Ireland needs courageous young men to answer the call

Discerning a life in the priesthood or religious life is a win-win whether they work out or not, Chai Brady hears

A lot of young men in Ireland are afraid to put themselves forward for the priesthood or religious life and it may come from a fear of commitment or failure, according to the vocations director of the Dominicans, but the courage needed to step into a difficult culture and transform it is sorely needed.

Fr Colm Mannion OP tells The Irish Catholic that when people speak about vocations they focus on the numbers of men putting themselves forward to the priesthood, but really there should be more of a focus on quality rather than quantity.

Dramatic increase

The vocation director said: “I would say that I wouldn’t be primarily concerned with numbers which I suppose is the obvious reaction people would say when asked that question, they would like to see a dramatic increase in numbers.

“We would be more concerned with quality not quantity, I think we need to see men who really love the Church committing their lives to serving as priests. I think it’s the sincerity of that love and commitment to the Church is what matters more than a big number.

“Obviously the more the better but the Church began small,” Fr Mannion explains, “I think we need to remind ourselves of the role of the priests in the world and the joy of being a priest especially with all the negativity in the Church out there at the moment, we’ve forgotten what a joy it is to be a priest and to bring the sacraments to people and to place ourselves at the service of the Lord, it’s a great joy and I think that’s what we need to go back to.”

One of the Dominicans mottos is veritas, or ‘truth’. Fr Mannion says that this is needed more than ever in an era in which misinformation and disinformation is rampant, particularly in the online world.

Fr Mannion says there’s a need for dialogue more than ever in society, particularly as it’s at the heart of evangelisation”

“I think that’s really what we have to offer, the ability to stand back and look at what’s going on in the world and to evaluate what’s taking place in our culture and to allow the beauty of the Gospel to shine through that, to try and draw people back through the truth of the teachings of Christ by seeing the beauty of the Church in action,” he says.

“I think the lie of the culture at the moment is not just that it undermines truth but it says the truth is irrelevant, it’s not just saying that we don’t know the truth but saying that truth doesn’t matter. What we would say as Dominicans is that truth does matter, not to prove yourself right or to feel self-righteousness about that but it matters that the truth will set us free. Following the truth of the Gospel, it brings happiness, it brings fulfilment, I think that’s what is missing in the social media culture and all this cancel culture that it dismisses any concept of knowing what will make us happy, of what will bring fulfilment in life and it undermines the life of virtue.”

‘Cancel culture’ can be described as a form of ostracisation and public shaming. It has happened to several notable people in the online world in recent times after they expressed views which a large cohort of people disagreed with.

Culture shows

“I think cancel culture shows people are not willing to listen and people can be very dismissive of what we actually believe as Catholics without really understanding it,” says Fr Mannion. “People can be very quick to undermine what the Church teaches when in actual fact if you scratch the surface, their understanding of what we believe can be very weak at times and I think that’s a source of encouragement for us as Dominicans, that really a lot of problems people have with the Church can be easily unravelled so long as they’re prepared to be open and hear what we have to say.”

Fr Mannion says there’s a need for dialogue more than ever in society, particularly as it’s at the heart of evangelisation. However, he adds that nowadays the Church can “lack the conviction to present the truth”.

“We can be good at listening, understanding, having compassion for the culture and you can see the difficulties and where people are going astray, but I think sometimes we lack that creative courage to stand forth and present the truth of the Gospel and to offer it to them. It’s not that we give it to them or we hit them over the head with it, we offer them the truth of the Gospel and I think we’re very good at the first step of listening and having compassion but I think we lack the courage to make the offering.”

Working as the vocations director for his order in the Irish province for the last three years, Fr Mannion has been surprised at the interest in vocations and has always highlighted this fact to people because “people get this sense that vocations are dead and there’s nobody discerning priesthood anymore”.

Pre-Covid Fr Mannion would travel around the country meeting men who expressed an interest in the Dominicans and encouraging people to pray for vocations”

“I’ve been blown away by the interest that’s out there. That’s of course not say we’re going to have massive numbers, like there was in the past, but there are very, very good solid young men out there who are thinking of the priesthood today,” he explains.

Pre-Covid Fr Mannion would travel around the country meeting men who expressed an interest in the Dominicans and encouraging people to pray for vocations. Every Thursday evening at 8pm he now meets those discerning a vocation in the priesthood on Zoom, a virtual gathering that he says is open to everyone who might be interested.

“I think a lot of young men today are afraid to put themselves forward. I think there’s a fear that it might not work out, there’s a fear of commitment. I always try to encourage guys to at least give it a go and put yourself forward for a religious vocation, it’s a win-win situation because if you try it and it doesn’t work out the Lord will still bless you for your efforts, for having the courage to take this step of faith and if it does work out well then you’ll find fulfilment and happiness in your vocation so I don’t think anyone who tries it ever regrets it,” Fr Mannion says.

