Las Lomas

It's one thing to hear that a Catholic has decided to go to a protestant church and quite another to find that some are being lead astray by people who pretend to be Catholic priests and bishops. There is not much shock - though there should be - when we hear that someone is leaving the Catholic Church to go to XYZ chapel or some community church but when people use the name Catholic in the name of their "church", dress like priests and present themselves as Catholic priests I...get...angry.

There is always the occasional story about a renegade priest who has left the priesthood and started his own church. They give it a nice name and they're on their way. However, when someone uses the name "Catholic" in the name of their church, says he's Catholic, and intentionally misleads people he commits a grave sin and deprives innocent and unexpecting people of the true Roman Catholic faith and the grace God offers us in the Sacraments.

From time to time someone would mention that there was a priest in the neighborhood who was teaching catechism to kids from the garage of a house on a street called Las Lomas. No one seemed to know the exact address. We put a notice in the bulletin to let people know that this man was not a valid priest and whatever "sacraments" he may be offering are not valid. As a result some parents approached me to ask me if it was alright for them to be sponsors for a child that was going to receive Confirmation from this priest. I informed them that, despite the ritual and the appearance of a Confirmation, it would not be valid and the child would be deprived of the true Sacrament. I insisted on knowing exactly address where this girl was taking classes. I was told he taught religious education classes on Wednesday nights and was finally given the address on Las Lomas street.

Determined to put an end to this I got in a car with the Director of Religious Education here at the parish and her assistant and we drove to Las Lomas on a Wednesday night. Our intention was to arrive there before classes begun at 6pm and talk to this "priest". Unfortunately when we arrived at 6 we saw the garage door of the house open and about 25 kids and many of their parents in folding chairs listening to a man teach in Spanish. I stood quietly in the back for a minute or two and listened. Though quiet, I was quickly noticed. The man, dressed in casual clothes, stopped, looked at me and said in English:

"Hi, can I help you."

"Yes", I said, "I am Father Brendan, who are you?"

He responded "I am Father Fernando."

"Oh you're a Catholic priest. What church are you from" I asked.

He said" St. Matthew's in Huntington Beach"

"There isn't a Catholic Church named St. Matthew in Huntington Beach" I informed him.

"Yes there is", he said"

The conversation continued civilly but the tension was obvious and the children, ranging from 6-16 years old and their parents could sense it. Many of them attend Sunday Mass at our parish and so they recognized me. And if not, the roman collar certainly helped. This man claimed to be a Catholic priest from a parish that doesn't exist. I pursued the issue and told him that he did not have the bishop's approval to be here and however good his intentions may be they were misguided. He wavered on the issue saying he was here by the authority of Bishop Mahonney. (Apparently he wasn't aware that that it's Cardinal Mahonney). I asked him again:

"Are you a Catholic priest and if so who is your bishop?"

"Yes", he said, "my bishop is Bishop Maximo."

"There is no Catholic bishop by the name of Maximo" I told him, a bit frustrated with his lack of honesty.

The parents and kids were becoming more uncomfortable with the situation.

Trying to get a straight answer I asked: "Are you in communion with Rome"?

"We are are an independent church", he told me.

Then I told him firmly, "then you're not Catholic.

Knowing that most of the parents there understood what was going but didn't understand everything that was being said I addressed the priest in Spanish and said "you are deceiving these people into believing you are a Catholic priest and you are not. If you wish to start your own church you have every right to do so but don't tell these people you are Catholic because you are not" I then addressed the parents and told them that I respected their decision to worship according to their beliefs and conscience but they should know that this man is not a Catholic priest. If they wished to receive a Catholic education and receive the Sacraments then they needed to come to Our Lady of Guadalupe or another Catholic parish.

