When Jesus teaches something in the Gospel, do we take notes? Do you apply His words to the way we live our lives? We say that we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and therefore is God Himself, but do we take what He says in the Gospel seriously?

Take Matthew 19. Jesus tells his listeners that he is calling for an understanding of the marriage covenant that goes beyond a civil contract. He raises marriage to the dignity of a sacrament and thus says that the old Jewish understanding of divorce is no longer valid. But later on in the chapter, Jesus goes even further. He states that some are called to forgo marriage “for the sake of the Kingdom of God,” and then he makes the stakes even higher, saying “whoever can accept this ought to accept it.” (Matthew 19:12)

When we think about vocations to the priesthood and religious life, do we ever think about this clear teaching of Jesus. He is calling some to forgo the goodness of marriage to point people toward the Kingdom of God, and yet don’t we often see the call to celibacy as the rare “exception to the rule,” or something to consider after other goals have been accomplished or other more pressing questions about our lives and futures have been answered?

It is true that marriage to another is a natural desire of our hearts, but I challenge all those who profess the faith to really examine the way they see the possibility that they, or someone they love are being called to an incredible life, a life of fruitfulness not in a marriage bond, but in a deep, life giving relationship with the church.

God wants to give us many great leaders who can build up the church as spiritual fathers and mothers, begetting and protecting the many souls entrusted to them, and courageously pointing the laity toward the Kingdom when things seem most desperate, when tragedy has struck, or when temporal leadership has let them down. But we won’t have that great stock of leadership if we don’t take the words of Jesus extremely seriously. Jesus doesn’t say, well, those who don’t want to get married for some reason or who have exhausted all other options should think about doing this. No, he wants the very best potential husbands and fathers and wives and mothers to answer the call if they receive it. He wants the most talented and gifted among us to use their gifts for the church in ordained ministry or consecrated life if he calls them to it.

In order to answer the call, however, one must be open to it, he or she must be listening. Please encourage young men and women in your midst to be open to this call and help them to be open to the call by talking about it and learning about it yourself. Parents, help your children and teach them this lesson that Jesus gives us in the Gospel. We must shift the way in which the church sees the call to priesthood and religious life. We should give God our best, our first shot. We should all open the way to this call in our hearts, then if we don’t receive it, we can joyfully pursue a life-giving married life. Think of the gifts that would be brought to bear in our parishes and our diocese if all of us took the teachings of Jesus seriously, and were open to whatever the Lord called us to. “Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”

Welcome acolytes

(Fr. Nick travels a lot, but he puts his homilies on the internet for those who would like to hear them! Go to www.jacksonpriests.com/podcasts each Sunday evening to listen. You can also find out all you want to know about our Vocation office at www.jacksonpriests.com.)

I want to thank everyone who was a part of making our first annual Homegrown Harvest Gala and Fundraiser a huge success. With the help of over 120 sponsors and donors, we reached and surpassed our goal of $75,000 to go toward our Seminarian Education Trust.

I hope that those who joined us for the livestream got to see the fruit of their donation in the men who are studying for the priesthood for our diocese. I put together a short video featuring all six seminarians, each of whom brings important gifts and a dedication to their own formation. They are also the fruit of families full of faith that supported and nurtured a care for the Lord and His church at home. Next year, I hope that we will be able to gather and celebrate these men and their families in person, but the livestream element provided its own opportunities and advantages.

I especially want to thank Father Jim Wehner, Rector of Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, who provided an incredible talk about seminary formation for our event. The best thing about this format is that you can still watch this entire event! You can go to jacksonpriests.com or to our diocesan YouTube page where I have posted the two videos featured at the Gala.

I also want to thank the diocesan staff that helped me pull off this even seamlessly. Rebecca Harris and Julia Williams in our development office took the initiative in learning about online fundraising, did software training, and helped me in so many other ways. Joanna King, our fearless director of communications always came up with great ideas to get the word out about this event, Rhonda Bowden of St. Jude in Pearl helped me put together a great event at St. Jude, and Rusty and Yvonne Haydel for helping me promote the event in many different ways. Thanks to Father Lincoln Dall for his hospitality, as we used St. Jude to present the livestream, and to Bishop Joseph Kopacz for encouraging me to keep going even when we had to move to an online gala. A special thanks to our sponsors and parishes who gave large gifts that really fast-tracked our fundraising. We continue to strengthen our culture of vocations, and God is bringing forth laborers for the harvest as we speak. Please keep praying for more holy priests and see you next year!

I would like to offer my greatest thanks to all the generous sponsors and attendees of our first ever Homegrown Harvest Gala and Fundraiser. The Lord continues to call forth workers for the harvest, and we are seeking to respond from all sides here in the Diocese of Jackson. The incredible support of so many, both spiritually and financially, is a great encouragement to me and to all of our seminarians. This year’s gala was held virtually on Oct. 9 and you can watch a replay of it on our Vocations Facebook page (facebook.com/jacksonpriests). I look forward to sharing with you the results of our gala in the next issue of the Mississippi Catholic.

Earlier this month, I took three young men on a tour of the grounds of the seminaries that we currently use for formation, Notre Dame in New Orleans and St. Joseph Seminary College in Covington.

These trips are invaluable to a young man who is beginning to consider that he may have a call to the priesthood. I remember the first time I visited the seminary: Father Frank Cosgrove drove me down on Super Bowl weekend 2012 to Covington and we arrived just as the bells were tolling for monastic evening prayer. Of course, I had no idea what monastic Evening Prayer was, all I saw was a line of monks clad in all black processing two by two into the Church while we tried to figure out where the heck to go! This was just what I thought seminary would be like: intense and intimidating.