Self-gift

“But unfortunately a lot of fellas today, they’re afraid to take the step and I try and remind them they’re not making any lifelong commitment by trying it, it takes many years of formation and training before you take any steps for solemn vows or anything like that so there’s nothing to be lost by trying it, it’s all an act of self-gift to the Lord, for the Church and it’ll only bring positive fruits.”

He says there’s a lot of wisdom in Pope Francis’ apostolic letter on St Joseph entitled Patris Corde, delivered on December 8, 2020, mentioning in particular the Pope’s message regarding ‘creative courage’.

“I think it is a great phrase and I think that’s what young people need today. They need to be creative and they need to be courageous and I think that’s what’s lacking in the culture at the moment, is that people are too afraid. To be creative challenges us to immerse ourselves into the life of God who is the creator but to do that takes risk, we make ourselves vulnerable but that’s what transforms the culture, having the courage to step into the mess and transform it through creativity and to enhance it but I think that takes a lot of courage and I think that’s the highlight of Pope Francis letter,” Fr Mannion explains.

“I think it’s attractive for young people, the call to go and to do something, to act, that’s what we see in St Joseph, a man of action and a man of courage and yet a man of interior silence and that connects very much into the Dominican charism as well, this idea of passing on the fruits of our contemplation like St Joseph, that we listen in silence, we allow the word of God to speak to us and then we follow through with action.”

Fr Mannion is currently organising a daily Zoom meeting, open to all, starting on February 15 for 33 days to pray to St Joseph and to ask for his intercession while also praying for vocations. It will end on the feast day of St Joseph on March 19. It comes off the back of the Pope’s apostolic letter signalling a ‘Year of St Joseph’, which runs until December 8, 2021. The Zoom meeting details are: Zoom ID: 986 4005 1501 Passcode: 122013.

Those wishing to contact Fr Colm Mannion regarding the 33-day St Joseph Zoom meeting, or if they are interested in discerning a vocation with the Dominicans, can email him at colm.mannion@dominicans.ie

Journey

Our relationship with people is a reflection of our relationship with God, according to one Capuchin Franciscan who says the journey towards religious life is like falling in love.

Bro. Kevin Kiernan OFM Cap, who recently moved back to Church Street in Dublin after a seven-year stint as hospital chaplain in St Finbar’s Hospital in Cork, said people can never know what the religious like is life if they don’t take the first step.

Here’s generations of non-practicing Catholics and it’s about trying to touch people’s lives in some way”

“Loads of people have joined religious life and I’d like to think they’re better people because of it. One of our friars, when someone would leave, he’d say ‘I hope he sees his time with us as an extended retreat’, really it’s about your journey – this is where I fit best. It’s the same with marriage, you grow in the marriage, you grow in the relationship, you grow in your relationship with God, in religious life and it just doesn’t happen overnight, the initial call does, and it is actually like falling in love – that’s my experience,” Bro. Kevin says.

Although his order prays for vocations, Bro. Kevin says the reason they are not getting them is that the people he went to school with aren’t practicing and some of them are grandparents, which trickles down through their children and their children’s children.

He says: “Here’s generations of non-practicing Catholics and it’s about trying to touch people’s lives in some way. It takes one word to turn people off the Church, but it also takes one word to bring people back and that might just be a kind word. It’s about working with people at that human level and actually that human level I believe moves on to a spiritual level in the sense that we grow together, we talk. We have to go back to Jesus in the Gospel, he sat down doing ordinary things with people.

Really we’re all the same inside, some are old, some are young, some are whatever but it’s about accepting the other person and that we’re not perfect”

“There’s lots of factors for people not practicing but I think touching people’s lives in some way, like Pope Francis says the name of God is mercy how can we show mercy to people, how can we show that to ourselves first of all? Mercy and love are inseparable, so how can we share that?”

Asked what he found difficult when he was entering his order, Bro. Kevin says he found the studying and exams challenging as he preferred to be out meeting people, community life also takes a bit of getting used to but is also an opportunity for personal growth.

He says: “Community life can be difficult because we’re all different individuals but you’re called to love the brothers even though we’re all different, that’s the call and it’s OK to be different and allowing people to be different because we’re not made all the same. When you allow people to be different and allow yourself to be different then that’s what community is about, you grow together.

“We’re all made up in society of all different ages, races, whatever it is, I used to work with refugees and asylum seekers for years down in Cork and one of our mottos, we had a big poster, was: ‘Everyone smiles in the same language’. Really we’re all the same inside, some are old, some are young, some are whatever but it’s about accepting the other person and that we’re not perfect.”

For those interested in discerning a life with the Capuchin Franciscans Bro. Kevin refers them to the order’s website: www.capuchinfranciscans.ie/friary/church-street/, adding that they also have a Facebook page.

God

“You won’t know unless you try. When I was student one of our older friars, he said what’s most important for you as a friar is your relationship with God and focusing on your prayer life. The best part of the day for me is early in morning when we’re in for meditation because it’s just total silence. It’s about growing in that relationship with God and I think our relationship with people is a reflection of how we relate to God. If I have a deep relationship with God, I’ll find that will trickle out into my life,” he says.