August 13, 2015
“So you aren’t going to be a Paulist? Great!”
That may seem like an odd reaction for a vocations director. In working through a process of discernment with a potential applicant, some times they’ll tell me that they’ve decided to join a diocese, another order or not to pursue priesthood at all. You might think I’d find that disappointing or that maybe the resources (time, travel, etc.) I’d devoted to him might be wasted. But that’s not how it works.
My job as director of vocations for the Paulist Fathers is to assist these men as they seek to know God’s will, based on their experiences, talents, attractions, prayer and careful thought. Some times the conclusion of that process is a sense of clarity that one isn’t called to be with the Paulist Fathers, and for a variety of reasons. Maybe the life of a missionary isn’t compatible with the desire to live within a particular diocese. Perhaps the commitment to a shared life and a particular charism isn’t a good fit. If I can help a man come to that clarity, then I’ve done my job and can rejoice with him in discerning where he’s called and how to get there, even if it’s not with the Paulist Fathers.
Some people seem to believe that religious orders are in competition for vocations or that we compete with dioceses for priestly vocations, but that’s a mistaken notion. These are all different vocations, and different men are drawn to different ministries, missions and ways of life. Someone who’s a great fit for monastic life wouldn’t make a good Paulist. Someone who’s well-suited to the Paulist Fathers would probably not be happy as a diocesan priest.
Some times these differences aren’t discerned right away. Occasionally someone may be a member of an order or a diocese for a while and then discern that his vocation lies elsewhere. The Church has procedures for these “lateral” moves. It doesn’t happen often, but it’s possible.
A vocation director isn’t a recruiter. If a man I’m working with discerns that he’s called to be something (or somewhere) else, I can still rejoice if I’ve helped him find his vocation. Other vocations directors may help someone else discern that he’s make a great Paulist. When we’re all doing our jobs, we’re helping discerners listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. I don’t have to convince or coerce anyone; I just have to facilitate the process of discernment, wherever it might lead.