“Then he said to his disciples,
“The harvest is plentiful,
but the laborers are few;
pray therefore the Lord of the harvest
to send out laborers into his harvest.””
There’s a role for all of us!
Have you ever wondered how you can help support
those men already ordained, or considering the priesthood?
Here are some ways to consider. Be creative!
Personal ways:
Pray. You can find samples of pre-written prayers to use, but prayer is simply rooted in love for another - just tell the Lord you love these men and want His will for their lives!
Notice. Pay attention to the young men around you and encourage personal holiness & thinking about a calling this way. Most priests will tell you that someone in their life urged them to consider the priesthood, recognizing the gifts they had and encouraging them to bring them to the Lord in the service of His Church.
Talk. Those of us with unmarried sons may be raising future priests! Be alert and be generous with your children’s futures, wanting all that the Lord may have for them. Knowing that you would be happy to see them choose the priesthood may go a long way to seeing them embrace that vocation willingly.
Sign up. Consider signing up to attend Mass, make a Holy Hour or pray a Rosary once a month on a non-Sunday day for vocations, our seminarians, our current clergy and our bishops. Our Diocese has teamed up with the Serra Club of Steubenville to re-institute the 31 Club as a way of encouraging the faithful to pray for vocations and our clergy. (The name is based on the maximum number of days in a month.) Click this link to commit to days that work in your schedule or have particular meaning to you (birthdays, anniversaries, sacramental anniversaries and so forth):
“Now please pray so that I may respond to such a beautiful vocation;
that, like the Bread of the Sacrifice,
I may lose my life,
my substance,
my personality,
to be changed into the spirit and life of Jesus.”
Family Ways:
Invite your priest into your home - Priests are not always stationed in proximity to their parent’s or other family members, but you can welcome them into the life of your family, if you are nearby! Priests are people, too! Remember their birthdays, anniversaries. Cheer them on in the work they do; everybody needs encouragement and friendship.
Visit elderly priests - Eventually, all priests retire and later are sometimes in nursing homes or similar before they die. You can befriend these elder brothers and walk with them in their last years. If you want suggestions for this special type of ministry, please contact Fr. Gossett directly.
Visit seminarians when you travel - Do you ever travel somewhere that our Diocese has men stationed for formation? (currently Detroit, with one seminarian doing a spiritual year in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania this year) If so, you could take some time to check in with the men there, meet them for a meal off campus, bring homemade cookies, get to know them, etc. You’d be surprised how a little effort goes a long way. And our guys are GREAT! You’ll love meeting them in person!
Adopt a seminarian - Think you want to go deep in relationship with one guy? You could adopt a seminarian and shower him with family love - homemade birthday cards, invitations to dinner when he’s home from school, whatever makes sense with your family and way of life. (This is not supposed to be about sending him money, just so it’s clear.)
Adopt a priest - Similar to adopting a seminarian or inviting your local priest into your home for some family life contact, this is about extending the love of your family and the power of your family’s prayer life for the benefit of that priest’s ministry. Our priests are on the front lines of so many battles and need our prayers to sustain their zeal and our sacrifices to fire their efficacy. Love generously!
Group Ways:
Serra Clubs - Serra Clubs exist to pray for and support seminarians and priests. They meet regularly and have scheduled Adoration shifts. Our local chapter can be contacted here: https://www.facebook.com/steubenvilleserra/
Mom’s groups - Do you know other women who have a heart for the priesthood, have sons considering the priesthood or are already priests? Plan get-togethers and pray!
Dad’s groups - Similar in purpose and calling as the Mom’s groups, but from the heart of fathers for their sons, especially their sons who may one day be their spiritual fathers. “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:16 NKJV
Catholic Women’s Council - Our Diocese has a network of Catholic Women’s Councils in most parishes. They do many things to support our seminarians. You can find out more through the info here: https://diosteub.org/dccw
Do you have other ideas that you or someone you know has done for seminarians or priests?
Please drop us a line and let us know!