“ We need more priests in this critical time when we need to imbue the world with the values of the Gospel.”
“THE harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” — Luke 10: 2
It was a busy month for us at the seminary. We spent our weekends attending the ordinations of our graduates. Nine of them were for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, four were for the Diocese of San Bernardino, and one was for the Diocese of Orange. We were also interviewing candidates for admission to the seminary. We’re looking at having 30 new seminarians this coming academic year.
So, we can say that the “harvest is abundant” this year and future laborers are coming. This is good news for the Catholic Church: we’re getting more men who feel called to the priesthood.
Indeed, the number of seminarians across the United States has slightly increased in recent years—thanks to the prayers of the people of God and the inspiration of Pope Francis.
As one writer says, “the Francis effect seems to be working.” We need more priests in this critical time when we need to imbue the world with the values of the Gospel.
One of the newly ordained priests during his first Mass referred to this surge of priestly vocation as a light of hope. He said that when people seem to think that the Catholic Church has suffered in its reputation and strength, the increase of vocations inspires Catholics to hope for the bright future of the Church.
I could sense this light of hope when I read theological reflections of my students in the seminary and when I interview possible candidates. I keep hearing a “call to holiness, to serve the people of God, and to bring the truth of the Gospel to all men and women.” As I have said before, we will never have a lack of people who are called by God to serve the needs of the Church. After all, God is in charge; he plants the seeds of the priestly vocation in the hearts of men.
One of the men that we interviewed for admission to the seminary is a widow in his mid-50s who spent years working as a chiropractor. At his later age, he wanted to devote the rest of his life serving as a priest.
Many are young men in their 20s who are critical of the secular culture and long for solid grounds of faith to stand on. For some reason or another, they feel drawn to develop a profound relationship with God through prayers, Sacraments, and pastoral work. They are attracted to the beauty and long-standing traditions of our worships. There is a restlessness in their hearts to find meaning and joy in life.
Pope Emeritus, Benedict XV1, wrote about this mysterious phenomenon of God’s call in his book, Dogma: Applying Christian Doctrine to Daily life. Referring to Old Testament story of Samuel, he states:
“It is night. Eli, the high priest, is quite elderly and beginning to go blind. All these details give us at the same time a picture of the historical moment in which Samuel receives his calling. Israel is living in the night, like a man blind to God. Life has become routine; the days pass, and God seems far away. The ordinariness of life hides him; it is as if he no longer existed, and in a period of peace and comfort no one bothers to ask about him.
And yet the lamp of God has not gone out, and the voice of the Lord calls this boy whose heart is pure and whose soul I open. God once again makes himself heard in the midst of man’s indifference. He pursues his people even when they seem ready to forget him.”
May God pursue much more young men to follow the path of priesthood, a calling that is noble, selfless and fulfilling!
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From a Filipino immigrant family, Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas was ordained to the priesthood from St. John’s Seminary in 1991. He served as Associate Pastor at St. Augustine, Culver City (1991-1993); St. Martha, Valinda (1993-1999); and St. Joseph the Worker, Canoga Park (1999-2001). In 2001, he served as Administrator Pro Tem of St. John Neumann in Santa Maria, CA, until his appointment as pastor of ImmAaculate Heart of Mary, Los Angeles, in 2002, which lasted 12 years. His term as Associate Director of Pastoral Field Education at St. John’s Seminary began in July 2014.