To my great surprise, some of the parents were clearly upset with me that I had invited myself to this house and and felt that I was accusing them of doing something bad. This disheartened me. I assured them that, on the contrary, they were being great parents by wishing to educate their children in the faith and joining them for their classes. I felt that if, indeed, this man was Catholic I would surely be warmly welcomed whether or not I had been invited. My goal, I told them, was to let them know that if they were attending these classes in this garage thinking that they were receiving the Catholic faith or that the sacraments they were preparing for were valid then there were being gravely mislead by this man. If they were aware that this man was not truly a Catholic priest and wanted to follow his teachings that I respected their freedom to do so.

I asked the "priest" to be honest with the children and their parents and simply tell them that he was not a Catholic priest in good standing. He said that he explained the differences to them. I said "OK" I shook his hand, thanked him for his time and we left.

The 5 minute ride back to the parish was difficult. I was disheartened by the reaction of the parents and wondered if I had come across as the mean 'ol arrogant Catholic priest. Perhaps I should have tried to pull the "priest" aside and talk to him privately, I thought. The two women I went with assured me that we did the right thing, that they needed to be told that this was not a Catholic priest. I thought and prayed a lot about this during the night and the next morning. My intention was good but perhaps I had gone about it the wrong way. The visit seemed a failure.

When the three of us returned to the parish we checked the internet for a St. Matthew' Parish as well as the name of Fr. Fernando. Surprise, surprise. We found that St. Matthew's Old Catholic Church was started by some Catholic priests who left the priesthood and started their own church. The claim to believe in all the Catholic teachings of the Catholic Church until the first Vatican Council in 1870. However, when we read about their beliefs on their website we found that they approve of people having premarital sex, remarriage after divorce, women priests, contraception among other things. Now I was felling a little redeemed. This man had essentially lied to me and these families. What doesn't he just tell people the truth? He is intentionally misleading the people. Worse, he and others do so using names like Guadalupe Chapel as bait to attract Hispanics. We also read that this Fr. Fernando was, in fact, a Catholic priest who left the Catholic Church, got married and then joined this heretical community.

The following day I was busy with appointments up until 5:15 at which time I needed to head over to the church to celebrate the 5:30 Mass. As I opened the door I saw a group of people standing outside of the church which I presumed was a family waiting for a wedding rehearsal. As I left the rectory and headed towards the church this group of people pointed at me and approached me. Suddenly I recognized them as parents from the garage at Las Lomas the night before.

"We want to meet with you now", they said"

I told them I had Mass, paused for a minute and said "OK, 7pm tonight" I felt like Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane when the soldiers came out to arrest him with torches and swords. What do they want, I wondered with an accelerated heartbeat as I continued toward the church to celebrate Mass. Why are they here? I celebrated Mass with my mind on Las Lomas, had dinner and wondered what might be waiting for me in one hour.

After dinner I spent 15 minutes praying and thinking about the things I should and shouldn't do and say. Prayer - we should start the meeting with prayer. I picked out the passage about the parable of the shepherd seeking out the lost sheep. I decided the most important thing for me to do was to simply listen to the parents and try to understand them.

At 7pm I welcomed this groups of parents. I was outnumbered 14 to 1 and forced to listen, understand and respond in a language I am comfortable with. Instead of using the scripture passage I had chosen I thanked the parents for coming and prayed that the Holy Spirit grant us humility, understanding and wisdom and then tried to tell them in Spanish "I'm all ears".

Some told me they were offended by my visit and all were troubled by it. However, they all realized that the parish cared about them. We sought them out and cared for them. The parents were full of complaints about their experience with religious education at the parish. It was too long, too expensive and they felt that they were treated rudely at at times. I apologized and told them that we could do things much better but I were willingly to listen and improve if they would help us. Much of the conversation was focused on misunderstandings: that religious education is only to receive sacraments, that easier and more convenient is always better, that cheaper is better, that the church turns children away if they can't pay. I shared the information we found from St. Matthew's website which clearly showed that this man was no longer a priest, not Catholic, and that many of their teachings are contrary to the Catholic faith

Clearing up many of their misunderstandings helped a lot and letting them vent was healthy for all of us. I told them that we would love to have the kids back in our religious education classes so that they could receive a Catholic education and receive the sacraments. I tried to make it clear that this was not a case territorialism: my church and his church but rather that God's one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church that he founded upon St. Peter and his successors. They told me that their children were scheduled to received their 1st Communion in a few weeks from the "priest" and had already paid $80 to the man and would not consider waiting another year for their kids to receive their 1st Communion. I invited them to meet with me again together with the staff of our Office of Faith Formation.

