by Fr. Brian Kane
Rector, St. Gregory the Great
Seminary; Director of Seminarians
“Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”
Luke 5:4
As we prepare for the annual Bishop’s Appeal for Vocations collection at the end of September, I want to be a voice of thanks on behalf of the young men discerning a call to the priesthood. The faithful of the Diocese of Lincoln are crucial in encouraging vocations to the priesthood and supporting our seminarians in reaching that goal.
One of our seminarians recently shared that the scripture passage noted above from the Gospel of St. Luke is the reason he entered St. Gregory the Great Seminary. He was moved by the scene in the Gospel when Jesus instructs Peter to lower his nets, even though Peter and his companions had not caught one fish all night.
Peter had every reason to say no to Jesus. He was tired. He knew it was not a good time to catch fish. And Jesus was not a fisherman—what did he know?
Despite his misgivings, Peter obeyed Jesus, and that act of obedience continues to inspire young men today to respond to the invitation to follow Jesus Christ and to consider a call to the priesthood.
This year, the Diocese of Lincoln has 26 men discerning a call to the priesthood. They are from large and small cities and towns across the diocese. They have attended Catholic schools, public schools and have been home-schooled. They come from large and small families. They all have something in common—a desire to grow in intimacy with Jesus, in order to be able to hear his voice. I am inspired every day by their dedication, trust and vulnerability, each of which leads to an enduring peace and joy.
In the same way that Peter had every reason to say no to Jesus upon hearing his invitation to “put out into deep water and lower your nets,” there are many reasons why young men may be tempted to say no to Jesus today. As a diocese, as a Church, we must counter those temptations.
As Father Caleb LaRue stated so well in his “Ask the Register” column last week, “To have priests, we need seminarians. To have seminarians, we need young men who are willing to enter the seminary to discern their vocations. To get young men willing to enter the seminary, we need vibrant parishes and families who teach young men how to form a personal relationship with Christ so that they are open to giving their lives out of love to and for Christ and His Church.”
The annual Bishop’s Appeal for Vocations helps address two important needs for men considering the priesthood: financial assistance and being surrounded with prayer.
The annual cost to educate a seminarian is nearly $40,000 when you include tuition, room and board, health insurance, books and transportation. The Bishop’s Appeal for Vocations enables any young man who wants to enter the seminary to do so, regardless of his financial means. Seminarians at St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward pay a portion of their annual tuition, equivalent to what they would pay at a local community college, as they work toward their undergraduate degrees.
As in discernment of a call to marriage, the Church does not want anyone to feel any obligation or coercion to enter into the sacrament of Holy Orders because of financial obligations. Through your support, you help seminarians freely discern a call, without the concerns that come with monetary considerations.
While financial assistance is a great help, seminarians would not be able to persevere without the gift of your prayers. Our St. Gregory the Great brochure (available at your parish) includes a “Prayer for Vocations” that everyone is encouraged to pray throughout the year. Perhaps you can choose a different seminarian to pray for each week as a family. That is also an effective way to help the young men in your home to see the possibility of a vocation to the priesthood in their lives.
Know that the seminarians are praying specifically for each of you. They look forward to serving you and your families in the not-too-distant future as your parish priests. We look forward to ordaining five new priests and two new deacons this May; please keep each of them in your prayers as they near the end of their seminary formation.
Thank you for your generosity, both prayerfully and financially, to the 2023 Bishop’s Appeal for Vocations.
