HEART BURN

Vocat ions Off ice The Archdiocese of Newark

March 2012

Volume 2, Issue 1

“...Were not our hearts burning within us?...” Luke 24:32

A letter from the Vocations Director

Rev. John D. Gabriel Director of Vocations

IN THIS ISSUE

Letter from the Vocations Director ……………………….. 1

Vocations Discernment evenings ……………………….. 2

Reflection: Fr. Paul Lehman ……………………….. 3

Spotlight on Seminarians Jesse Mazzola ………………………….. 4

On Mount Tabor’s Heights Sr. Theresia Maria Sr. Virginia Joy ……………………….. 8 Video Contest ………………………….. 12

Book Corner ……………………… 13

Spotlight on Seminarians Jose Javier Sanchez Pachon …………………………14

Prayer for Vocations and Excerpts from Pope Bene-dict XVI’s message for World Day of Prayer for Vocations 4/29/2012 …………………………15

ThisYearofFaithwill provide countlessopportunities for eachofusas individualsandasa localChurchtodeepenourownexperienceof faith,andtogrowinrelationshiptoChristandoneanother.IntheVocationsOf icewearealreadypreparingforseveraleventsthatcanhelpustohearthevoiceofChristcallingustothatdeeperfaithwhichexpressesitselfinservicetotheChurch. TheseeventswillincludeaFamilyVocationsDaytobegintheyearthis October, a Priestly Life and Vocations Summit entitled “Fishers ofMen”(anopportunity forpriests toremember thegraceof theirownvoca-tion and a plan for inviting youngmen to consider a priestly vocation), asummerVocationCamp forhigh school juniors andolder tobeheld in thesummerof2013,andgreateropportunitiesforyoungpeopletocometogeth-erand learnmoreaboutdiscernment inanatmosphereof faithand friend-ship.Moredetailswillfollow.Fornow,pleasecontinuetokeeptheworkoftheVocationsOf iceinprayer.LetusworktogethertoserveChristanden-courageouryouthtobeopentoHiscall. InhisNotewithPastoralRecommendationsfortheYearofFaith,Car-dinal Leveda stated: Faith  is the  lifelong companion that makes  it possible to perceive, ever anew, the marvels that God works for us. Intent on gathering the signs of the  mes  in the present of history, faith commits every one of us to be-come a living sign of the presence of the Risen Lord in the world. Faith is both a personal and a communal act: it is a gi  from God that is lived in the communion of  the Church and must be communicated  to  the world. Every  ini a ve  for  the Year of Faith should be designed to aid in the joyous rediscovery of the faith and its renewed transmission.  May thisYearof Faithbe a timeof grace for the en-

OnOctober11,2011ourHolyFatherPopeBen-edictXVIhasgiventheChurchagreatgift:inhisApos-tolicLetter“Porta Fidei”thePopehasdeclaredaYearof Faith.Thisspecialyear,whichwillbeginonOctober11,2012andcontinueuntiltheSolemnityofChristtheKing, November 24, 2013, is meant to highlight twosigni icanteventsinthelifeoftheChurch:the50thAn-niversary of the Second Vatican Council and the 20thAnniversary of the promulgation of the Catechism oftheCatholicChurchbyBlessedPopeJohnPaulII.

Archdiocese of Newark Office of Vocations ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Vocation Discernment Evenings 2011 - 2012

All begin at 7:30 pm at the Emmaus House of Discernment, 91 Washington Street, Newark NJ

All are welcome!

September 29, 2011 - “Lord help me to want to be what You want me to be.” What is a vocation? What are the possibilities?

Rev. John D. Gabriel, Archdiocesan Director of Vocations ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

October 20, 2011 - “Blessed Pope John Paul II: The Best Vocation Director” “Do Not Be Afraid!”

Rev. Manuel D. Rios, Pastor of St. Rocco, Union City ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

November 17, 2011 - “Signs of a Priestly Vocation” Exterior Manifestations of Interior Realities

Rev. Msgr. Joseph Reilly, Rector of St. Andrew’s College Seminary ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

December 15, 2011 - “Stay at the School of Mary” “Let it be done to me according to your will.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ January 6, 7, 8, 2012 - Discernment Retreat, Carmel Retreat house, Mahwah

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January 26, 2012 - “Rogate Ergo….. Pray Therefore” Prayer - the Center of any Project of Life

Fr. Gabriel Mary, Community of St. John, Mt. Carmel Church, Orange ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

February 23, 2012 - “Christ called and I stalled” Obstacles to Vocation Discernment

Rev. James Weiner, Pastor of St. Luke, Ho-Ho-Kus ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

March 29, 2012 - “God - Are You Talking to ME? So many voices: Which Ones Can I Trust?

Rev. Joseph Meager, Parochial Vicar, St. John the Baptist, Jersey City ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

April 19, 2012 - “TheTheology of the Body: Celibacy and Joy” “Imprint of the likeness to Christ: He Himself made this choice for the Kingdom.” JPII

Rev. Marc Vicari, Pastor of St. Cassian, Upper Montclair ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

May 17, 2012 - “Gazing on the Eucharistic Lord: A Vocation Dialogue” Sr. Theresia Maria, Apost. Sisters of St. John, and Assistant Vocations Director

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June 14, 2012 - “The Priesthood: Is Forever Possible?” “You are a priest forever, according to the Order of Melchizedek.”