At the parish we were quite positive about the possibilities of this upcoming meeting. The thought of all these families coming back to the Catholic Church thrilled us. We were determined to do whatever was possible to accommodate these kids and their parents. The meeting wouldn't prove so successful.

We provided chips and sodas and tried to welcome these families. There were not convinced that there was any difference between our church and the other "priest's" church. I tried with all simplicity to explain but to little avail. The other guy sounds like a priest, teaches like one and hadn't preached anything different than the parents had received form their priests in Mexico, they told me. The priest who was teaching in the garage was helping the parents and their children learn about God and was doing it in a very convenient way. There was still some resentment at my uninvited visit to Las Lomas and one parent told me I should show up again and apologize to the "priest", the children and their parents. One person suggested that I and the other "priest" celebrate a Mass together. Many of them could not grasp the reality that this man was not a priest nor was his church Catholic. It was mindboggeling.

By the end of the meeting we offered the parents to set up a special class for the children to evaluate what the they already knew about the Eucharist to supplement what was lacking and make sure their children received their 1st Communion as soon as possible. The Director of Religious Education was wise enough to ask about the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The kids had never been told about the Sacrament. Nonetheless, we assured the parents we would do whatever necessary to give their children a Catholic education for free during the summer and have a special Mass for their 1st Communion as soon as possible.

Although it was a lot work we got the feeling that the parents were surprised that we were bending over backwards to make things work for them while making sure that the children were properly prepared for Holy Communion. The four wonderful women who work in the Office of Faith Formation took on the added task of evaluating what these children knew and didn't know about the Eucharist and to prepare them accordingly. From the 25 children who we found in the garage that night at Las Lomas three parents decided to pull their children - six in all - out of Las Lomas and bring them to our parish.

As these personalized classes began for these six children it was found that two of the kids had never been baptized. So 1st Communion classes now became baptism, Reconciliation and 1st Communion classes. It was a lot of work for the parish Religious Education staff.

Like world diplomats the staff worked closely with the parents to find an agreeable date and time to receive all three sacraments while making sure the kids would be prepared in time.

Last week four of the children made their first Confession while the other two received a blessing in anticipation of their baptism. This Saturday we celebrated the baptism of Roxanna and Ernesto. It was great to see the staff of Religious Education who cared so well for these kids together with the 4 other children attending their baptism.

Today at the 1pm Mass in Spanish the six children received their First Communion in the presence of their families and about 900 parishioners. The children and their parents were so happy and we were too.

The Las Lomas saga ended with six children returning to the Catholic Church, two of them being baptised, four of them receiving the the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time and all of them receiving 1st Communion - God himself. If success is measured by mere numbers our visit to Las Lomas was a complete failure. However, I think there is more rejoicing in heaven over these six children who received Christ than than the 20 whose parents decided not to return to the Catholic Church.

Unfortunately the Las Lomas situation is now a common occurrence. We find these false prophets and ex-priests in many neighborhoods, in hospitals, and reception halls enticing families with convenient and cheap "sacraments" whenever and however they want them. One can even find a "priest" in a local paper offering to celebrate the Sacraments in homes and wherever else the family desires.

Today we celebrate that a few parents have chosen truth over convenience and most of all that 6 children received the greatest gift of all: God who is love and who has given himself to his children through baptism, Reconciliation and Eucharist.

