Provincial Ponderings (July 2022)

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

The months of July and August have (and will) see the Baltimore Province celebrate two priesthood ordinations. Brian Vaccaro was ordained to the priesthood on July 23 and Royce Thomas will be ordained on August 13. We thank God for the gift of these two newly ordained Redemptorists!

Often, I am asked about the number of vocations within the Congregation, and based on this summer, it might look like the Redemptorists are doing well. Indeed, we are thankful for the response to God’s call of these two fine young men—but the “harvest is plentiful and laborers few.” Indeed, at present our Province will not celebrate another priesthood ordination until at least 2028. Our vocation directors, Denis Sweeney, Peter Linh, and Br. Gerard are working tirelessly and I’m sure they have been asked countless times: “How many vocations do you have?”

The work of a vocation director is just one part of cultivating vocations. Besides praying to the Lord of the harvest that more young people generously respond to God’s call, every Catholic can encourage vocations. The prompting of a grandparent, a parent, a co-worker, or a friend might be what someone needs to respond to God’s call.

Why are we afraid to ask a young person, “Have you ever thought of being a religious? Have you ever considered being a priest?” I know if a Redemptorist had not asked me that question when I was in the seventh grade, I would never have responded. I was all set to be a professional basketball player, and if that didn’t work, I was going to try to be an astronaut with NASA (yes, I know—both lofty goals). But one day during seventh grade religion class, a young Redemptorist walked in and invited us to visit the minor seminary at North East for the weekend.

A weekend of religion: no sane seventh grader would ever do that. But he told us we would leave on a Friday and return late Monday. My hand (and the hands of numerous classmates) went up. Missing two days of school was enough to get my interest.

From that moment, God continued to use various people in my life to encourage me to join the seminary. I gave up my idea of being the next Michael Jordan or Neil Armstrong and traded it in to be the next Alphonsus Liguori. All because someone had the courage to walk into a classroom and ask whether anyone there would consider being a religious.

I look back on my call to be a Redemptorist and see that there was no burning bush like Moses saw, there was no visit from the Angel Gabriel as in Mary’s case, no Son of God walking on the seashore making a personal invitation as He did for Peter, James, and John. But there were flesh-and-blood people who asked, who encouraged, who inspired me.

I went on a weekend just to get away from school and came back touched by the Spirit of God that I saw in the students and the Redemptorists who staffed St. Mary’s in North East, PA. I have purposely not mentioned names since there were so many who encouraged and inspired me, and I don’t want to forget anyone. Their faces and names are in my heart, and as I thank Mary for giving me the gift of perseverance, I also utter a prayer of thanks for those who supported my vocation, most especially my parents for allowing me to follow my dream.

Many of us reading this are either Redemptorists or have a special place for the Redemptorists in our hearts. We are better people because of one or several Redemptorists who have allowed us to experience the face of a loving God.

I say this in all humility: we Redemptorists are a great group of men. Why would we not invite someone to join the ranks of the Redemptorists? Perhaps there is a person you know who needs a little push. (Perhaps an invitation to miss a few days of work or school is all he needs!) The job of vocations is not just that of the Province’s vocation director or Redemptorist confreres, but of anyone reading these words.

There is so much we as Redemptorists would love to do, but the “harvest is plentiful and laborers few.” Don’t be afraid to pray for vocations! Don’t be afraid to ask someone if he or she ever considered a vocation! May Our Mother of Perpetual Help be with all those considering God’s call in their lives, and may she always be with them, offering them the grace of perseverance.

In the Spirit of the Redeemer,
Paul J. Borowski, C.Ss.R.
Provincial Superior of the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province