Fr. Benedict Groeschel Franciscan Friars of the Renewal

“...all Christians are called

to a life of deep holiness…”

DearReader,Allowme irsttoexpressmygratitudefortheoppor-tunity toparticipate in theconclusionof the lastvocationaware-nessweekendheldattheMahwahretreatcenterJanuary6th,7thand 8th. It gave me an opportunity to brie ly encourage ouryoung participants tobe remindedofGod'saction in their lives.ThisawarenessisacallingtomindthatallChristiansarecalledtoa lifeofdeepholiness.This isaconsequenceofourBaptismandmembershipintheChurch.Thusthereisonlyonecalltoholiness,andoneuniversalvocation,acalltolivealifeofintimacywithJe-

susChrist.ThereisnosecondrateholinessintheChurch.Eachpersonincalledtoliveoutthatuniversalvocationtoholinessinparticularcallings.Formostitwillbeacalltomarriage.ButeverymemberoftheChurchlookingtodiscernhisorherfuture,shouldtakepauseandaskthebasicquestion:WhereshallIliveoutthatcalltoaholylife?Willitbeinmarriage,thereligiouslifeorthePriesthood?PermitmetotakeafewmomentstooutlinewhatIthinkcanbeelementsofaprocessthatwillhelpapersondiscerntheparticularvocationwithintheuniversalcalllaiduponallChristians.

1.)SinceGoddoeshaveaplanforeachofus,weobviouslyshouldgototheLord,askinghimtorevealthatplantous.Thusalifeofdailyconsistentprayerisabsolutelyindispensable.Itshouldcontain elements that involve reading the Scripturesnot somuch to learn,but rather to lis-ten; re lection (useof the intellect),meditatingonandanalyzing theWordofGod, theScrip-tures; followedby loving conversationorprayer (useof thewill); then a "listening", not somuchwith themind,but listeningattentively to themovements in theheartwhereGodcom-municatesthroughinnerleadings.IusuallyencourageusingtheMassreadingsassignedbytheChurchforproclamationthatdayduringtheliturgy.

2.Getaspiritualdirectorwhodoesnotreally"direct',buthelpsustolisten.Usuallyapriestwillbeabletodothis,butanyperson,whoiswillingtolistenandprayanddiscernwiththeperson,canhelp.

3.Canyoubecomfortableandevenhappywithacelibatelife?Wegiveupmarriage,notbecauseitisbad,butrathertochooseanotherformofloving.Thespiritualdirectorcanhelpagreatdealinthisarea.Weliveinaverychallengingandsexuallystimulatedsociety.Thisrealityhastobefaced.

4.DevotiontoMary.

Thereareothermorepersonal issues thataparticularpersonmayhave to face,butperhapsthesebasicsuggestionscanbeastartingpointinadiscernmentprocess,thatmayaddsomein-sightintoaparticularvocationapersonmayenterinto,ashisorherwayofleadingthatbeauti-fulChristianlifeofdeepaffectionforJesus.

Fr.PaulLehman-ArchdioceseofNewark

Before   entering the seminary,  I had a wide range of experiences which the Lord used  in one way or another to help me turn towards Him.  A er grad-ua ng  from Hofstra University with a BA  in  Inter-disciplinary  Studies  in  2001,  I  spent  a  few  years working  in  professional  hockey  in  a  number  of different capaci es,  including  me spent with  the New  York  Rangers  and  the  Na onal  Hockey League.               

Jesse with NY Ranger goaltender Henrik Lundqvist after he won the gold medal for Sweden in 2006

Jesse, by the way, is wearing the Gold Medal!

This experience was a dream come  true  for a kid from New  York  that  grew  up  loving  the  Rangers and playing endless hours of hockey.  In 2004, I le  NHL  Produc on  and  began  working  for  Fisher-Price Friends  in the Packaging Design department.  Not only did  I  learn a great deal about packaging and  the world of  toys, but  I  learned a great deal about myself during these years.  This was the mo-ment  in my  life when  I  realized  I wanted  to work for  the Church and  I probably wouldn’t be happy doing anything else.  This was the  me when I had a  true experience of  Jesus as a  real person  in my life and  I decided to devote my  life to Him.   A er ge ng very  involved  in my  local Parish, Saints Pe-ter and Paul in Hoboken, NJ, I decided to leave my job in Manha an and pursue a job in campus min-istry with the Archdiocese of Newark.  I worked as Campus Minister at the Newman Center in Newark for about three years, which were among the hap-piest of my  life.   The amount of  joy  I received do-ing  the  Lord’s work  on  a  full  me  basis  brought more  joy  to my  heart  then  I  had  experienced  in any other profession and  this  me  spent working for  the  Lord  helped  me  to  realize  how  happy  I could be as a priest. 

SOS Spotlight on Seminarians Jesse Mazzola Pre-Theology

Immaculate Conception Seminary

                   

This month, we turn the spotlight on a wonderful and passionate young man,  Jesse Mazzola who  is currently  in Pre-Theology  at  Immaculate Concep-on Seminary at Seton Hall.  Here is Jesse’s story! 

“One of my favorite scripture passages is from the Gospel  of  John when  Jesus  says  to  His  disciples “Peace  be with  you.  As  the  Father  has  sent me, even  so  I  send  you.”  (John  20:21)    Six  years  ago when  I  first  began  discerning  a  voca on  to  the priesthood,  I  spent  a  Sunday  a ernoon  reading about  the  life  of  St.  Louis  de Mon ort,  a  French priest  who  had  a  great  devo on  to  the  Blessed Mother, and my heart was burning as I considered what my  life would  be  like  if  I  became  a  priest.  That evening at Mass, I asked the Lord to speak to me through the Gospel reading and as I heard the-se words  being  proclaimed  by  the Deacon,  I  felt like Jesus was speaking directly to me: “As the Fa-ther has sent me, even so I send you”  I called my Father on  the phone shortly a er  this experience and  I  remember  telling  him  “Dad,  I  think  God wants me  to be a priest.”   My  family and  friends have been extremely suppor ve of my decision to enter  the Seminary.    I couldn’t ask  for more sup-port  from both my Father and my Mother.   They are so proud of their son and his decision to follow the Lord’s will in his life.   

Move-in Day at the Seminary

Jesse receiving a “First blessing” from a newly ordained priest.

Several years ago,  I went on a mission trip to King-ston  Jamaica  to  work  with  sick  and  handicapped children  living  in an orphanage.   One morning dur-ing this trip, our mission group spent the early hours of  the  morning  in  Eucharis c  Adora on  with  the children before having Mass celebrated for us along with having  the children  lead us  in praying  the Ro-sary.   A er  receiving  communion,  I  looked over at these children, most of them in wheelchairs, par ci-pa ng in the Mass and praying and I felt in my heart that  this was  the  closest  I  had  ever  come  to  the kingdom of Heaven.  

