Fr Colm Mannion
Born in Birr, Co. Offaly, I didn’t come in contact with the Dominican Order until I moved to Dublin in my early 20’s. After some years involved with the Legion of Mary, I eventually received the grace to put myself forward for the priesthood. While it took some years for me to take that step (I was 28 when I eventually entered), I can honestly say that from the day I first received the Dominican habit I never had any serious doubts about my vocation. After completing my studies in St. Saviours Priory, Dublin, I was ordained to the priesthood in 2014. I then went on to do further studies at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington DC. After three years in the United States, I came home to Ireland and was asked to take on the role of vocations director for the Irish Dominican Province.
There are two reactions I typically get when I tell people that my role as a Dominican is to promote vocations to the priesthood. First, there are those who will say something like ‘that’s a very demanding job, you must be incredibly busy’. Then there are those who will throw me a strange look and say something to the effect of ‘you must be twiddling your thumbs all day, sure there’s nobody interested in the priesthood anymore’!
Although these two responses may seem polar opposites I believe they are often rooted in the same source. That is, many people in Ireland today assume that the time of religious vocations has passed. They therefore conclude that the job of a vocations director is either impossibly demanding or else just a complete waste of time to begin with. I disagree with this common assumption. Encouraging young people to consider religious life is certainly not a waste of time, and while it does require some effort, nothing should be seen as impossible where God is concerned (see Lk 1:37).
As a Province, the Irish Dominicans have proved that vocations are still to be found in this country. Last September for example we saw four men take the first step and enter our novitiate in St Mary’s Priory, Cork. That brings the total number of men in formation for the Dominicans in Ireland up to 13, with more currently working on their applications to enter this year. Admittedly, that may not sound like a lot when compared to days gone by. But, remember that our Lord told St. Peter to ‘feed my sheep’ (Jn 21:17); He never said ‘count my sheep’! Therein lies an important distinction. It’s about food, not numbers. Or we could say substance, not abstractions.
Too many people today talk about the ‘vocation crisis’ as if it’s a numbers game. Think of the questions that always arise whenever the topic is discussed: ‘how many are entering the seminaries?’, ‘will it be necessary to invite more priests from foreign countries?’, ‘would the pool of potential candidates not double if the Church ordained women?’. A separate article would be needed to address each of those proposals (particularly that last one!). Here, I simply want to make the point that we will never find the right answers if we don’t even know how to ask the right questions.
The challenges facing the Church cannot be solved like a maths problem. Of course we need to be realistic and take practical steps when planning for the future. But no young man is ever going to commit his life to serving the Church if only to ‘fill the gap’ in a parish. By allowing ourselves to get distracted by statistics (concerning tough they may be) we miss the essential point. The Catholic Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, is both a natural and a supernatural entity. Thus we need to take concrete steps, but always through the eyes of faith.
Instead of talking about how we can get ‘more’ priests, perhaps it’s time to turn the conversation back to what it means to be a priest. What does it mean to act in Persona Christi? This in turn will prompt us to ask how can we guide young men in prayer and help them develop a loving relationship with our Lord. Where can seminarians get solid formation with authentic Catholic teaching? How can we support men to become priests of heroic virtue and holiness? These are the type of questions that we need to start asking.
The Church will surpass every challenge so long as we have faithful priests who love the Church as Christ loves His Bride. That concept will probably sound strange to many Catholics today. But we don’t just need ‘more priests’; we need ‘holy priests’, men who are willing to lay down their lives for love of Jesus and His Church. The good news is that these men are out there! Perhaps not in great numbers, but it’s not just about quantity. The Lord has promised to remain with us so long as two or three gathered in His name (Mt. 18:20). In faith we pray that the Lord will continue to send labourers into His harvest.
If you think you have a call to be a Dominicans friar, visit their website: www.dominicans.ie