National conference rekindles zeal for ministry, vocation directors say

By John Gleason

The 45th National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors came to a close Oct. 1 with a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.

Some 225 vocation directors and vocation personnel from across the country participated in workshops, shared ideas and heard speakers at the conference coordinated by the Denver Archdiocese’s Office of Priestly Vocations.  The closing Mass was held at Our Lady of Loreto Church in Foxfield; conference presentations were held in Denver at the Hyatt Regency Tech Center hotel and at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary.

One presenter was Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of the Diocese of Raleigh, N.C., former rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, who spoke about the role the vocations director has in forming candidates for the priesthood.

Speaking to a packed audience, Bishop Burbidge made the point several times about how privileged they were to play such an active role in assisting in the vocations ministry.

“It is the work of the Holy Spirit in each of you,” Bishop Burbidge said. “(You’re) an instrument of the Lord in helping to train these men.  This is your strength.”

Jesus never asked us to produce our own light, the bishop said, but to shine in the radiance of Christ’s light and to reflect our relationship with him.

“Every day God provides us with the opportunity to bring his message,” the prelate said.  “And we must make use of that. I am concerned that young people tend to forget just how important they are to Jesus.  Your participation in the ministry of vocations includes bringing that message to them.”

Turning to the subject of the role of the bishop in the formation process, Bishop Burbidge spoke about how communication, especially on a one-on-one basis, is paramount in the vocation process.  He drew laughter when he told of one young student who had phoned him to report on a good grade he’d received in theology.

“I’m not sure I can see myself having done that,” he said.

One of those at the lecture was Father Brett Brannen, vice rector of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md.  Calling Bishop Burbidge’s talk fantastic, Father Brannen said the prelate’s message was a hopeful one. 

“His talk was very spiritual,” the priest said.  “Being a vocations director can often be very challenging work and to have Bishop Burbidge share his knowledge provides us with a wealth of information.”

Also on the list of speakers was Curtis Martin, president and founder of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students.  Addressing the topic “To hear the call, you need to know the caller,” Martin said some of the most exciting opportunities in the Church are happening today.

“The vocation directors are the ones who are going to facilitate (bringing) workers into the vineyard,” he said.

“While the Church speaks of the vocations crisis where men are called to the priesthood,” Martin continued, “there is a more fundamental vocation that affects every man, woman and child on earth and that is the call (the vocation) to follow Jesus Christ. Young people will be better prepared to answer the call to religious life or priesthood if they’ve already answered the call to follow Christ because if you don’t know the caller, you can’t hear the call.”

Martin said that in some ways it might be easier now than ever before to be a vocations director.

“The world is a pretty dark place now, culturally,” he said.  “And the bad thing about darkness is that you can’t see very much.  But the good thing is you can see much further in the day time.  What I mean is that in a dark culture the light of Christ shines deep into people’s hearts so that now to go out and speak to people and draw them back to the heart of the Church is a great opportunity.”

Father Randy Vashon of the Diocese of Metuchen, N.J., is on the planning committee for next year’s conference, which will take place in Newark.  He told the Denver Catholic Register that observing all that goes into the planning and execution of such a conference can be daunting, but the benefits come back ten-fold.

“There are many facets of what we as vocations directors have to do in our ministry,” he said.  “The conference is faith-filled and also equips individuals to bring back something to their dioceses—something that they might not have encountered or thought of before.

“This is the best place, the only place for a sharing of ideas to come from,” he added. ”That is the best part—that everyone helps everyone else.”