My  favorite way  to pray  would  most definitely be Eucha-ris c  Adora on.    I love  spending  me with our Lord Jesus, who is truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.    The world  can  get pre y loud and cra-zy  some mes  so spending  quiet me  with  Jesus  is 

o en very refresh-  Jesse on a mission! ing for me.  In add- i on to Adora on, I  love spending  me reading the Sacred Scriptures.   This  is o en a  me when  I  can hear the Lord speaking to me in my heart.    

The Rosary has also been a powerful tool in my life of prayer.   The Blessed Mother has come  through for me so many  mes and I’m sure she will con n-ue to do so.  She is a great treasure to all who love her Son.  Several years ago, when I was in a beau -ful  rela onship with  a  wonderful  holy woman  of God, I felt that the Lord might be calling me to sac-rifice  this  rela onship  and  follow  Him  into  the priesthood.    I prayed  to our Lady on her  feast day of  the  Immaculate  Concep on  giving  her  permis-sion to remove this person from my life if it was her Son’s will and on  the  feast of Our  Lady of Guada-lupe  that  year, we  broke  up.    This was  a  pivotal point in my journey to follow the Lord.  I thank God for  the  experience  of  being  in  this  beau ful  rela-onship and  I thank Him further for giving us both 

the grace to follow His will.  My  ideal  vision of  the  priest-hood  in  which  I can  see  myself serving  is  one with  passion, enthusiasm,  vig-or,  compassion, mercy,  faithful-ness and most of all,  love.    If  I am ordained  a priest,  I  would like to be a good spiritual  father to  a  community of  believers  and an evangelist  to  those  living  in my area.    I picture myself mee ng people  in the community (business owners,  families,  teachers,  police  officers,  poli -cians, etc…) and having an impact in their lives and in the lives of their families.  In my opinion, a priest needs to try to excite others about the faith handed down to us from the Apostles.  He inspires faith be-cause he himself is excited about the faith!  He is a man who ministers to the youth by teaching them to  value  the  gi s of  the Catholic  faith  and he en- courages  them  to prac ce  it  in  the  secular world.  He is a man who reaches out to the old and the sick who  are  in  great  need  of  receiving  the  love  of Christ.  I envision myself reaching out to the poor of 

During my  me as a campus minister at the New-man Center  in Newark,  I was  in charge of coordi-na ng, planning and execu ng Bible studies for the college students.    I spent a great deal of my  me preparing,  promo ng,  praying  for  and  execu ng these Bible studies.  The sa sfac on of being used as an  instrument of God to teach others the good news of the Gospel is tremendous.   

It brought me great joy seeing college students en-counter  Christ  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures.    In  addi-on,  I gave biblical or  theological  lectures  to  stu-

dents and young adults.  Preparing for a topic that needs  to  be  spoken  about  in  a  community  and overcoming challenges  to communica ng  it effec-vely    has  brought  great  fulfillment  and  sa sfac-on to my heart.  In addi on, I worked with a great 

team  to put on a number of retreats at  the New-man Center.   Anyone who has organized and put on  a  retreat  for  others  knows  the  incredible amount of work  it  takes; however,  the wonderful sense  of  sa sfac on  when  you  see  par cipants grow  in  their  rela onship with Christ and one an-other makes  all  the  hark  work,  prepara on  and loss of sleep worth  it.   The joys of these moments as a campus minister are priceless.    I would have to say that probably the most exci ng  thing  I’ve done  so  far  is work  in Campus Ministry.  Working with college students keeps you on your  toes and you never know what  to expect next.   You need to be open to ge ng out of your comfort zone and you must rely completely on the Lord to help you every step of the way.  The prob-lems and challenges young people are facing today are real.   Only God can give young people the  joy that  they  seek.   He  is  the only one  that  can heal their wounds and inspire them to live the Gospel.                 

I enjoy life at the Seminary. I enjoy ge ng together with my brother seminarians and friends to watch or play sports, catch a good movie or just hang out and  joke around, but probably the hardest part of seminary  life  is  adjus ng  to  the  schedule.    From early morning  ll  late  in  the evening,  seminarians are busy praying, a ending classes, conferences or serving.  This busy schedule will prepare us for the many demands that will come our way once we’re in parishes of our own. 

   I have had  the privilege of ge ng  to know several outstanding priests in the last several years. Father  Joseph Meager,  the  parochial  vicar  at  St. John  the  Bap st  Church  in  Jersey  City  has  had  a strong influence on my voca on.  I worked with Fr. Joseph at his parish  in Jersey City to start a young adult  community  called  Spirit  and  Truth, which  is centered on Eucharist Adora on.  Fr. Joseph is such a  passionate  priest who  lives  to  distribute  God’s graces  to  his  people  and  he  has  always  been  an amazing  example  for me.    I  had  the  privilege  to work for three years with Fr. Marc Vicari, currently Pastor at St. Cassian’s  in Upper Montclair,  in cam-pus ministry.  My years working with Fr. Marc were some of  the most  joyful of my  life.   Fr. Marc  is a faithful priest who  showed me how  joyful  the  life of  a  priest  can  be.    Last  but  certainly  not  least,  I would like to men on Father John Gabriel, the Vo-ca on Director for the Archdiocese of Newark.   Fr. John  is also  the Director of  the Emmaus House of Discernment where I had the privilege of  living for almost  two  years.    Fr.  John  is  a wonderful  priest who  is  full  of  joy  and  love  for  those  whom  he serves and I’m extremely grateful to have him as a priestly role model and spiritual Father.                    

