The following was included in the April, 2011, Clergy Communications for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati from the Vocation Office: Andrew Dinners With the continued success of the Andrew Dinners throughout the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, which have now seen over 200 young men join Archbishop Schnurr to hear a presentation on seminary life, three dinners have been scheduled for Spring 2011: March 23: All Saints, Kenwood April 6: St. Michael, Fort Loramie April 13: St. Peter, Huber Heights The continued success of these dinners relies on priests making the invitations for young men to join them.  … Continue reading →

It is rapidly approaching the end of the school year for this year’s batch of seminarians and the number of young men waiting to enter next year is just starting to firm up, so this really isn’t the most perfect time to post this for you parish vocation committees out there who are looking for a new idea to spark interest from your parish. However, now is the perfect time to start planning for next school year and this is one of my favorite ideas to propose to parishes: ADOPT A SEMINARIAN! Having your parish … Continue reading →

This morning, I had the opportunity to address the principals of all the Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, both grade school and high school.  Here are my remarks: In prior ages, schools were populated by sisters and priests who taught students.  My parents remember being taught by Sisters of the Precious Blood.  When I taught at Elder High School, there were legends about the time when there were only 2 lay men on staff as faculty.  By the time I taught there, I was one of only two priests.  Times have indeed changed.  … Continue reading →

Ever wonder what you can do to increase vocations to the priesthood and religious life?  Serra Clubs are built around the ideal of: Pray Affirm Invite Educate These four pillars certainly help, but unless there is something deeper present, it is just wheels spinning.  What is that source, the spring of water, that empowered Mother Theresa of Calcutta to do what she did?  How did John Paul II work so tirelessly in the mission of the Gospel?  What transformed a simple parish priest into a draw for hundreds of thousands in the person of St. … Continue reading →

After the destruction unleashed in Europe during World War II, the US used the Marshal Plan to help rebuild Europe so that such a tragedy would not be revisited upon the continet. We’ve reached time where there is needed a ‘Spiritual Marshal Plan’ to help rebuild and reawaken Europe and ‘The West’ from the spiritual malaise and destruction that has been unleashed over the last 30 to 40 years. In taking the name ‘Benedict,’ many have argued that our current Holy Father chose to identify with both the original St. Benedict (of Nursia), the founder of … Continue reading →

From the Archdiocese of Cincinnati ‘Clergy Communications’: ANDREW DINNERS With the continued success of the Andrew Dinners throughout the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, which have now seen over 200 young men join Archbishop Schnurr to hear a presentation on seminary life, three dinners have been scheduled for the Spring of 2011: March 23: All Saints, Kenwood (Cincinnati) April 6: St. Michael, Fort Loramie April 13: St. Peter, Huber Heights (Dayton) The continued success of these dinners relies on priests making the invitations for young men to join them. As has been consistently reported, the invitation of … Continue reading →

The USCCB has recently launched a great new website called foryourvocation.org. I have to admit that I haven’t spent much time on it, but recently I have found their blog and the articles there contain great reflections on the many aspects of discernment and spiritual growth. Here is just a snippet of today’s article on Courage: When I think of someone who responded to God’s call in their life with courage I think of St. Thomas Aquinas. It is not always easy to follow the Lord in the path toward a vocation to the priesthood … Continue reading →