By Fr. Hien Nguyen

The Church and Vocations

1.1 The Initiative

After more than a decade of having successfully written and published “the Basic Norms for Priestly Formation” by the recommendation of the First Synod
of Bishops in 1967, there was a need to “revise it after the promulgation of the new Code of Canon Law, and to include in it some, indeed, very few remendations, as new circumstances require.” The formation of the candidates has improved dramatically since the Second Vatican Council. However in recent years, with the tsunami of scandals concerning priests sexual abused and the constant changes of contemporary culture and society, there was, once again, an urge of returning to the theme of the priesthood and its formation. To respond to this need, the 1990 Synod of Bishops initiates the discussion to improve the formation of priesthood candidates who live in the world of rapid and constant evolution. The result was the superior work being produced called Pastores Dabo Vobis and the Program of Priestly Formation. “Attention has shifted from the question of the priest’s identity to that connected with the process of formation for the priesthood and the quality of priestly life.” This process of priestly formation rests on the four pillars of human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral formations. These pillars are the foundations on which the bishops of many individual dioceses produce their own program of priestly formation. Certainly, these pillars of formation also applicable to all human beings. Let us take a closer look at each of the dimensions.

1.2 Human Formation

Christian vocation is the communion between humanity and God in holiness. It is a dialogue which God initiates the calling and man responds to his invitation. In this dialogue there are two perspectives. The first concerns the objective pole – theological perspective of God who calls – and the second concerns the subjective pole – anthropological perspective of human who responds. It is the latter where we find inconsistency, immaturity, and human contradictory nature. Therefore it is important to prepare the motivation system in candidates to accommodate and respond to the call of God freely without being influenced from utilitarian motives but with selfless love and freedom of heart. This means that the candidate can integrate the two poles and live a life of self-transcendence and maturity. Human formation then is the basis of all priestly formations. This statement made by the synod fathers suggested that it is necessary to recognise that human being consists of body and soul, that is, it involves all his aspects: physical, psychic, and spiritual. Such a formation must cover and harmonise all dimensions. The Church is ever more conscious of the fact that the discoveries of secular science, primarily psychology and sociology, can help form a person to a greater and purer human maturity.

The basic principle of human formation is based upon the incarnation of Christ who redeems and restores humanity in the “living image of God” (Gen 1:27). Even more so is the candidate of the priesthood who is called to share the mission of Christ. “In order that his ministry may be humanly as credible and acceptable as possible, it is important that the priest should mould his human personality in such a way that it becomes a bridge and not an obstacle for others in their meeting with Jesus Christ the Redeemer of humanity.” The priest is an instrument who leads and introduces the people to God. Although he is “a conscious and free being, called to grow in a self-fulfillment leading to self-mastery and in freedom entailing responsibility,” he rises above his own interest to look out and care for the people as the Good
Shepherd. “The priest must never forget that he is a man chosen among men to be at the service of men.”

By Fr. Hien Nguyen

3. Vocation Culture in the Diocesan Community

Why Should men follow us

We maintained that we can identify and share the blessings of being a priest as well as present a priestly identity to our people by having a clear idea of our role as a priest. In addition, we should try to be joyful by looking for the positive things within our vocation, and to be visible through our clerical garb. We have to be servants of Christ to the people by being authentic (down to earth) so that we can bring Christ’s love to their daily lives. We have to be men who are open, approachable, and good listeners. We have to be present in different capacities for the people Christ has given us: by being available after Mass, by visiting the school children and families regularly, and by taking advantage of every pastoral opportunity that comes along. We need to be men of holiness who recognized their own faults and failings, men who turn to Christ for strength, guidance, and the courage to go on. Our people must be able to see a unity amongst us and a common goal of serving Christ through them. They must see our desire to bring Christ to the world, to deepen our spiritual life and to celebrate the sacraments with reverence. Thus, we will promote a culture of vocations in our parishes and the family homes.

