Vocations Are Not “Second Fiddle”

According to Nigli, working with youth groups is key to gaining new vocations to priesthood and religious life. “In working with youth, I found there is a thirst for holiness,” he said.

Once a week, at its inception, the youth [group] at St. Vincent de Paul parish began praying before the Blessed Sacrament for inspiration, for God’s guidance and help. Gradually things started surfacing and slowly ideas started coming up. One of the young men from that group is in the seminary now.

Nigli suggests that a required element of parish life, in addition to those existing (i.e., finance council, pastoral council), is “a required youth, young adult and vocations council where the future of the church is rooted on a spiritual foundation. This council’s only task is to constantly assess the spiritual pulse of the young church and to provide opportunities to improve their prayer life, faith life and active community life. . . There you are setting the seeds for vocations to be born.”

In that same circle, campaigns for vocations could be promoted just as campaigns for education, fund raising, etc., are promoted.

“It is important to remind our parents that they are the primary educators of their children’s faith,” Nigli said. His main concern is that children don’t have time for church because they are busy with all sorts of social activities, hours online surfing the Internet, and sports. He says their time for church, religion, and exploring the mysteries of God is often compromised.

“Parents are responsible until the child is an adult for their faithful mission as family educators. God’s going to ask you, ‘Why didn’t you bring your child to church?’ ‘I let him sleep in or he does not want to go, so I don’t force religion on him.’ Parents don’t let their children sleep in or skip school, ballgames, dancing lessons, work, whatever. They exhort them to do everything else without any conflict, but they will not encourage religion for their children and passively accept it when they miss out on Church and God!”

High school students frequently say they don’t have time to attend church activities. Father fears we wean them off church. Sometimes they think that because they have received Confirmation and attend a Catholic high school, they don’t have to go to church anymore. “That’s not true at all,” he said. “They still need to be part of the church community life...in service...in giving of self to the Mystical Body of Christ. Perhaps they should only be confirmed as seniors in high school.”

Nigli pointed out that young adults in college and in their early 30s, are also missing from the parish. “They need to be rooted as models so the younger kids can look up and say, ‘Hey, how are you handling your college life, your work life and going to church regularly?’
“Unless an investment is made both in terms of time, institution and money to promote youth life and vitality, and it is seen a priority, vocational processing will be very slow and increasingly difficult,” Nigli continued.

“I think it’s about time that we stop and look at family and Church and see the things that are important,” he said. “If we keep putting off God and church activities, how will we communicate that priesthood and religious life are important? We can’t—it automatically takes second fiddle!”

Return to Top