my community as Jesus served the poor.  One day I could see my Parish having a school or even an or-phanage for abandoned youth.  These are extensive goals, but  I must believe  that God can and will do amazing things if I am faithful.  My ideal vision of a parish priest  is a man who wears his Roman collar around town, mee ng people with the hope of see-ing them at his parish one day.  Every conversa on is  a  chance  to  evangelize  and  witness.  Everyone knows  who  he  is  because  he’s  had  an  effect  on their  life or  someone  they  know  and  they  admire him.  This may be a roman c vision, but that’s why it’s  appealing  to me.    I  envision myself  going  to spor ng events  and being  a witness of Christ  and His Church.  I envision myself teaching and convinc-ing married couples to sacrifice for one another and to bring their children up to  love God and pray to-gether as a family.  In my mind, a priest needs to be a man of prayer, almsgiving and fas ng himself.  He needs  to  be  a  sacrificial  lover  who  sacrifices  his dreams and  life  for his flock  trus ng  that  the Lord will rise up his sacrifice.  He is a man who unites his pain and suffering to the Lord’s.  He teaches people to  love  Jesus  in  the Most Blessed  Sacrament.   He teaches others to seek mercy from the Lord via the sacrament of confession and to release others from the debts they feel are owed to them.  He is a man who  prac ces  what  he  preaches,  who  hears  the Word of God  and  incorporates  it  into his  life.   All this  is  of  course  impossible  if  a empted  on  ones own; therefore, a priest must stay close to our Lord with a very strong prayer life, and he must love and cherish Our Lady and call on her for help constant-ly.   This  is my  ideal picture of  the priesthood and one only through the grace of God I hope to be able to par cipate  in  if  I am ordained a Priest of  Jesus Christ.  I will probably fail more o en than not, but I will  leave the results of my ministry up to God.    I would like to say to the young man who might have the ques on of priesthood  in his heart, God might have  put  that  ques on  there  for  a  reason  so  he should  seek  the answer by pu ng his  trust  in  the Lord and having no fear!  Put your life in the hands of our  Lady and Blessed Mother and  she will  lead you to her Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.                  

God bless you  Jesse on your beau ful  road  to  the Priesthood!   

A Quote from Blessed Pope John Paul II on Priestly Vocations

"Iamoftenasked,especiallybyyoungpeople,why Ibecameapriest. Maybesomeofyouwouldliketoaskthesamequestion. Letmetrybrie lytoreply. Imustbeginbysayingthatitisimpossi-bletoexplainentirely.Foritremainsamystery,eventomyself.Howdoesoneexplain theways ofGod? Yet, I knowthat,atacertainpoint inmy life, Ibe-cameconvinced thatChristwassayingtomewhat he had said to thousandsbeforeme: 'Come, followme!' Therewasaclearsense thatwhat Iheard inmyheartwasnohumanvoice,norwasit just an ideaofmyown. Christwascallingmetoservehimasapriest.Andyoucanprobably tell that Iamdeeplygrateful toGod formyvocation to thepriesthood.Nothingmeansmoretomeor gives me greater joy that to cele-brateMasseachdayandtoserveGod'speople in the Church. That has beentrue ever since the day ofmy ordina-tion as a priest. Nothing has everchangedthis,notevenbecomingPope."(LosAngeles,USA,September14,1987)

This is one of the questions that is frequently asked in our vocation awareness visits. “What if I’m not go-ing to like the life that God is calling me to live?

When unbelievers look at the life of Catholics, there are probably a quite a few aspects of the life of Catholic people that may seem odd or without sense? Why would you fast if it’s not to loose weight? Why would you spend an hour in front of a piece of bread, why would you give up sleep to go to the church to pray? Why would you give up some of your rights to let someone else pass ahead? And we can continue.

In the same way, when someone who is not a Priest or a Religious, looks at the life of Priests and Religious, they might have the same kind of questions. Why would you choose to live a celi-bate life? Do you like to be alone ?!? Do you not desire to be married and spend your life with someone else? Why would you want to obey someone else? The superior might not know you that well and ask you things that you do not want to do? How is it that a superior gets to decide about your life? How is it that you can spend your entire day giving your time to other people? Why would religious live in silence? Why would some religious have decided not to watch television or listen to the radio? Why would you want to live in a community with people that you have not even chosen yourself? Why do cloistered nuns not go out? And the list can go on.

It is true that if we look at these vocations from the outside, some of these aspects might seem strange, without sense or even scary: “I’m never going to be able to live that!” I remember when I was in High School having a very negative look on Religious life, just because I had once visited a monastery of cloistered Carmelites and I had been able only to see them through the grille: “How can they be happy being locked up like that?”, I re-member myself asking. It seemed to me as if they had given up all their freedom. Well, I would never be able to give up my freedom!

What if God calls me for a vocation that I will not like?

In order to understand the answer to our question above, the first thing to say is that some aspects of our life as Catholics or our life as a Priest or a Reli-gious can only be understood from within, in the light of what we are called to live. So what are we called to live?

Let us start with God’s desire for us. God desires to share with us His life which is a life of Love. This is the universal call to holiness. Through the Sac-rament of Baptism every Christian receives this personal vocation, a call from God.

And this call to Holiness means: an invitation to enter into an intimate relationship of love with God through Christ. Marriage is like “an icon” that ex-presses in human terms what this intimate relation-ship is like. This universal call, which is a call to “follow Christ” and therefore it is “a call to Chari-ty”, is lived out in different ways, those ways we usually call “a vocation”: for example by being married which is a natural call (Cf Catechism of the Catholic Church #1603), or by being ordained as a priest, or consecrated as a religious Brother or Sis-ter, which are supernatural calls.

The Holy Spirit urges all of us to answer the call, to enter into this relationship of love with God and also to discern what is the special path that God has chosen that will lead each of us to Him. That is the process of vocation discernment. If someone takes the path that Christ has prepared for him or her, this can only lead to a fullness that we can de-scribe in terms of “full happiness”. In the Gospel we read that Christ says: “That my joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full” (Jn 15:11). Joy is the fruit of a life of love and therefore follow-ing one’s baptismal vocation and one’s specific vocation can only lead to this life of fullness.