Recommendations and Proposals
Previously, I was diagnosing the condition and health of Vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life in the diocese of Vancouver. Lately in my write up, I prescribed the medical methods of finding remedies to fix the problems of the declining of Vocations. Now in these following weeks, I will provide actual practical applications to help the diocese carry out the mission of healing and renewing the Vocation culture.

As we have discussed, it is very important for parents to lead their children in the faith by examples, but it is even more essential for parents or those who are responsible for the young to accompany them on their journey of searching for the truth and purpose of life. This generation needs guidance and support as they go through the three basic periods: Initial, Apostolic Momentum, and Mature.

In the Initial stage, the young person is going through an experimental period where he inaugurates his journey of faith, initiates his rapport with others collaterally and vertically, testing his virtues and struggles with his vices. At this period, the person is critically in need of a formator who can steer him to the right path since he is facing with all kinds of difficulties (psychologically, physically, mentally, and spiritually) with his past, in living his present, and dealing with the unclear future. At this moment he needs to be trained and rooted in the Gospel.

The next stage of accompaniment is to help the person live consistently in the Apostolic Momentum where the person strives to live his vocation and carrying out his mission. Perseverance is essential during this period because the person faces stress, challenges, loneliness, crisis, and maybe the person is even burnt out. Here is where the consistency or inconsistency revealed itself. Fr. Rulla demonstrated this in the Second and Third Dimensions that explained by Fr. Ravaglioli.
The permanent and continuous accompaniment is also necessary for the Mature stage to help the person to continue to be faithful. At this level, the person has a great understanding of himself, others and God. He is able to internalize all his values, needs, and behavior with the objective values and live a rapport rooted in love.

 The vocation journey to God summarized by Fr. Szentmartoni can be distinguished in these three different periods that are recognized by their orientations. The first period the person concentrates on himself: egocentric. The second with the missionary oriented is called hetero-centered. And the third is theocentered. 

A person through this journey to maturity and union with God in living out his vocations needs concrete support and direction from others. This mean from initial period to maturity, a person requires assistant from family, school, parish community, priests, society, and the Church. Here I would like to recommend a few concrete proposals that would help formulate a person on the journey. 

M. Szentmartoni, Psicologia della Vocazione Religiosa e Sacerdotale, Roma 2005, 97-105.
A. Ravaglioli, Psicologia: Studio interdisciplinare della Personalità, Bologna 2006, 291-293.
M. Szentmartoni, Psicologia della vocazione Religiosa e Sacerdotale, 110. 

By Fr. Hien

3. Vocation Culture in the Diocesan Community

3.4 The Priests

SUPPORT RECEIVED

We find solace and support from one another particularly at clergy events within the Archdiocese. We cherish our friendships with other priests, so much so that the absence of the friendships can make us depressed or leave us with the feeling of being alone or even betrayed in the ministry. We agree that we need one another’s prayers and support to be more effective in God’s work. 

We find consolation in our relationship with God, first when it is most deeply nurtured by the celebration of the Eucharist and second when we personally encounter God in prayer. The other sacraments, particularly confession and anointing of the sick, bring us into the mind and heart of Christ so that in administering Christ’s graces through the sacraments we are left profoundly affected by acting in His person. The sacraments revitalize our ministry and lives, and they deepen our union with Christ. When proclaiming His word during homilies, talks, or personal sharing, we are ourselves encouraged to live the teaching of Christ and his Church. We also find that retreats, days of recollection, and pilgrimages help strengthen our relationship with Christ. 

For religious, we find that personal holiness is promoted by the unity within our respective communities, the obedience we give our superiors, and our personal relationships with the people of the same religious family. 

OUR IDENTITY

What we value most about our priesthood is our identity with Christ, which is manifested particularly in celebrating Mass and administering the sacraments. Like Christ, we are living out our vocation and our mission through the total giving of ourselves to infuse hearts with the love of God. Aware of our own faults and failings, we are able through our ministry to bring forgiveness and peace to those who are reaching out for the Lord. We are able to live in ‘Persona Christi’ through ordination and to serve Christ the Teacher, Priest and Shepherd through our preaching the gospel, sustaining God’s people, and celebrating the liturgy. 