Running with Characters

Despite being undertrained and undermotived I managed to wake up at 4:45am on August 31 to run the Disneyland Half Marathon with 10,800 other people. After a quick breakfast and some stretching I headed to the "Magic Kingdom". It took about 20 minutes to park since everyone was trying to arrive in time for the 6am start. I arrived at the starting line just in time. Surrounded by people of various ages, sizes, and shapes, my goal was to finish under 3 hours although I had finished my previous two races in 2hrs 20min.

A good number of the runners were predicatably dressed up as various Disney characters. Ever see Mickey run 13.1 miles before? I'm not much of a Disney fan so running through Disneyland didn't do much for me but after running through the city streets and around the Honda Center we finally got to run around The Big A at Angel's stadium.

Its hard to explain how much it helps to run with other people. I usually run alone so being surrounded by thousands of other people helped me to keep going and going and going even while my mind and body are making great arguments for stopping.

Not being prepared to run 13 miles can cause injuries so I needed to walk the line of being smart but also pushing it. I walked 3 separate times during the race for a total of 1.5 miles. At mile eleven I told myself I was going to run the last 2.1 miles. I was determined but at miles 12 my body was wasn't. Although we were back at Disneyland I was far from the "happiest place on earth".

The crowd of spectators thickened - a sure sign that the end was near. I started to run so slow I wondered if walking would really make much of a difference. But it wasn't about time it was about running, running till the end. The last 1/10 of a mile wouldn't end. Finally I saw the finish line and ran as fast as my body would let me. 2 hours and 33 minutes. I couldn't believe it.

Running isn't about winning. In fact, I came in 5,556th place. It was the slowest of my 3 half marathons but I had to work harder for each of these 13 miles than the others. I ceremoniously hung the bib and finisher's medal on my bulletin board in my office, took a bath in ice and celebrated a couple of Masses.

Here is a link with some more pictures of the race: http://www.asiorders.com/view_user_event.asp?EVENTID=31324&BIB=2996&S=230&PWD=

Here is a link to a funny commercial for Nike. This is NOT why I run. I promise!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkDI5xVa354

Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win. Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. Thus I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing. No, I drive my body and train it, for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified. (1 Cor 9:24-27)

'House' for Sale

I don't have a T.V. show that I watch regularly. This is due to the fact that my schedule is different each night, I'm too lazy to put a cassette tape in the VCR and suffer through the humiliation and frustration of trying to find out how to record and, finally, because there is not much on TV anyway.

I recently was surprised that I had a night free and made a trip to Blockbuster to find what many find there - nothing. Out of desperation and trying to find a way to salvage the 5 minute mission to Blockbuster I ran across DVDs for various television shows. I saw House, MD, a show I had seen a few times and liked a lot. I rented the DVD that contained about 5 episodes.

Dr. House is a physician who is well known as one of the best diagnostic doctors. Don't know what's wrong with someone? Send them to Dr. House but beware. Dr. House is equally known for his incredible and unforgiving sarcasm - enormously comical if you are watching it on TV, destructive if you are on the receiving end.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first two episodes which I watched back to back. Because it is commercial-free one episode lasts 42 minutes instead of 60. I found myself during the day wanting to watch the remaining three episodes ASAP. I finished them the following day. There was one episode that involved a case of euthanasia. Dr. House's sarcasm made it impossible to know how he really felt about it. In the end the patient was euthanized but no one knew for sure who did it, however all evidence pointed to someone on House's staff of three doctors. The episode ended with House approaching one of his doctors who was in the chapel crying the next morning. He put his hand on her shoulder and said "I'm proud of you". Did the show I was enjoying just endorse euthanasia? Well, I told myself, it was ambiguous and it was just an episode.

I soon rented two more videos which contained the last 10 episodes of the season. Vacation was quickly approaching, I had got sucked into the series, and had the time to watch them.

