“I am often asked, especially by young people, why I became a priest.  Maybe some of you would like to ask the same question.  Let me try briefly to reply.  I must begin by saying that it is impossible to explain entirely.  For it remains a mystery, even to myself.  How does one explain the ways of God?  Yet, I know that, at a certain point in my life, I became convinced that Christ was saying to me what he had said to thousands before me: ‘Come, follow me!’  There was a clear sense that what I heard in my heart was no human voice, nor was it just an idea of my own.  Christ was calling me to serve him as a priest.

And you can probably tell that I am deeply grateful to God for my vocation to the priesthood.  Nothing means more to me or gives me greater joy that to celebrate Mass each day and to serve God’s people in the Church.  That has been true ever since the day of my ordination as a priest.  Nothing has ever changed this, not even becoming Pope.”  (Bl. John Paul II, Sept. 14, 1987)

Fr. Don Kline giving a talk to young adults in early 2012

On June 2, 2012, here in Phoenix, Deacon Dan Vanyo will be ordained a Priest.  And in Birmingham AL, two of our MFVA Friars, Deacon Leonard and Deacon Patrick, will be ordained Priests.  Tis the season of ordinations, tis the season of grace!  May the Lord pour out abundant graces on each of them.

Let us remember all those men who will be ordained to the Priesthood over the course of the next month.  Let us remember, with gratitude, all the priests who celebrate anniversaries of ordination during this time.  Perhaps they, like JPII, will look back and say: “This call remains a mystery, even to myself.” 

Finally, let us remember all those young men who are discerning their vocation and feel that the Lord may be calling them the priesthood.  Let us ask the Lord to ‘convince’ them of their vocation, and should that be the priesthood, to give them courage to follow Him with courage and humility of heart.

“The world looks to the priest, because it looks to Jesus!  No one can see Christ; but everyone sees the priest, and through him they wish to catch a glimpse of the Lord!  Immense is the grandeur of the Lord! Immense is the grandeur and dignity of the priest!” (Bl. John Paul II, October 13, 1979)