We are able to live in ‘Persona Christi’ through ordination and to serve Christ the Teacher, Priest and Shepherd through our preaching the gospel, sustaining God’s people, and celebrating the liturgy. 

These are the traits we (priests) all must possess: 

• A man of communion 
• A good communicator
• A prudent and discerning person
• A person of affective maturity
• One who respects, cares for, and has vigilance over his body
• One who can take on the role of a public person
• A free person – to be who he is in God’s design
• A person of solid moral character with a firmly developed conscience
• A good shepherd of material possessions (1) 

Why should men follow us? 

A young man should seriously consider the priesthood when he feels Christ is calling him to this ministry. He should accept the call out of love for Christ, knowing that there is no life like the life of a priest. It is not a life for the weak of heart but for the strong and the adventurous. It is a life that has its excitements and suffering, its challenges and joys: a life with a great sense of fulfillment. While a man enjoys these terrific aspects of the priesthood he is also providing the world with fulfillment of its greatest need: the need to be connected to the love of Christ. 

The following are the compelling reasons we gave for considering a vocation to the priesthood: 

• It is a fulfilling and meaningful vocation. 
• We are the instruments that unite humanity with Christ, so we lead others to a closer encounter with Christ.
• The need for Christ in the world is great and we as priests can fulfill that need directly.
• Christ’s work leads to happiness so we should not be afraid.
• Whether we discern to be a priest or not, in the process of discernment we have come closer to Christ because we have opened ourselves up to follow his will.

1-G. Coleman, Catholic 

3. Vocation Culture in the Diocesan Community

3.4 The Priests

 “Come and see” (Jn 1:46) is the invitation of Philip to Nathanael to go and meet Jesus. This invitation needs to come from us priests of the Archdiocese of Vancouver to the young people. We already have seen from the data (over 80%) that the most influential person in the vocation of the priesthood candidate is the priest himself but unfortunately the majority of us in Vancouver do not personally do what Philip did. Why? And what must we do? 

With these questions, I had the privilege of asking over a hundred priests in the diocese before I left for Rome. There is a sense of shame for being who and what they are due to the lack of apostolic zeal, tiredness from work, missing our spiritual life and prayers, too busy, etc. After reflecting on the reason “why” the priests themselves suggested to me what we priests must do so that we can be proud of our vocation and have the courage to call the young men to follow Jesus. I synthesize their answers and suggestions bellow. 

Our Discernment 

Our parents’ deep faith was for many of us a significant factor in awakening us to our call to the priesthood. For others, a religious sister or a beloved teacher helped with this process. But by far, the greatest factor that set our discernment in motion was our contact with a priest. We became excited about our vocation through a love for the liturgy, a sense of service and a desire to evangelize. We had a respect for the sacredness and the work of the priest. We saw the service that the priest gave to the parish and wanted to become part of that work. We also saw the priesthood as a means of entering into a deeper and closer relationship with Christ and of drawing others into that relationship. 

During our seminary years the camaraderie of our fellow seminarians, the support of the faculty, and our excitement for the things of God confirmed and strengthened our vocation to the priesthood. We witnessed the joy in the life of priests we encountered; this joy kindled in us the desire to follow in their footsteps. Furthermore, the encouragement of our spiritual directors, the support of the priests we knew and the testimony of missionaries strengthened the call and our desire to proceed to ordination. 

Our Ministry 

We have moved beyond our starry-eyed vision of the priesthood, yet despite our human failings, we for the most part find joy amongst the struggles we faced within our ministry. These struggles are largely seen as making us better priests because we have a more realistic and mature view of our faith, which makes us more merciful first with our own weaknesses, then with the weaknesses of others. This discovery of reality and maturity has increased in us the virtue of humility and has given us a greater commitment to our vocation. 

We may sometimes become discouraged and feel like giving up, we see hope within the youth groups of our diocese and joy within many of our parishioners, which lead us to believe there are good things to come. We view our priesthood then, as a privilege in that we have been chosen to touch people’s lives so intimately with the love of Christ particularly through the sacraments. Therefore we are inspired to bring this love of Christ to others, to be available and open so that the happiness that is available in Christ can be integrated into more lives. 