Over the course of two weeks I watched the whole series, about 15 episodes and I learned a valuable lesson from this rare experience. Too much of anything too soon was not good for me. The sarcasm, once funny, was annoying and even depressing. I discovered that although I was only a viewer I felt like I was also on the receiving end of the sarcasm. There was another episode where House told a patient exactly how to kill himself while not damaging his organs so that he could donate his heart to his son. What was once funny and entertaining had irritated me and I found myself feeling a little mad that a series I was enjoying had left me warn out and worn down by its constant degrading sarcasm and a culture of death that often peaked its ugly head under the mask of humor and compassion.

I know its a show and not reality but its effect on me was undeniably real and even physical. I could feel it. Something fictional that I had watched had a nonfictional effect that was not pleasant. Too much House too soon was a bad thing! Too much of anything is a bad thing. Balance is so important, much like a diet.

However, having seen one full season in its entirety without much interruption I wonder if the problem wasn't just too much too soon but the show itself. Was the show OK in small doses or was it a bad show -one that leads us away from God- that in small doses simply doesn't show its negative side effects? I don't know. On a moral level we would never knowingly do something wrong and try to justify by saying that it would be OK so long as we only did it a little or did something good later to "balance it out". It doesn't work that way.

When we watch one show once a week for 15 weeks or so we don't know where the show is going. That would be boring. We wonder what's going to happen next and that wonder tempts us to tune in the next week. We also don't get the 'big picture' by watching week to week; rather, it unfolds with the season. Also, anything we watch on T.V is often balanced with other entertainment - sports, books, etc...- and so its effects aren't usually felt too strongly. I experienced a full season of House, M.D. almost interrupted; I saw the big picture, and while it was attractive in small pieces its was ugle when I sttod back and looked at it in its entirety. Like going to an art museum I think the only way you can really see a painting is by standing back a little to allow the eyes to capture whole picute. If you stand to close you see paint not a picture. House was full of great paint but the picture was disformed.

Where does this show fit in? I don't know.

Will I watch House, M.D. again? I don't know. For now, I've overdosed. I doubt I'll ever watch a full season of any T.V. series so quickly again.

If the old saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" were true my mouth would be full of them (green ones). Perhaps the annual doctor visit is not a bad idea after all.

"My house shall be called a house of prayer" - Isaiah 56:7

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you"
- 1 Cor 6:19

What? I'm Catholic!!!

God continues to teach us through our young ones.

Last week my 8 year-old nephew/godson Patrick was in a community pool with his grandma practicing his newly acquired swimming skills. As he practiced his kicking in the water the boy next to him became annoyed, perhaps a bit scared, and said to Patrick "move over you're going to hurt me". Patrick was horrified by the accusation and without thought or hesitation responded "what? I'm Catholic".

Can you imagine that scene?

If only our faith was so deep? That being both a Christian and hurting someone would seem equally ridiculous and unimaginable to us! Its obvious Patrick's response was not something taught, memorized and repeated but came from a faith that is both child-like and incredibly mature.

I'm going to pray tonight that I might grow up to be as Catholic as Patrick is.

Me Levante Con El Pie Izquierdo

Not long ago I had a string of days where I woke up feeling bla, gloomy, and even moody. I didn't feel like getting out of bed and I kinda wished no one else would either. I would have loved to take a "personal day" but I don't have personal days. I felt like calling in (downstairs) sick but I wasn't sick, I just had the blues. I love listening to the blues but I had having them. I didn't feel like exercising, going out...nothing!

I struck me it was time to suck it up and be an adult. I thought of the moms and dads, single parents and others who have to get up under horrible and heroic circumstances to provide for their families. There is no calling in sick or taking a personal day because that means no food on the table. I don't mean to be over dramatic but it is a reality that is more common than we'd like to think.

