New Vocations Director, Fr. Alan Valencia, helps men to hear God’s call and decide to follow

By Carissa Krautscheid

The start of the New Year brought with it a new Vocations Director for the Diocese of Tucson: Father Alan Valencia, who was ordained in 2015 and serves as the pastor of Saint Augustine Cathedral. Additions to the Chancery included a new assistant to aid in coordinating efforts of both vocations and youth ministry, which are both so vital to our future.

“I am deeply grateful to Fr. Jorge Farias and Fr. Pat Crino who have served generously in this ministry that is so critical for our Church,” said Bishop Edward Weisenburger. “They kept our vocations program moving through the pandemic, a very complicated time. My gratitude to them knows no bounds.”

Father Alan is excited to begin his new role in the Diocese. He hopes to bolster efforts to promote vocations and help men discern what God is calling them to. “We are going to offer discernment retreats,” said Fr. Alan, “to help men dive deeper in their relationship with the Lord and hear his voice calling them to follow him.”

Furthermore, over the next year, VocationMinistry will be coming to the Diocese of Tucson to offer workshops for priests, parishes, DREs, catechists, school administrators, and teachers “so we can all work together to foster religious vocations in our Diocese.”

The Diocesan Vocations Department also welcomes conversations with men and women interested in pursuing vocations with Religious Orders. The Vocations team can offer assistance with discernment, as well as contacts at and discernment retreats with various Orders. A list of the 35 men’s and women’s Religious Orders with a presence in the Diocese of Tucson can be found here.

“I’ve thought about being a priest. What should I do next?”

Fr. Alan advises you to talk to your Pastor so he can help you begin the discernment process, which not only includes prayer, but also service. “If you feel called by God,” said Fr. Alan, “prayer and living the Sacramental life is a guaranteed way to hear God’s voice calling you to what you’re created for.”

After a temporary period of discernment, you will have to make a decision. We don’t discern forever, but rather, God is calling us to commit to him through one Vocation or another. “Throughout Scripture, disciples hear the Lord’s call,” explains Fr. Alan, “and then they are expected to act with a sense of urgency. When the Lord calls, he calls now, immediately. He promises to take care of the rest. We discern with that in mind.”

Though many are plagued by indecisiveness, making a decision gives you freedom to pursue your Vocation more fully. Though some doors will inevitably close, new and exciting doors will open to you that you may never have imagined if you were stuck in the crossroads.

“We have a decision crisis or a hearing crisis, not a ‘vocation crisis,’” said Fr. Alan. “Men and women are being called all the time. It’s simply helping them hear the voice of God calling them and helping them take that one step into offering their entire life to the Lord.”

What kind of man would make a good priest?

Jesus calls all kinds to serve the Church. Who other than God could so perfectly elevate the gifts and personalities of so many different types of people? Think of the Apostles: Peter, Matthew, and Simon, for example. What did they have in common? Not much, except a love for the Lord and his Church. 

“You have to be in love with the Lord,” said Fr. Alan. “You have to love the Lord and his Church. You have to desire to serve the Lord as a Priest.” It isn’t a question of whether or not you are called to serving the Lord. Every single one of us is called to serve the Lord. But it is a question of how and where. Can you best love God and serve his Church as a husband and father, in blessed singleness, or as a priest?

“You also have to fall in love with our Diocese,” encourages Fr. Alan. “As a mission Diocese, we are rich in culture which allows for joy-filled ministry.” Our priests follow in the footsteps of Venerable Padre Kino who served in these same valleys and deserts. As the fifth largest diocese in the country geographically, our Diocese covers one of the most diverse landscapes in the nation, and is certainly blessed with scenery that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

Furthermore, the Diocese of Tucson was a forerunner in the Southwest. Though currently celebrating an impressive 126 years as an official Diocese, our Catholic heritage actually spans back to 1690 when Padre Kino first arrived. Our Diocese has led and witnessed the growth of the Catholic Church in Arizona, long before it was a state.

How can I promote Vocations?

“You can promote Vocations to the priesthood by going up to your pastor and offering your time and efforts to be part of this new VocationMinistry parish initiative,” said Fr. Alan. “And pray. Everything starts with prayer. Pray for more Vocations and for those being called, that they notice the call.”

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus himself emphasized the need to pray for priests. “At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.’” (Mt 9:36-38).

The power of prayer cannot be understated or underestimated. A simple word of encouragement can also be a seed that bears fruit in the future. Bishop Weisenburger expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the people of the Diocese of Tucson. “I am grateful to each of you who finds yourself able to reach out and invite young men to consider whether our Lord might be calling them to discern priesthood or religious life.”

As Bishop Robert Barron said, “Study after study has shown that one of the most important factors in convincing a young man to enter the seminary is that a trusted friend, colleague, or elder told him that he would make a good priest. I know that there are lots of folks who harbor in their hearts the conviction that a young man should enter the seminary, for they have noticed his gifts of kindness, prayerfulness, intelligence, etc., but they have never summoned the courage or taken the time to tell him. Perhaps they’ve assumed that others have done so. But this is, tragically, to miss an opportunity. If you have remarked virtues in a young man that would make him an effective priest, assume that the Holy Spirit has given you this insight so that you might share it with that young man. Believe me, the plainest words you speak could be seeds that will bear fruit thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

VOCATIONS to the Priesthood