Moreover, the aptitude for pastoral work which we all possess gives us the courage and self-confidence to carry on. The Mass puts us in awe of Christ’s love for mankind and gives us a sense of being in the right place to grow deeper in that love. 

By Fr. Hien Nguyen

3. Vocation Culture in the Diocesan Community

3.3 The Schools-continuation from last weekends bulletin

These are the recommendations from the Church through our Holy Father John Paul II in his Ex Corde Ecclesiae.

University teachers should seek to improve their competence and endeavour to set the content, objectives, methods, and results of research in an individual discipline within the framework of a coherent world vision. Christians among the teachers are called to be witnesses and educators of authentic Christian life, which evidences attained integration between faith and life, and between professional competence and Christian wisdom. All teachers are to be inspired by academic ideals and by the principles of an authentically human life.

Students are challenged to pursue an education that combines excellence in humanistic and cultural development with specialized professional training. Most especially, they are challenged to continue the search for truth and for meaning throughout their lives, since “the human spirit must be cultivated in such a way that there results a growth in its ability to wonder, to understand, to contemplate, to make personal judgments, and to develop a religious, moral, and social sense”(23). This enables them to acquire or, if they have already done so, to deepen a Christian way of life that is authentic. They should realize the responsibility of their professional life, the enthusiasm of being the trained ‘leaders’ of tomorrow, of being witnesses to Christ in whatever place they may exercise their profession.

Directors and administrators in a Catholic University promote the constant growth of the University and its community through a leadership of service; the dedication and witness of the non-academic staff are vital for the identity and life of the University.

By Fr. Hien Nguyen

3. Vocation Culture in the Diocesan Community

3.2 The Parish

Beside the family, the parish on a collaborative level with the Pastor needs to promote and draw an awareness of vocation to the priesthood and consecrated life. Parishioners can organize groups of young people to bring them to the Vocation Live-in or to take them on a Vocation Pilgrimage where they visit different monasteries and Orders in the Archdiocese. We can hold Vocation Nights where further discussion on the subject and prayer can be made. We raise awareness by researching and making a Bulletin Board of Vocations’ History in the Parish for the parishioners to see. Parishioners like priests can identify the youth in their community who show signs of dedication and fidelity in their service and living their faith to call them forward and above all pray for them. These are ways lay faithful are able to help promoting Vocations.

Many priests would attest that they were serving at the altar when they were young, and this also helped them to think of the vocation to the priesthood. Thus, it is also beneficial to encourage young men to serve at the parish through different positions such as acolyte, lector, server, choir, etc. Through involvement, they understand better the mission of the Church and widen their horizon toward God’s plan for them.

3.3 The Schools

We need to set priority and make Catholic identity the backbone of all the processes in our schools:

• Priest Chaplain must be in every school and directly involve in the spiritual life of the school.
• Like elementary schools, the pastors should be more involved in the daily activities of the high schools.
• As principals are hiring teachers with qualification for different subjects (math, science, social study, language, etc.) so must he employ teachers who are qualified to teach Religion in Catholic schools.
• Faith Courses and programs should be available for the teachers to partake in their training and spiritual formation.
• Teachers must assist students to prepare not for a good living through finding a good career but to prepare for a life, a vocation.
• Vocation Club should be established in the school to raise awareness and promotion among the students.

By Fr. Hien Nguyen

3. Vocation Culture in the Diocesan Community

3.1 The Young

One important aspect of faith development that we noticed is an increased desire to serve in leadership positions. This is one area where the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry (OYYAM) excels in: giving young people the opportunity to lead their peers and those younger than them. Spirit Day and Searching in the Spirit are two prime examples: the younger students see vibrant and passionate people who are only a few years older than them still involved in the Church. It’s really inspiring when we interviewed candidates for our student leadership teams and found out that they were participants at Spirit Day and/or Searching in the Spirit four or five years ago. This is a good example of young people being impacted at an early age and wanting to give back at this adolescent period.

