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May 23, 2023By Mary Lim
On a warm Saturday in May, more than a dozen men gathered at the Redemptorist Renewal Center in Tucson for the Priesthood Discernment Retreat.
The retreat was for 17 men who are discerning their vocation, believe that God might be calling them to the priesthood, and are open to God’s call and looking to discern further. It is not necessarily for men who are in seminary or who have already decided to become a priest, nor is it meant to persuade undecided men to join the priesthood. This, and other retreats like it in the future, are a tool offered to lay men who are discerning what their vocation may be.
The theme of the retreat was “Duc In Altum” which is Latin for “put out into the deep”. This is what Jesus said to Peter during their first encounter. You may recall that Peter was fishing without making any catches. He was about to give up when Jesus called out to him, “Duc In Altum.” Peter was desperate, and with still no fish and nothing more to lose, he followed Jesus’ instructions and cast his nets deeper into the water. “When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking.” (Luke 5:6-7)
With ample, scheduled time in Mass and in Adoration and prayer with the Lord, and presentation topics titled “God’s Call”, “Prayer as part of my life and prayer through discernment”, “Discernment: What is it and how do I do it right?”, and “The importance of making a decision”, Vocations Director Fr. Alan Valencia orchestrated a retreat for the discerners that was bound to challenge them to “go deeper”.
Through offering these Priesthood Discernment Retreats, Fr. Alan and others in the Vocations Department hope to reach men who may have a calling to the priesthood but are not yet sure about the next steps.
Fr. Alan, along with his retreat team made up of Bishop Edward Weisenburger, Fr. Richard Rivera, Fr. Miguel Mariano, Fr. Martin Barnum, and Msgr. Al Schifano, prayerfully prepared the retreat day to help discerners understand the vocation of the priesthood better, and how to listen to God’s call for their life, whether or not it be to the priesthood.
The 17 men, ranging in age from 15 to 46 years old, retreated from their day-to-day to pray about how God is calling them to serve in their lives. Half of the discerners came from St. Andrew Parish and Our Lady of the Mountain Parish, both in Sierra Vista, and the rest from parishes across the Diocese of Tucson.
Retreatant Josue Limon enjoyed the retreat experience and said that despite having “left with more questions than answers,” it was an enlightening day. Limon was moved seeing so many men, from very different walks of life, and even several as young as high schoolers. “Sometimes, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you are an outsider or strange for considering the priesthood,” Limon shared, “But that was the biggest thing that I got out of the retreat was that you are not alone, that other guys are thinking and discerning, too.” Beyond the retreat itself, men gained a community to pray with and for as they discern.
Most importantly, the discerners cultivated connections with priests who desire to accompany them on their journey. Surveys show that for the vast majority of priests, the most helpful tool for them when they were discerning the priesthood was talking to other priests.
Surveys also show that for many priests, their favorite part about their vocation as a priest is accompanying parishioners in their lives. Priests are ministering to anywhere from hundreds to thousands of parishioners in a single parish, which makes it difficult to seek out men who they think might be called to the priesthood. But they truly do desire to accompany their parishioners in their lives, and especially men who are discerning a vocation to the priesthood.
If you are discerning a call to the priesthood, reach out to your pastor or another trusted priest in your life.
The Vocations Department plans to host many more retreats in the future to help men who are discerning a vocation to the priesthood, both day retreats and overnight three-day retreats. Follow @tucsonvocations on Instagram to be in the know about future retreats or other events for discerners, and remember to regularly check The New Outlook in the Events section for newly scheduled events.
Every first Thursday of the month, St. Augustine Cathedral holds a Holy Hour for Vocations outside at the flower arch to pray for vocations. This is an event that is open to the public, and men who are discerning are encouraged to attend, to pray, and to be surrounded by others who are praying for their discernment.
In anticipation of the Ordination on June 3, there will be a prayer vigil for the Ordinandi held inside the Cathedral. All are welcome to attend this event.