So I go up and "celebrated" 7:45am Mass, preached and returned to the office. I could have sat at my desk all day. There was nothing so urgent that couldn't wait unto tomorrow but there were things to do, as always. I picked myself up and tried to hide my feeling-sorry-for-myself mood. I went and visited an elderly couple in their home who had requested a visit and the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. They are both dying. Her fight for cancer is over. The doctors have taken her off of all medications and is letting time - and cancer - do its thing. Her husband is dying slower. I could feel their love for each other; there was so much that they wanted but couldn't talk about, namely her death. We talked about it; they cried.

I had them move so that they were sitting close together and we reverently, slowly, and deeply prayed. We listened to the Gospel recognizing that Jesus was speaking to us, they closed their eyes for the laying on of hands, recognizing that Jesus was laying his hands on them. They listened carefully as they each were anointed on the forehead and the palms of their hands. Finally, I asked them to hold hands as we prayed the Our Father. I blessed them and left.

I have anointed countless people; the ritual is the same, people are often elderly and dying. Yet, on this day I felt God ministering to me as he ministered to them. I was receiving as I was giving. I too had encountered and received God, not in a sacramental way, but in an unforgettable way.

I then headed off to a convalescent home. Note, this is not the first place one would want to go when experiencing the doldrums and yet this is where I needed to go. I spent an hour there going room to room. I smiled, blessed, caressed, and talked to people. They looked how I felt. Next, I drove down the street to another convalescent home that we minister to. Wheelchairs filled the hallways, heads slumped, some groaning, others just starring at nothing. I stopped and spoke with most of them and went through many of the rooms talking to people. I joked with them, sat with them and encouraged them to pray and watch Angel's baseball.

Nothing extraordinary happened; I was still feeling like I was moving in slow motion but I had just spent 3 hours visiting sick people. I did what I should have done, I did what so many people have to do every day with harder work and longer hours. Somehow I felt satisfied.

In Spanish they say "me levante con el pie izquierdo", which means to wake up on the wrong side of the bed. My left foot (el pie izquierdo) was tired by the end of the week. I was encouraged by the example of Mother Teresa - to smile and serve even when you feel like pulling the sheets over your head and hiding.

Recommendations for getting through "the blues":

1. Get out of bed
2. Pray
3. Serve
4. Have a nice dinner and a glass of wine (or Guinness - adults only) with friends
5. Listen to music you like
6. Play an instrument
7. Call a friend
8. Offer it as a spiritual gift for someone else who is suffering
9. Know that it will end

You're Welcome

I received the following "Thank You" cards from some children who recently received their first Communion.


Letter #1: "Who would have thought?"

Response: Yes, I have been attending Mass lately. Thank you for noticing. Apparently, you have too.



Letter #2 "Bad Taste?"
Response: No offense taken.



Letter #3 "Priceless"

Response: Dear Ashely:

I'm not sure where to start! Here I go:

You're very welcome... I'm glad to hear that you already have a Dad and I'm sure he's wonderful. However, I am a priest so feel free to call me "Father". I do not have children or a dog, however, because I am priest I am called to love and serve everyone as God's children just as a good Father would do. I did have a dog I liked a lot called Whiskey. Like your goldfish, he died too. Ashley, I will die some day but I will be with Our Father and I'll be OK.

Love,

Fr. Brendan

The following letter is from an 8th grader letting me know he is praying for me while I am on retreat with the other priests from the diocese. He's got some questions, of course.

Response: Dear 8th grader. Thank you for your prayers. No we don't chase each other or play tag, there are no bible games and, therefore, no prizes to hand out and no one even brings their "priestly garb". We are dressed in casual clothes - usually shorts and a regular shirt or T-shirt. Yes, even the bishops. The day begins with morning prayer followed by breakfast. At about 8:30am we we have a guest speaker who talks to us about different elements of priesthood and how to become a better Christian. We have lunch and then about 3 hours of free time. Some priests play golf, others tennis, jogging, some take a nap and read, and many swam and relaxed in the pool. No there were not wearing their priestly garb; they were wearing swimming shorts. In the evening we have Mass, dinner, another talk and then we just hang out and talk.