Another key point is that teens are looking for experiences rather than entertainment. We have such a richness of tradition, ritual, and truth in the Catholic faith that many young people are attracted to (as opposed to afraid or intimidated by them). Thus, Eucharistic adoration is still strong in the Archdiocese. Many teenagers and young adults still have the desire to gather together to worship God through Holy Hour.

There has also been a stronger emphasis on Vocations in the past ten years. With the five priest ordinations a few years ago to the three last year and then Deacon Bryan Duggan next week, the younger/newer priests are quite visible and serve as inspirations to the youth. They have done a wonderful job of connecting with young people. Even in different parishes, priests meet regularly with a handful of young men every week or two with an emphasis on vocations.

Most of all, the youth are looking to be loved and accepted, and to be encouraged and affirmed for coming to Church! The stronger ones then take what they’ve received and give back to their parishes and the Archdiocese.

Going forward, the young people will need a few support mechanisms to continue to love the Church and our Lord:

• encouragement and examples from parents
• support from the parish as they grow in their faith
• an invitation and challenge to live vibrant and holy lives
• constant encouragement to receive the Sacraments regularly
• a model of Christian community
• involvement of youth in the greater life of the parish (both within and outside of the parish youth ministry)
• Archdiocesan support (training and formation opportunities)
• Additional formation may come in the form of “Theology on Tap” or other programs that bring the “social” element together with the “catechetical” element.

By Fr. Hien Nguyen

2.3 Self-denial and Sacrifice

In my opinion, this is one of the very important aspects of formation besides faith. We have considered in length of the integration of the two poles subjective and objective or the actual self and the ideal self in previous chapter. The young needs to be reformed and re-informed in a system where they are being bombarded with values of indifference, pluralism, consumerism, self-centered, etc. It is not an exaggeration to call them the generation of “permanent adolescence” because they are unable to grow and mature. We need to help them to reach out and rise above themselves or to enter into the objective pole and transcend. “ Amen, amen, I say to you unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remain just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit” (Jn 20: 24).

Our Church’s Fathers were so wise to pursue God through the way of asceticism. They first purged themselves from pleasure of the senses, desire, and eventually even the intellect to be mystically in union with God. In order to do so, one needs to make the object of his hope is God, his goal is heaven, and his love is the desiring of Jesus Christ. This is the principal foundation for the explanation of St. Clement of Alexandria in his work of Who is the Rich Man that is Saved. The wealthy man has to have God as a goal and any other things are mediations or instruments to help him to arrive to the union with God. This can only happen when a person is living a selfless life and ready to make the radical choice for God and his love.

Saying “yes” to God always accompanies with sacrifices. Look at what Jesus was going through by saying “yes” to the Father. “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mt 16:24). Jesus teaches us the way of the cross, the ultimate sacrifice as the way to the Father. Contemplate on Mary’s life when she said “yes” to God. It is filled with countless sacrifices. Following this same logic, our children will not say “yes” to God if they are not willing to make a sacrifice. Unfortunately, our contemporary society encourages our young people to be more selfish, to focus on “what I can get” instead of “what I can give.” For this reason, we must help our children to cultivate a spirit of benevolent. In order to do this, many families begin to partition chores and responsibilities such as doing the dishes, vacuuming the house, doing laundry, mopping the floor, etc. for the children to do at home. Through their responsibility, they will cultivate the virtue of charity and posses an attitude moved by the value of self-transcendent.

Volunteer works is also another effective way to help the children to reach-out to those who are less fortunate. The children can volunteer by visiting the sick at hospitals. Here they can see the suffering Christ and learn how to be compassionate. Nursing homes are other places where the elders who are feeling lonely and waiting for a visitor. There are soup kitchens that serve those who are hungry and living on the street and need assistance. The parish and the public community also need young volunteers. Doing such service for the common good help the young to think beyond themselves and integrate their needs through the facility and rapport with others and always ready and available for whatever challenges arrive.