I quickly realized, however, that this was not the measure of seminary life. As I sheepishly entered the seminarian refectory (cafeteria), I was shocked to see that there was a Super Bowl party going on. There was a huge pot of gumbo on and the guys were settling in to watch the game together. They were having fun! They were normal people! And even the monks, who run the seminary, quickly revealed the great joy that they have in their vocation as I met with the rector of the seminary and some the other priests on staff.
This experience has driven me ever since to try to get guys who are open to priesthood to “come and see” what seminary life is all about. I was especially grateful on this trip for our six men who are in formation, all of whom stepped up and gave great witness to our guests. It is these trips, these conversations, these interactions, and these moments for prayer that allow many men to take the final plunge and start the application process. The money that we raise for tuition gives us flexibility in offering experiences for men who are not yet in seminary formation. I am trying to run this department with a view of the whole, and the money raised to offset our largest budget item is a great gift to all of the men who are benefitting from a top notch seminary formation, as well as the men and women who are taking part in other programs that are being offered to foster vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

Seminary is a challenging time on many levels. The seminarian is tasked with growing in his relationship with the Lord and listening to His voice. He is challenged in the classroom, and in the pastoral application of what he has learned. He is challenged when he was to figure out how to effectively preach and teach the faith. One of the biggest adjustments for a seminarian, however, might be becoming a “public person.”

When I started working at WTOK-TV in Meridian and anchoring the sportscast each night, I couldn’t help but notice when people would stare at me. I would go to Wal-Mart and someone would glance over to me and it was for just a split second longer than a normal glance. After a while I realized that people were trying to figure out where they knew me from! Some people would recognize me and come over and speak with me like we were old friends, after all, they saw me everyday. It took time for me to get comfortable with that reality, and so it was funny to me when I left television, went to seminary, and then started wearing a roman collar and noticing a similar phenomenon. When you wear clerics, you make a statement about who you are and what you are about, and people react. Many react with curiosity, others with joy (mostly Catholics ha!), and some (very few in my experience) with suspicion or even anger or hatred.

We give seminarians a chance to get used to this experience before they reach ordination. At about the halfway point of their formation, a seminarian typically receives “candidacy.” They make a public declaration that in good conscience they believe they are being called to the priesthood, and they start to wear a roman collar in public and become a public representative of the church. The seminarian begins to see the effect that the identity that they will take on with ordination will have on their life. When someone sees a roman collar, they should expect to be cared about, listened to and respected. In some ways priests need to be “all things to all people,” especially when someone is in need. This is why the men get the chance, when they are ready, to experience this before ordination. Grace builds on nature, and so if our men do not get in the habit of being there for people in a real way before ordination, they will not magically start being there for parishioners once they get ordained. Wearing clerics before ordination can give them valuable insight into the responsibility they are taking on to care for the People of God.

I wanted to explain this process because I often get that question, and our seminarians who have received candidacy do as well: why do some guys who are not yet priests wear the collar? The roman collar does not equal priesthood, but it should make someone confident that the person wearing one knows the Lord and wants to bring them into deeper relationship with Him.

Vocations Events

Friday, October 9, 2020 – First annual Homegrown Harvest Gala and Fundraiser (virtual)

For more information and sponsorship opportunities visit: https://one.bidpal.net/homegrownharvest2020/welcome

In the past month I have visited several of our diocesan schools and I have had a great time getting to know the principals, staff and students at places like Cathedral School in Natchez, St. Aloysius in Vicksburg, Sr. Thea Bowman in Jackson, and St. Jospeh School in Greenville. I have fond memories of having priests as guests in the classroom when I was a Catholic School student, and I hope that my visits to our schools help give our children a firm grasp of what a call to the priesthood or religious life might “sound” like.

I tend to highlight two important facts at any school or parish that I visit. I think these two points are unknown to most, and so if my audience remembers nothing else, I hope they remember Father Nick’s “two points.”
Point number one, the desire to get married and have a family does not mean that a young person’s discernment is over. It is a part of our very biology that we desire to love someone else in this world as fully as possible, and the Lord has raised marriage to the level of a sacrament so that a man and a woman can share that love in a fruitful way. However, Jesus reveals in the Gospel that some men and women are called to forgo that natural calling and say yes to a supernatural gift that comes forth in a celibate life. Jesus goes so far to say “…let anyone accept this who can.” (Matthew 19:19) So point number one reminds young people (and older folks as well) that Jesus asks us to give Him the first say, and if you are asked to choose celibacy with generosity, God will bring forth abundant love in your life.

Point number two, speaking to a priest like me about a vocation does not mean I am going to sign you up to fill in for me at the parish next week! In fact, even going so far as enrolling in the seminary or a house of formation does not mean that you are locked in for life! The church provides years of formation to men and women so they they can fully discern whether they are being called or not. I will never push someone into a choice they have not come to freely, but I do hope that more and more young people will take advantage of the church’s resources that allow them to pray, study, and have the support of a community conducive to good discernment. A person who feels they may be called to priesthood or religious life and is considering entering formation should be prepared to offer the Lord two years. If you can commit to two years of joyful discernment, then you can rest assured that the Lord will use that time well, and again, you can always leave if you discern marriage is the call for you!

As I say often, I am so zealous about spreading the word regarding priestly formation because after my first two years in the seminary, I didn’t want to leave! Being supported by so many wonderful faculty members and leaders of the church, and being in a community of like minded individuals all striving for holiness and pushing one another in a healthy way was an amazing experience.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support of our six seminarians, all of whom are doing well. Please pray for many young men and women throughout the diocese who are pondering the Lord’s call.
– Father Nick Adam

Vocations Events

Friday, October 9, 2020 – First annual Homegrown Harvest Gala and Fundraiser (virtual)
Visit https://one.bidpal.net/homegrownharvest2020 to support this event.