I understand why its hard to imagine priests not wearing their clerics, as we call them, but you probably see priests all the time wearing regular clothes but you don't recognize them because we look like everyone else. We are human, after all.

-Fr. Brendan

PS. I'm wearing shorts and a tank-top (no shoes).

Future Priests?

Where will the new priests come from? Our homes, our parishes. Over the last couple of months I have encountered God's undeniable working in the young of our parish. When I say young I am talking about 7-10 year-olds. Now the cynic may write off anything a 7 year-old says as being the dreamy talk of children. I remember being 7 myself. At one point I wanted to be a truck driver just like my uncle.. I would sit on my bed with my improvised walkee-talkie and invisible steering wheel. However, the two strong desires that drove me at that age were to be a soccer player and a priest. Not one or the other, but both. Because I have already blogged earlier about this I'll spare you the details again but it is important to note that God speaks to us through our desires, talents, and passions even in our childhood. Naturally theses desires need to be discerned but never dismissed.

Recently I heard the confession of a young boy. While he was confessing it crossed my mind to ask him to be open to a vocation to the priesthood. It had nothing to do with his confession, it just entered my mind as clearly as could be. As he finished he confession he got up to leave and then sat down right away and I said "can I ask you something?" I responded "You want to ask me about the priesthood, don't you". He was stunned and said "how did you know?"

God speaks to us, within us, but also through one another. Let's listen carefully.

One of my nephews is incredible conscious of God, loves to read about Him, asks great questions and has a sense of how close God is to him. His joy at receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation and First Communion was divine. Like many children he was worried he would say or do something wrong but more than anything he was excited. I went with him and his parents to his first reconciliation/confession. He wanted to make sure we got there really early. When his dad asked him were he wanted to sit he lead us to the front pew, right in front. As you might imagine there weren't many families positioning for the front pews. We sat alone for quite some time until the pews and the whole church filled up. When it was time for confession he jumped up and was first in line.

The day before Easter my nephew asked his dad if they could go to the sunrise service at 6am for Easter! His dad told him that if he woke up and got ready in time they would go. My brother was a bit surprised when his son woke him up and said "let's go dad". And so they went. He also likes reading a kid's Mass missal, Magnifikid, on the way to Church. He looks over the prayers and readings and lets his Dad know if there are any discrepancies between the missal and what is being said at Mass.

The third example of a possible priestly vocation took place during a tour of the Church I was giving to children preparing to receive First Communion. I showed and explained the different things we use for Mass and asked and answered questions. After the 60 kids were dismissed there was boy who stood in front of the altar with a troubled look on his face. You know the kind: his forehead was wrinkled, he eyes were purposefully pointed up at me with his hands firmly planted in his pockets. As his teacher stood at a distance I said "Hi, do you have a question?" He said how do you preach?" I was sure I misheard him and so I asked him to repeat his question. To my surprise I had heard him correctly. I was as puzzled as he was troubled and I asked him "Do you need to preach"? He said "I'm scared of preaching and if can't preach I can't become a priest" Wow! I bent down and told him "I'm scared when I preach too! What I do is pray first and ask God to let me hear what he wants to say to me and to those who will attend Mass. I read the readings prayfuly, then study them and finally start to write what I am going to say. Don't worry", I told him, "Jesus told us not to worry about what to say because he would send us the Holy Spirit who would help us know what to say" The boy looked a little relieved, said thanks, and walked away with his teacher. His forehead wrinkles had subsided a little but I could tell he was thinking it over deeply.

Will these boys become priests? Only God knows. When I was 7 I thought I would be a priest, from 16-25 years old I would have laughed and now at 36 and I am still amazed that I am a priest. God speaks to us and to our kids and places a seed, a desire in us that needs to mature and be nourished through prayer - both listening and speaking to God - and an encouraging Christian environment especially at home.

It seems to me that children are actually great listeners! Let's listen to them and help them respond to God's call.

Pray for vocations and support them at home and at your parish.