If we look at those aspects in the life of Catholics that might seem odd from the exterior, they all find their sense in the baptismal vocation. Fasting for example: We are called to this intimate relationship of love. When we fast and we feel hungry; it will be a means to help us to remember that we hunger for God in our lives, it will encourage us to turn more towards Him in the process of continual conver-sion. Or Eucharistic adoration, spending time with this heavenly Friend allows for this relationship of love to grow deeper.

“Lord, it is good for us to be here !” (Mt 17:4)

The same holds true for these aspects of the life of a Priest or a Religious. Lived from within, in the light of their calling, all these aspects make sense. They are a part of the life of chastity, obedience (and pov-erty for Religious), the three evangelical counsels as we call them. These are the “means” given to Priests and Religious to live out their vocation. Why these means? It is because Christ, who is the model for all states in life, chose to live a life of chastity, of obedi-ence and of poverty: this is most manifest in the mystery of the Cross: His virginal love for the Father and for all mankind attained there its highest expres-sion, He was obedient until death (Phil 2:8) and there His poverty reached a complete self-emptying. (Cf Vita Consecrata #23). The unique vocation that God calls us to live will be the path par excellence to lead us to live fully of our baptismal call, which is a call to a life of love. A life of love can never be scary. It will be a path that will lead us to become fully who we are. We can take the image of a piece of clothing that was sown for us personally with our measures and therefore will fit us in an excellent way. This is a very imperfect im-age, but it can show us something. Moreover God puts in our hearts the desire of what He wants to give us: “Find your delight in the Lord, who will give you your heart’s desire” (Ps 37:4). Many doctors of the Church like Saint John of the Cross and St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus (see her Act of oblation to Merciful love: “I know, O my God! that the more You want to give, the more You make us desire.”) developed in length this reality. So usually, the more we enter into the vocation dis-cernment, the deeper the desire for this vocation will become. Growing closer to Christ is important in any discernment process because it is truly only in Christ that one can discern. The closer one is united to Christ, the better one will be able to discern His voice and to listen to it. It is truly in Christ that the Will of God for everyone is present. And the closer we come to Christ, the more the fears will gave way to trust. There might still be some aspects of that vocation that may seem difficult, but we should re-member that God gives us the grace to live what He calls us to live. In the end welcoming a particular vocation, for the Priesthood or the Religious life will be a step that we take in Faith and especially with great trust that Christ’s promise, which we men-tioned before, is true.

Sr. Theresia Maria Holtschlag, Associate Vocation Director,

Archdiocese of Newark.

“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction

of things not seen.” (Heb11:1)

“Believing is possible only by grace and the interior helps of

the Holy Spirit” (CCC 154)

In reflecting on my vocation I am struck with the wonder of “faith”. Where it comes from? How one acquires it? How to foster it? I can’t thank God enough for my faith and my family who passed this gift on. I’m the youngest of 3, born in South Caroli-na. I went to Catholic grade school and middle school and then public high school. It was very much understood from a young age that our faith was to be a significant part of our lives. By the time I was in High School my faith was certainly im-portant to me but so were a lot of other things i.e. friends, my appearance, soccer, school etc. I would say that I always believed that God had a plan for my life but I would also say that I envisioned His plan to be roughly based on all the romantic come-dies I’d seen! I assumed I would go to college, work and then get married and have kids.

When the time came for me to look at colleges I re-member feeling overwhelmed with life’s possibili-ties. I wanted to play soccer, travel abroad and in general have the “ultimate” college experience. This search took me…and usually my Mom on 12 official college visits! I visited one Catholic School at the request of my Grandparents. On this particu-lar visit I struggle to describe what happened. I know I was taken by or more appropriately shocked by the number of students actively practicing their faith. But more than that I was 18 years old, 10 hours from home on a campus that I knew virtually no one and yet going into the chapel I experienced a sense of being known and understood. I encoun-tered Christ in a more real and personal way then I ever had. It sounds dramatic, but suddenly my col-lege decision was about much more than choosing a school for an academic program or a sports pro-gram.

This decision for me became very clear, I was either going to focus my life around God and trust in His plan for my life or I wasn’t. Even with such clarity the decision was by no means “easy”, it was only by the grace of God that I was finally able to trust and be confident that choosing Him was all that mattered. I attended this particular Catholic College and loved it. I learned a great deal about my faith and really grew in my relationship with Christ. I be-gan to really desire His will for my life not just long term but day to day. I was blessed with wonderful friendships and overall just had a great experience.

“Find your delight in the Lord, who will give you your heart’s desire”

(Ps 37:4)

Vocation Story

Upon graduation I was ready to go out and “fight the good fight”. My first job was selling insurance, not just any insurance…high-risk entertainment insurance. I was insuring paintball parks, rock climbing walls, me-chanical bulls and go-karts. It was entertaining and very unusual but after a time I just knew there was more…more expected of me and more out there for me.

I was overwhelmed with gratitude for God’s generosity in my life (faith, family, friends etc) and I really desired to give of myself. I decided to do one year of mission work and then planned on resuming a “normal” life. I found a program in Los Angeles where I could live in community and do pro-life work. I was assigned specifi-cally to work at a home for pregnant teenagers. The home was actually a large facility with about 60 girls and 40 babies, quite a switch from selling insurance. While the work was rather chaotic and often tiring I really loved it. It was such a gift to be able to enter into the lives of these teenagers and be with them as they experi-enced new life. The facility itself was state funded and because of this there was no spiritual element in their counseling or formation.

After my time in Los Angeles I decided to seek out a program for troubled teens that incorporated a spiritual dimension. Of all places God opened the doors for me to go work on a Catholic Youth Ranch in Wyoming! This particular ranch had a program designed for trou-bled teenage girls that focused on healing mind, body, and soul – the whole person. Over the course of my time I was privileged to see God work in the lives of the-se girls and in their families. It was unreal. I honestly don’t have adequate words to describe my LA or the Wyoming experience. I consider both tremendous blessings and I continue to pull from both experiences to this day.

