.

“What a delightful evening of hope that brings to our diocese because that tells us that our Lord is still speaking to the hearts of our young people,” Father Reardon told the “Chalice” audience. “And as priests, what an evening we had to be able to share the joy of our priesthood, to be able to help these young men discern God’s will for their lives.”

In his “Chalice” homily, Father Reardon continued, “Vocations for the priesthood are out there. A week like this week allows us to share the joy of that vocation, allows us to be bold enough to speak to our young people, to raise awareness of a life of service and dedication to the church and the people of God.

“It affords us an opportunity to encourage and inspire our young people, first to faith, first to be disciples, to form a bond of love with our God, and from there he will show them their mission, from there he will speak to their hearts.”

During the homily, Father Reardon also shared a personal story about his own vocation journey.

“When I was around the same age as some of those young guys who were here the other night for our St. Andrew Dinner, I remember this one person in my life – here I am as a teenager trying to find my place, what does the Lord want?,” Father Reardon recalled. “I probably wasn’t too serious about it when I was in high school as a young man.

“I remember very vividly a friend of mine pulling me aside and saying, ‘Quit fooling around, you’re going to be a priest. That’s your call. That’s your mission. Stop messing around with other stuff. You’re going to be a priest.’ And if it wasn’t for that person, who knows where I’d be today, because that person, that woman, had the courage to lend her voice, to instill a seed to get me thinking, ‘Okay, maybe this is my mission, the mission of a priest.’”

In an interview with “Real to Reel” host Sharon Roulier airing after the “Chalice of Salvation” Mass, Father Reardon said all members of the church have a role to play in promoting vocations.

“The task of promoting vocations shouldn’t lie on the shoulders of one or two people because it’s the task of the whole church to encourage our young people, first of all to be disciples, to have faith,” he said. “And when we have faith and when we follow the Lord, he speaks. So it’s good for all of us, for the whole church, to encourage our young people to think about, ‘What does the Lord want from me? Where am I going? What is my place?’

“And maybe that place, for our young men, is a call to the priesthood, and for young women, a call to religious life. It is a way for all the church to come together and to help our young people discern what that place might be.”

The Nov. 7 “Chalice of Salvation” broadcast can be viewed in its entirety at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLMJIzcvNec