Would you participate? (A question for teens)

[chicago]

I’m curious about something. And I’d like the (name removed by moderator)ut of young people. Particularly guys in high school or perhaps just beyond. Though girls can certainly participate in the discussion, also.

If there were a program for high school aged students which encouraged discernment of vocation to the priesthood or religious life such as the following plan which I describe, would you (or if you ar now post high school would you have during that time) participate? Would you find it of interest? What do you think to be the positive elements of the plan? What would you say are the weak elements? Where are it’s merits and demerits, in your view?

The concept is this: attendance at a monthly meeting with others (segregated by boys and girls) who are interested in discerning such a vocation (to the priesthood, in particular, but perhaps also to the religious life). Included in this gathering would be a Mass or other form of prayer, spiritual reflection, dinner, and interaction with older seminarians (at the college level) or religious (as the particular track you were discerning applied). The hope would be that following high school, you would join them at this next level.

Additionally, over the summer, you would be expected to go on a mission trip or pilgrimage. Were you to also be attending a Catholic high school at the time, daily Mass attendance would be expected, if the school happenned to offer such. Certainly daily prayer, especially for the grace of such a vocation, would be desired.

There might be other requirements, such as regular meetings with a priest or religious who serves as your sponsor. And you would be expected to have letters of recommendation from your pastor, your family, and your school. You would be required to participate in parish life as a lector, Eucharistic minister, or altar server. You would also have an obligation to periodically assist the vocation director of the diocese or order in their vocational awareness projects.

To add some incentive, a limited number of partial scholarships would be available to those who were attending Catholic high schools. Here, too, high standards would be included. You must maintain a 3.0 GPA in order to receive the scholarship and have an excellent behavorial record. Faithful participation in the discernment program would be necessary. You should be taking theology courses in your Catholic school (if you go to one) as well as Latin or Greek classes, if available.

 

[Andy_K]

One of the biggest problems with this program is that high school aged youth are often involved in a plethora of extracirriculars that could often mean that these “monthly meetings” might be unattendable for everyone at the same time, which is obviously ideal.

It is far too easy for a potential candidate to put this on “the back burner” with basically zero accountability; I love the overall idea, but it seems far more suitable to be incorporated within a school environment itself where the kids would be together anyway, and implementing all these ideas could happen on a day-by-day basis rather than a simple once-a-month meeting that is fleeting in comparison. (hmm, I wonder why )

 

[Titus]

I love the idea and would be very willing to attend (I am 15). But I feel that among teenagers it generally wouldn’t be seen as cool enough. It’s very hard to engage the majority of current teenagers with religion. But even if you only get a few then you ought to be very happy. The trick I believe is to plant the seeds earlier, through altar serving and talking to Father. By the time the boy is a teenager he will be either open to the idea already or will have dismissed it.

 

[Caesar]

I’m 18, just finishing High School and discerning myself. Here are my thoughts and comments:

First of all, great idea. There is little (if any) vocational support for students in many places. To be able to interact with priests, religious, seminarians and other young people who are discerning would be extremely helpful and would also do a lot to support and encourage vocations. If only I had something like this

However, in your specific plan, there are some problems that could arise:

1. Many students today are strapped for time as it is. It is quite common to have part-time jobs (I have three), and then add in any extracirricular activities like clubs, sports teams, academic help, ect., and many students would be unable to put the amount of time and energy into all the activities you suggest.

2. There might also be some problems in regards to assistance from the Catholic schools. Now, bear in mind that I am in Canada, and the Catholi schools here are very differant from those in the US (do a forum search for my occaisional rants) when I say this: it is quite possible that the schools will not support the idea, and they may even discourage it. Orthodoxy in the schools is at an all-time low, many teachers are openly hostile to the Church, and daily Mass is rare if not non-existant (my school’s chapel hasnt had a Mass in 3 years). Furthermore, Latin classes are also a rarity, Greek classes non-existant.

I have some ideas on this might work a little better (in my own view):

• Monthly meetings should be on weekends, during the day, to ensure that students have the time to attend. Sunday afternoons would be good, perhaps after Mass. These regular meetings could include talks from priests and religious, and prayers before the Blessed Sacrament (perhaps the Rosary or even Benediction). There should also be time for interaction between the attendees and the priests/religious and seminarians, perhaps over lunch. Some recreational time and sports might also be a good idea.
• Over the course of the year there could be various additional activities. These could include work with charities and local parishes, as well as activities being coordinated by the Diocesan vocations office or local religious communities. Some vocation-oriented retreats and pilgrimages would be a good idea. If you really want to go far, you could try some foreign missionary work.
• The program should connect the young people involved with orthodox Spiritual Directors (ideally priests and religious) who they can meet with regularly for direction and confession. Also, the program in each area should have its own priest chaplain who meets with all the students regularly to check on their discernment progress, and who is available to everyone involved.
• I believe that this program should not be tied closely with the schools, but rather be independent and run out of parish churches. Some of the talks at the monthly meetings could involve theology and Catechism, and perhaps some regular Catechism classes could be organized.

This is really an interesting idea. I would like to know what becomes of it

 

[Pius_X]

It is a good idea. I will be a sophomore this coming school year, and would join this. The NY Archdiocese, I believe, has a program, as they no longer have a high school seminary.

cathedralprep.com/

 

[DailyBread]

I am not a teen nor currently discerning a religious vocation at this point, but I would say take a bottom up approach for change. Catholic Schools and Universities are holdouts for far left admins and ultimately, they do not satisfy the youth that hunger for Christ. You will find very little. If we want change, the youth along with some good orthodox Catholic adults need to unite on their own at the grass roots level and start their own cause. Use facebook, myspace, whatever and draw people in your area together to meet. Find a good orthodox priest or seminarian who may have time to lead these things.

 

[augieboo]

If there were a program for high school aged students which encouraged discernment of vocation to the priesthood or religious life such as the following plan which I describe, would you (or if you ar now post high school would you have during that time) participate? Would you find it of interest? What do you think to be the positive elements of the plan? What would you say are the weak elements? Where are it’s merits and demerits, in your view?

I’m no longer young – 43 – but I’d like to comment anyway.

NOTE: In the following, when I say “orthodox” I simply mean loyal to Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium (at all levels).

I think it’s a wonderful idea, for those few guys who would be strong enough in their faith – not to mention socially brave enough – to participate. It would be great as a means to make sure that we don’t lose those guys who become aware of a vocation at what would today count as a very young age.

Also, I think that a parallel program for young women discerning a vocation to religious life would be an excellent idea as well. We are all more aware of the “crisis” in priestly vocations because the implications, i.e., parishes with little or no access to the sacraments, are immediately apparent. But the shortage of orthodox nuns and sisters is equally great and, in the long term, just as grave for the Church. Consider, for example, how many priestly vocations Therese of Lisieux has nurtured or even saved; or how many lives have been called to greater sanctity by Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta, by Saints Bernadette and Faustina, not to mention our Blessed Mother.

But…

Speaking as someone determined to atone for having successfully ignored his own “call” for twenty years, I think we also need some kind of program for those young people who, without our help, may live their lives so enmeshed in the world that they never let themselves hear the call.

I’ve actually been tossing around such an idea for a while now. I call it “Pizza with Papa.” (Papa as in Father as in Priest.)

It would be open to any guy say 16 or older, and would consist of informal weekly gatherings with a priest for food and conversation – about anything that concerns them.

From time to time movies could be shown, with or without an explicitly religious theme, which would then be discussed by the group with Fr. acting as facilitator and, (at a very subtle level), catechist.

There should be a prayer and faith sharing component, but it needs to be carefully matched to the religious maturity of the guys in the group.

The basic idea is to promote a core group within a parish of young guys who get to know father well enough to understand:

[1] that the teachings of the Church are the teachings of Christ, and thus are the true path to freedom and a happy existence;

[2] that Fr. really does believe what he preaches on Sundays;

[3] that Church – especially the priest – is the place to go to find someone to trust with one’s deepest and most basic thoughts, fears, dreams, desires, etc.

[4] that being a priest is really cool;

[5] and like that.

The payoff from such an approach would admittedly be relatively long in coming, but as the Holy Father reminds us, in such endeavors we should always keep the grain of mustard seed in mind.

The purpose is so that these guys then go about their college years with the grain of mustard seed planted in their souls. That way, knowing the truth about the Church from the inside, they will be innoculated against the several years of attacks facing their faith from their secularist “teachers” and classmates. In fact – or so my theory goes – the more the secularists attack the Church, the more our guys will see the emptiness of the promises of secular society.

BTW, the program for the gals would be exactly the same, except it might be even more difficult to implement, as orthodox sisters and nuns seem to be even harder to find than orthodox priests. The reason for separating the sexes is that it’s tough enough to get a teenage guy to talk about anything meaningful at all, and pretty near impossible if females are in the room. (Or at least that’s my experience, which is admittedly a bit out of date.)

 

[Kevin42]

I would have loved for something like this to have existed when I was in high school. Of course I had my parents, but I really don’t know anyone my age around where I live that is interested in discerning or even discussing vocations. If I tried to talk about it with most of my friends, I doubt they would take it seriously. I think it would be great if such a program existed because it would allow teens to talk to each other, in an environment that is positive and catalytic to growth.

 

[Andy_K]

Just for the record, folks, this new “program” is essentially identical to the formation program that took place within Quigley Preparatory Seminary until this year.

This is the new “Quigley Scholar’s Program”, the new manifestation of Quigley that truly acts as a poor subsititute for all of the good that came out of that wonderful place. Still, the fact that so many of the other discerning young men on this forum have responded so positively leaves me with much hope.
I just hope that it’s enough. In this day and age especially, finding potential vocations is such an arduous task, and I believe we must do all that we possibly can to foster them.

 

[chicago]

Thanks for all the feedback so far. Some excellent comments and insights. Keep them coming!

Since Andy has already called out what the proposal actually “is”, allow me to add a couple reservations of my own.

I’m concerned that the concept of a “monthly” meeting won’t work for teens. As an adult, I like having the constancy of something being “The 2nd Thursday of every month,” or whatever. And with over busy lives, keeping things limited to that is often worthwhile for us “grown ups”. But with teens it is different. Once a month generally isn’t often enough to develop any habits of attendance, comeraderie, and commitment. You need, minimally, a weekly program. And with that sort of thing it has to be “ok” for them to miss sometimes. They need space to breathe. Maybe even to take a little time away and come back. It seems that the program is both trying to force something while simultaneously not enabling that breathing room or offering enough strength in stability of the group as a touchpoint, either.

Also, how will the program deal with disciplinary problems or personality conflicts? In a school or more dedicated endeavor, there might be ways in which to accomplish this while not having to just kick people out, thereby enabling everyone to learn how to get along better and offering the ability for someone to continue searching. Will that now become a significant challenge?

For the scholarships, why a 3.0 average? Must priests be the smartest cookies? How about a kid who maintains a C+ average, works his butt off, and is really interested in the priesthood? I thought that the idea was to help foster potential priestly prospects, not just to be an academic reward. The best priests aren’t necessarily always the brightest bulbs, afterall.

 

[Caesar]

Thanks for all the feedback so far. Some excellent comments and insights. Keep them coming!

Since Andy has already called out what the proposal actually “is”, allow me to add a couple reservations of my own.

I’m concerned that the concept of a “monthly” meeting won’t work for teens. As an adult, I like having the constancy of something being “The 2nd Thursday of every month,” or whatever. And with over busy lives, keeping things limited to that is often worthwhile for us “grown ups”. But with teens it is different. Once a month generally isn’t often enough to develop any habits of attendance, comeraderie, and commitment. You need, minimally, a weekly program. And with that sort of thing it has to be “ok” for them to miss sometimes. They need space to breathe. Maybe even to take a little time away and come back. It seems that the program is both trying to force something while simultaneously not enabling that breathing room or offering enough strength in stability of the group as a touchpoint, either.

Also, how will the program deal with disciplinary problems or personality conflicts? In a school or more dedicated endeavor, there might be ways in which to accomplish this while not having to just kick people out, thereby enabling everyone to learn how to get along better and offering the ability for someone to continue searching. Will that now become a significant challenge?

For the scholarships, why a 3.0 average? Must priests be the smartest cookies? How about a kid who maintains a C+ average, works his butt off, and is really interested in the priesthood? I thought that the idea was to help foster potential priestly prospects, not just to be an academic reward. The best priests aren’t necessarily always the brightest bulbs, afterall.

In regards to you last point about marks- this is very true. Consider how difficult school was for St. John Vianney. Also, there might be some students in my situation who have to work a lot, and are thus deprived of enough time to put much effort into schoolwork. I do exceedingly well on tests and exams, but I hardly have very much time for assignments.

 

[rosariop]

Well at my school mormans havev seminar in the mornings before school.( I attend a public school) and they bought a building thats right in front of the school. I dont think incorrperating this type of program into the school would be such a good idae because many catholics don’t atend catholic high schools. For me their are none near my house and my parents dont have the means to get me to the bigger cities where they do have them. But I really like the idea of making it after mass. That is a day most people are free and I like the idea of being able to talk things out with people my age but at the same time being able to have a mentor or guide to help lead us in the right direction. I think this might soud like youth group but we need more so a kind of bible studies for young adults that is what would sound great to me!!!

 

[Teeliumtrozzle]

I would love to participate in something like that and would be more then willing.But I just dont live in that type of world…

 

[catholichivalry]

If there were a program for high school aged students which encouraged discernment of vocation to the priesthood or religious life such as the following plan which I describe, would you (or if you ar now post high school would you have during that time) participate? Would you find it of interest? What do you think to be the positive elements of the plan? What would you say are the weak elements? Where are it’s merits and demerits, in your view?