I eventually left the ranch to pursue an opportunity I was given to work at a Catholic High School as the High School Counselor (College Counselor). Part of this job entailed getting the students thinking about their unique God-given vocation. Naturally, as I was working with High School students trying to get them thinking about their God-given vocation…more and more I wanted to know my vocation.

I often found myself pleading with the Lord “just tell me what to do”. I had been taught that the most important part of the Mass was the consecration and that at the moment when the priest elevates the Body and Blood of Christ you give Him the intentions of your heart. One day at Mass I was praying my usual intentions during the consecration and among my prayers I found myself praying for my religious vocation…I was shocked. How could I be praying the intentions of my heart and that

come out? I had briefly thought about religious life in college but had passed it off as “not for me”. By all circumstances my life was really good, I had a great job, I had just bought a house, and I was living with two of my closest friends; but even with all that I was rest-less, I wanted more. I couldn’t shake the experience I had had at Mass and I knew I needed to honestly pur-sue God’s will for my life and not my version of His will. I had no idea how to “look into religious life” and the best advice a friend gave me was that the Lord works with what is right in front of you.

I spoke to them after Mass and the thought occurred to me “these sisters are right in front of me”. With my friends advice ringing in my ears I decided to call the Sisters and go visit. Within a couple of weeks through a friend of a friend I met someone who was planning on entering the Sis-ters of Life and we corresponded for several months before she entered. About a month after she entered I went to our weekly Mass at the High School and I no-ticed some Sisters in the chapel. I didn’t know who they were until they spoke after Mass and I realized they were Sisters of Life.

I have to admit I went on the first visit with high expec-tations…I basically expected there to be a neon sign in the chapel saying either “Yes” or “No”. Naturally, there was no sign and I was rather upset; but the sis-ters themselves overshadowed my disappointment. They were so joyful and it struck me that while they had nothing “materially” they had something else, something different. I had never seen anyone live life the way these sisters were living…it was beautiful! While I was drawn to their life I was still very much drawn to marriage and I didn’t know what to do; I was-n’t at peace about saying “No I’m not called” but I also wasn’t at peace about saying “Yes, I am called”.

I continued to pray and wait for clarity and peace from the Lord, often with little patience. On my last retreat with the sisters there were many moments of grace. At one point on the retreat I was reading the vocation sto-ries of the different sisters. I found myself relating to one particular sister’s story, but within her story what struck me the most was her prayer for courage. Until that moment it had never occurred to me that I might need courage to follow God’s will. Later that afternoon I was talking with the Priest on the retreat – I told him of my new prayer for courage and he reiterated that it

takes a lot of courage to do God’s will particularly in following the call to religious life. I told him I felt torn in my discernment and he joked that it would be much easier if God slipped a note under each of our doors telling us very clearly what we should do with our lives…Well later that night I went back to my room…and there was a note under my door! The note was from the very same Sister whose vo-cation story I had been reading. She told me in the note that she had been praying specifically for me and that if there was one bit of advice she could give me it was to “Take Courage.” As expected I was absolutely blown away, the Lord was clearly at work but I still needed a certain confirmation in my heart. Finally, the last day of the retreat I was praying be-fore the Blessed Sacrament and I found myself ask-ing “What do you want?” “What do you want from me?” And in the moment that followed I experi-enced a profound grace, I knew God was asking me, was calling me to Himself. Its amazing how much can happen in a moment, it hit me all at once that this was my decision to make He was laying it before me He was asking but He was giving me full freedom to choose and immediately my response was Yes Yes Yes! I trust in Your Plan and I want to live it! I continue to pray for the grace to say “Yes” everyday as I learn to receive the gift of this vocation.

Sr. Virginia Joy, Sisters of Life

Archdiocese of Newark

Office of Vocations 171 Clifton Avenue

PO Box 9500 Newark, NJ 07104

Rev. John D. Gabriel, Director

Sr. Theresia Maria Holtschlag, Associate Director Barbara Kelly, Secretary

Rita Maggio, Vocations Assistant

Rev. Matthew Dooley, Assistant Vocation Director Rev. Charles Kelly, Assistant Vocation Director Rev. James Worth, Assistant Vocation Director

Rev. Juan Carlos Vargas, Assistant Vocation Director

Phone: 973.497.4365 Fax: 973.497.4369

Email: gabrieljo@rcan.org www.newpriestnj.org

www.rcan.org/vocation

"Have nothing to do with anyone who would stand in your way and would seek to turn you aside from fulfilling the vows which you have

made to the Most High and from living in that perfection to which the Spirit of the Lord has

called you"

St. Clare to St. Agnes of Bohemia

Thou Art a Priest Forever 

J.B. Henri Lacordaire, OP 

 

To live in the midst of the world with  

no desire for its pleasure...   

To be a member of every family  

yet belonging to none... 

To share all sufferings; to penetrate  

all secrets; to heal all wounds... 

To daily go from men to God to  

offer Him their petitions... 

To return from God to men  

to offer them His hope... 

To have a heart of fire for charity  

and a heart of bronze for chastity... 

To bless and be blest forever. 

O God, what a life, and it is yours, 

O Priest of Jesus Christ!  

“Christ Calls” Seminarian Vocations Video Contest

The  "Christ  Calls" Video  Contest  is  a  contest  to  see which  seminarian or group of  seminarians  can pro‐duce  the  best  promo onal  video  for  the  diocesan priesthood. It offers a chance for you or your team to win  a  $1,000  grand  prize  plus  a  trip (accommoda ons  for  two nights and  round‐trip air‐fare  for  2)  to  the Na onal  Conference  of  Diocesan Voca on  Directors  (NCDVD)  Na onal  Conven on next September in the San Francisco Bay area for the premiere  of  your  winning  video.  The  second  place winner will receive a $600 prize. The third place win‐ner will receive a $300 prize. 

Entries must be  submi ed  to our YouTube group by 11:59 pm  (EDT) on  June 15, 2012. A er all the entries are received, an NCDVD evalua on panel comprised of voca on direc‐tors  from around  the country will  review and score  the videos  for  their effec veness  in promo ng voca ons among young adult men in the US today. The winning videos will be posted  on  the NCDVD website,  the NCDVD  YouTube  channel,  and  voca on  promo on websites around the country. All videos submi ed become property of NCDVD.  

