God's Immeasurable Generosity in Priestly Vocations

Archbishop Burke relates in his weekly column today an event of particular importance as we continue our daily prayers and petitions to our Lord in providing good and holy priests to carry on His work, His personal calling to certain men to become an Alter Christus, a call to consider a vocation to the ordained priesthood. Archbishop Burke tells us about the Priesthood discernment retreat:

From Friday evening, Feb. 17, through Sunday afternoon, Feb. 19, 39 men gathered with me at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary for a spiritual retreat. All of them are hearing, to some degree, the call to the ordained priesthood and wanted to spend time in prayer and reflection, to know God’s will more perfectly in their lives. They rightly looked to me as their shepherd to help them in discerning Christ’s call in their lives.

The men who gathered included high school seniors, men in university studies and men already exercising some profession or other work. They quickly bonded with one another through their common love of Christ and His priestly ministry and through their desire to answer Christ’s call in their lives. They also quickly bonded with our seminarians who were their hosts and to whom they look as brothers responding to Christ’s call. It is a particular gift for me to be able to host the priesthood discernment retreat, an annual event, at our archdiocesan seminary, in which the men who are called to the priesthood will receive their preparation for priestly ordination and ministry.

I offered four spiritual conferences on the priestly vocation, on what it means to be called to the ordained priesthood and how one responds to Christ’s call to put aside our fears and become "fishers of men" (Luke 5:10). Also, I met with each man individually to discuss his hearing of Christ’s call. What struck me about all of the men was their generous willingness to leave everything behind to follow Christ the Good Shepherd. Thanks be to God, the greater part of the men who participated in the priesthood discernment retreat are already making application to enter Kenrick-Glennon Seminary or plan to do so within the coming year. Also, some are making plans to enter a religious community of priests.

At the conclusion of the weekend, I could not thank our Lord Jesus enough for His call at work in the lives of so many good men of the archdiocese. I write to you about the retreat, so that you may know more fully how our Lord is at work to provide shepherds for us. Also, I ask you to pray daily for the men who are hearing Christ’s call to the priesthood.

What a wonderful blessing this is. Please continue to pray for our priests and bishops and for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

Archbishop Burke's complete column is here.