I think the idea is great! I can see that you may have a few complications with the details or structure in how you set it up, but that is almost a given regardless of however you set it up. I tend to agree with your later statement about how a teenager may need to meet more often than the once a month meeting, mentioned in your original description. - I’ll try to limit my advice here, since this program seems to be targeting students at “high-schools.” (I was homeschooled through high-school.)
My parish (which is small, but active) has three different “groups” for young people [according to age]. The most recently established group (of approximately three years) is for “young adults” ages 18 to 40. We meet twice a month and have given or attended a few retreats. One of the retreats we offered was designed for highschoolers who had recently attended a “Steubenville Youth Conferance.” (I believe there were about 20-something students who came to the retreat) It was quite an effective effort to continue the “Steubenville Experience” The plan at the time was to continue offering the retreats regularily, but unfortunately our group suffered a loss in leadership shortly afterwards, and the idea crumbled. What I’m getting at is that there is a great deal of very vibrantly catholic young men and women (teenagers in highschool) out there! A program like you described, if done well, may provide for young people a necessary link they need to discern a vocation, as well as to grow deeper in their faith in God and love for the Church! Thank you for any involvement you have in offering such a program!

 

[chicago]

I’ll try to limit my advice here, since this program seems to be targeting students at “high-schools.” (I was homeschooled through high-school.)

Feel free to share all that you like. All comments are welcome. While I’m particularly interested in the opinions of young people high school age or slightly beyond (since that is who the program is for), I’m happy to hear opinions from anyone. Your experience in the parish is exactly the kind of insight which I believe the moderators of the actual program need to hear about in order to more effectively enable them to accomplish something positive and avoid the pitfalls. (I hope they’ll read this, then!)

As Andy noted in an earlier post, what I here describe is the Archdiocese of Chicago’s new outgrowth program for discernment/recruitment of teenagers towards priesthood and eventual attendance of the college seminary. It could, obviously, be tailored to other religious orders interests, employed for discernment of girls as well as boys, or be a more generalized development program.

It used to be common for there to be such programs oriented to teens (typically in the form of high school “preparatory” seminaries). That system, however, is largely long gone and, sadly, forgotten in most quarters to the point that most people don’t even think about nurturing vocations at a young age - despite the Church’s longstanding (and contemporary) admonishion to do so. Yet here in Chicago, we are still quite cognizant of the need and importance, however, as Quigley has providentially lasted until this past June’s closing.

But, unlike the actual high school seminary, the new program seeks to target a wider range of teens who might be attending any school or even (as you were) homeschooled. So, actually, you’re probably the ideal type of person to get commentary about it from.

The plan at the time was to continue offering the retreats regularily, but unfortunately our group suffered a loss in leadership shortly afterwards, and the idea crumbled.

I think this speaks to the importance of consistency for youth programs to succeed. It has certainly been what I’ve, likewise, witnessed in those which have either grown strong or, conversely, fallen apart.

What I’m getting at is that there is a great deal of very vibrantly catholic young men and women (teenagers in highschool) out there! A program like you described, if done well, may provide for young people a necessary link they need to discern a vocation, as well as to grow deeper in their faith in God and love for the Church! Thank you for any involvement you have in offering such a program!

I agree. I think that these young people need only be tapped (maybe literally on the shoulder) and encouraged to explore what God is calling them to. It would be my desire and great hope that many more would receive both the invitaion and opportunity to do so.

 

[dadude]

I actually thought this would be a good idea. I am fifteen and currently attend a catholic high school of about 200 students. There some of us who have a very strong faith. And I know there are at least seven of us who are considering a vocation to the priesthood. I had thought maybe getting an adoration hour at a perpetual adoration chapel in a nearby town and those of us who could would meet weekly for an hour to pray.As far as being social and sharing a meal we actually have such a group. We have a group of guys who meets every thursday to pray a rosary and share a meal. For the most part if teens have the faith they will find ways to put other things aside. God should always be first in our lives.

 

[chicago]

I actually thought this would be a good idea. I am fifteen and currently attend a catholic high school of about 200 students. There some of us who have a very strong faith. And I know there are at least seven of us who are considering a vocation to the priesthood. I had thought maybe getting an adoration hour at a perpetual adoration chapel in a nearby town and those of us who could would meet weekly for an hour to pray.As far as being social and sharing a meal we actually have such a group. We have a group of guys who meets every thursday to pray a rosary and share a meal. For the most part if teens have the faith they will find ways to put other things aside. God should always be first in our lives.

I just wanted to highlight this statement. In Chicago, the mantra coming from the Archdiocese’s apologists is, “Young people don’t consider vocations anymore.” Maybe they need to talk to some of the people at your school to learn otherwise.

That said, if you already have this much going for you, I’d definintely look into getting a priest or someone to help foster vocational discernment. It does seem to be a logical next step.

Really, all that is needed is to nurture such things in youth is a little effort and extended hand, and vocations will come. If only anyone bothers.