Guidelines for the Video Contest

1.  Contest par cipants must be approved by their voca on director. We will be con‐tac ng each Voca on Director to receive approval. Upon receiving approval, submis‐sion instruc ons and more detailed informa on will be sent directly to the Team Cap‐tain.  

2.  Videos must be between 2 to 4 minutes in length. 3.  The goal of the video is to promote voca ons to the diocesan priesthood in the United 

States. 4.  The contest is open to seminarians studying for the diocesan priesthood. 5.  Par cipants must not include name of (arch)diocese, seminary, or seminarians in the 

video. 6.  Par cipants may u lize outside assistance in producing video. 7.  NCDVD is not responsible for purchasing copyrights for any music used in video sub‐

mission. Videos must include only public domain music files.   

For more informa on, log on to: 

h p://ncdvd.org/ChristCallsVideo.html 

BOOK CORNER  Why Priests Are Happy By Msgr. Stephen J. Rosse    

In his groundbreaking Why Priests Are Happy: A Study of the Psychological and Spiritual Health of Priests Msgr. Stephen J. Rossetti, a psychologist, professor of pastoral studies, frequently consulted expert on clergy and religious, and the bestselling author of books for priests, presents the findings from the most comprehensive survey of priests' happiness and spiritual lives ever undertaken. From this survey of nearly 2,500 priests from twenty-three dioceses in the United States, Rossetti discovered that American priests enjoy an extraordinarily high rate of happi-ness and satisfaction, among the highest of any profession. Contrary to popular media portrayals, Rossetti finds that priests, as a group, are very happy men. They like the priesthood and are committed to it. In fact, 92 percent say they are happy in their ministry, among the highest rate of satis-faction of any profession in the United States. This accessible, fascinating study compares priests to the general male population with respect to human intima-cy, sexual difficulties, burnout, psychological problems, physical health, and self-care. It identifies fourteen factors that contribute to happiness among priests, examining the contribution of spirituality to their psychological health. Rosset-ti’s cutting-edge, hopeful work will be a must-read not only for priests, but for anyone interested in the priesthood and the Church. 

Considering a Vocation? Practice the faith. We all need to be reminded that the whole point of our lives is to grow in a deep, inti-mate and loving relationship with God. This is the first step for any young person desiring to discern any call in life. Enter into the Silence. Silence is key to sanity and wholeness. We can only “hear” the voice of God if we are quiet. Take out the ear buds of your iPhone, iPod, and iTunes and listen to God, the great I AM. Young people should try to spend 15 minutes of quiet prayer each day – this is where you can begin to receive clear direction in your lives. Be a good disciple. Some bishops say, “We do not have a vocation crisis; we have a discipleship crisis.” Young people can become true followers of Jesus Christ by serving those around them. By discovering your call to discipleship, you also discover your particular call within the Church. Ask God. Ask God what He wants for your life and know He only wants what is good for you. If, in fact, you are called to the priesthood or consecrated life, it will be the path to great joy and contentment. In the immortal words of a famous sneaker manufacturer: “Just do it!” If you feel that God is inviting you to “try it out,” apply to the seminary or religious order. Remember, the seminary or convent is a place of discernment. You will not be ordained or asked to profess vows for many years, providing ample oppor-tunity to explore the possibility of a call to priesthood or religious life.

SOS Spotlight on Seminarians Jose Javier Sanchez Pachon - Junior St. Andrew’s Seminary

Javier Sanchez Pachon is a fine young man who is currently a  Junior at St. Andrew’s College Semi-nary.   He  is from Colombia and has come a  long way from home to serve the Lord in these United States.   

Here is his story:  “As  a  child,  I served  as  an Altar  Server  for a  few  years, which  I  believe was  the  result of  my Mother’s prayers  for  me to  become  a good man.  As  a teenager,  I  was a  regular  high school student. I loved  playing soccer  and spending  me 

with my friends, but soon I began to realize that there was more to life than just that, and I began to hear the call of the Lord trying to give me the opportunity  to be His disciple.   A  scripture pas-sage  that  has  helped  to  influence  me  is “Whoever  loses  his  life  for my  sake will  find  it, and  whoever  tries  to  save  his  life,  will  lose it”    (Ma hew  16:25) When  I  decided  to  follow Christ by entering  the  Seminary, my  family was very happy for me, and suppor ve, knowing that I was happy. My  friends were a  li le shocked at first, but have also been very suppor ve.   I have been very fortunate to be guided by some GREAT priests.   When  I first came to America,  I  lived at the Emmaus House for Discernment where I met Fr.  John Gabriel,  the Voca ons Director  for  the Archdiocese of Newark, as well as the director of the Emmaus House.   He and Msgr. Robert Hara-han, the Pastor of St. Elizabeth’s in Wyckoff have been very  instrumental  in my    forma on.   They have  shown me what  a  happy  and  blessed  life 

My  favorite way  to  pray  is  in  silence  before  the Blessed Sacrament where I truly feel the presence of the Lord.  I enjoy speaking with Jesus. Having a conversa on with Him.  I like to close my eyes and thank God for all He has done in my life.  The best and most exci ng thing I have ever done in my life is  to  say YES  to  Jesus, because  from  that  “yes”  I have received many, many more blessings, spiritu-ally, morally and academically.   Life at the Seminary is not easy because there are many different personali es, cultures, habits, etc. however,  life  in the seminary  is also beau ful be-cause it is there where we learn many virtues and values that will eventually  lead us to be good hu-man  beings  and  good  priests….  For  example  vir-tues such as pa ence, strength, service and many others, and values such as love and respect.  My desire for the priesthood is to try to bring peo-ple closer to God, but  in order to do that,  I need to do two things:   First, to ask God to help me to do what HE wants me to do, and second, fall more and more in love with Jesus every day.  What  I would  say  to  anyone  thinking  about  the priesthood is to give it a chance! Give yourself the opportunity  to  discover  and  do what might  be-come the happiness  for the rest of your  life: Ser-vice to God through the priesthood.   Whether or not you become a priest, the best thing in life is to  know  and  develop  a  close  rela onship with  our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”                Thank you  Javier, and good  luck and many bless-ings on your road to the Priesthood! 

Prayer for Vocations

Loving God, We rejoice in your gift of life to us.

You created us out of your abundant love. Empower us to nurture this gift with the grace of Gospel living.

You sent us your son Jesus to show us the way to fullness of life.

Open us, through your Spirit, and guide us on our journey to holiness. Grace our Church with women and men who respond wholeheartedly to your call

to the consecrated life for the sake of the Gospel. We praise you now and always in union with Jesus Christ

through the power of the Spirit. Amen.

World Day of Prayer for Vocations Sunday, April 29th, 2012

EXCERPTS FROM POPE BENEDICT THE XVI MESSAGE FOR THE WORLD DAY OF PRAYER

FOR VOCATIONS, APRIL 29, 2012 FromtheVatican-February13,2012

The theme of Benedict XVI's reflections this year is: "Vocations, the Gift of the Love of God".

“The source of every perfect gift is God who is Love – Deus caritas est: Whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. Sacred Scripture tells the story of this original bond be-tween God and man, which precedes creation itself. ... We are loved by God even 'before' we

come into existence! Moved solely by His unconditional love, He created us 'not out of existing things', to bring us into full communion with Him”.

"The profound truth of our existence is thus contained in this surprising mystery: every crea-ture, and in particular every human person, is the fruit of God’s thought and an act of His

love, a love that is boundless, faithful and everlasting. The discovery of this reality is what truly and profoundly changes our lives".

"It is a love that is limitless and that precedes us, sustains us and calls us along the path of life, a love rooted in an absolutely free gift of God. Speaking particularly of the ministerial priesthood, my predecessor, Blessed John Paul II, stated that 'every ministerial action ...

provides an incentive to grow in ever greater love and service of Jesus Christ, ... a love which is always a response to the free and unsolicited love of God in Christ'. Every specific vocation

is in fact born of the initiative of God; it is a gift of the Love of God! He is the One Who takes the 'first step', ... because of the presence of His own love poured out into our hearts

through the Holy Spirit”. "In every age, the source of the divine call is to be found in the initiative of the infinite love

of God, Who reveals Himself fully in Jesus Christ. As I wrote in my first Encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, 'God is indeed visible in a number of ways. In the love-story recounted by the Bi-ble, He comes towards us, He seeks to win our hearts, all the way to the Last Supper, to the

piercing of His heart on the Cross, to His appearances after the Resurrection and to the great deeds by which, through the activity of the Apostles, He guided the nascent Church

along its path'. The love of God is everlasting; He is faithful to Himself. “

Yet the appealing beauty of this divine love, which precedes and accompanies us, needs to be proclaimed ever anew, especially to younger generations. This divine love is the hidden impulse, the motivation which never fails, even in the most difficult circumstances. ... We need to open our lives to this love. It is to the perfection of the Father’s love that Jesus Christ calls us every day! The high standard of the Christian life consists in loving 'as' God loves; with a love that is shown in the total, faithful and fruitful gift of self". "It is in this soil of self-offering and openness to the love of God, and as the fruit of that love, that all vocations are born and grow. By drawing from this wellspring through prayer, con-stant recourse to God’s word and to the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, it becomes possible to live a life of love for our neighbors, in whom we come to perceive the face of Christ the Lord". "These two expressions of the one divine love must be lived with a par-ticular intensity and purity of heart by those who have decided to set out on the path of vocation discernment towards the ministerial priesthood and the consecrated life; they are its distinguishing mark. Love of God, which priests and consecrated persons are called to mirror, however imperfectly, is the motivation for answering the Lord’s call to special con-secration through priestly ordination or the profession of the evangelical counsels. St. Pe-ter’s vehement reply to the Divine Master: 'Yes, Lord, you know that I love you' contains the secret of a life fully given and lived out, and thus one which is deeply joyful. "The task of fostering vocations will be to provide helpful guidance and direction along the way. Central to this should be love of God’s word nourished by a growing familiarity with Sacred Scripture, and attentive and unceasing prayer, both personal and in community; this will make it possible to hear God’s call amid all the voices of daily life. But above all, the Eu-charist should be the heart of every vocational journey: it is here that the love of God touches us in Christ’s sacrifice. ... Scripture, prayer and the Eucharist are the precious treasure enabling us to grasp the beauty of a life spent fully in service of the Kingdom. "It is my hope that the local Churches ... will become places where vocations are carefully discerned and their authenticity tested, places where young men and women are offered wise and strong spiritual direction. ... As a response to the demands of the new command-ment of Jesus, this can find eloquent and particular realization in Christian families, whose love is an expression of the love of Christ who gave himself for His Church.

Within the family ... young people can have a wonderful experience of this self-giving love. Indeed, families are not only the privileged place for human and Christian formation; they can also be 'the primary and most excellent seed-bed of vocations to a life of consecration to the Kingdom of God', by helping their members to see, precisely within the family, the beauty and the importance of the priesthood and the consecrated life. May pastors and all the lay faithful always cooperate so that in the Church these 'homes and schools of communion' may multiply, modelled on the Holy Family of Nazareth, the har-monious reflection on earth of the life of the Most Holy Trinity".

"Dear brother bishops, dear priests, deacons, consecrated men and wom-en, catechists, pastoral workers and all of you who are engaged in the field of educating young people: I fervently exhort you to pay close atten-tion to those members of parish communities, associations and ecclesial movements who sense a call to the priesthood or to a special consecration. It is important for the Church to create the conditions that will permit many young people to say 'yes' in generous response to God’s loving call.” "I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing to all of you, ... and especially those young men and women who strive to listen with a docile heart to God’s voice and are ready to respond generously and faithfully".

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