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32: Seminarian, priest, and bishop talk vocations · Beyond The Beacon

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_02: Welcome to Beyond the Beacon with Bishop Kevin Sweeney, a podcast of the Diocese of Patterson.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_02: I'm Jay Agnish, Communications Director for the Diocese and editor of the Beacon newspaper.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_02: With me is Bishop Kevin Sweeney.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_02: Bishop Kevin, how are you doing?
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_02: Good morning.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_02: Good morning, Jay.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_02: I'm doing well.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_02: How are you doing?
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_02: Doing well, thanks.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_02: What's new?
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_02: What's cooking for you?
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: There's a lot happening.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I'm getting ready to go on the road to Baltimore for the United States uh Bishops Conference meeting, which will take place Monday to Thursday next week.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: And then the following weekend, um we will have the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: I went a long time ago when I was vocation director, and I'll be glad to go back now.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we have a delegation going from our diocese, and I think it'll be tens of thousands of young people from all over uh the United States, so maybe mini-world youth day experience.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: Uh but great to see young people uh enthusiastic about their faith.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: And we saw that here in the diocese on this past Sunday uh with the um Ardas and Youth Day.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Uh once again, the uh St.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: Elizabeth University, very uh generous in opening their doors and hosting uh the um the youth day and Bishop Joseph S.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: Bayat, uh the youngest bishop in the country, I believe.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: He's only in his late 40s from the Bronx.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: Uh he's uh auxiliary bishop of the U.S.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: Not like you're that old either.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: What's that?
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Not like you're that old either.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: I'm getting that's uh I'm no longer I'm far from the youngest bishop anymore, I think.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: But uh so um he uh he did a great job uh giving two substantial talks and uh great music.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: And I was able to say mass at the end of the day, and well over 300, right?
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: That was all yeah.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: Uh teenagers, mostly high school age students, uh, with chaperones.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: They thank God for the priest, pastors, chaperones are high schools uh that did the inviting and uh really it's a wonderful day.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_02: Great.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we had a really fun video that you did with with that bishop on on your Instagram account, which has done uh phenomenally well.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_02: It's gotten a ton of ton of views.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_02: So thanks for having fun with that.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: And thanks, Cecile, who's uh does a great job with our social media helping and certainly with helping me with it because otherwise I'd be in trouble.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks, Cecile.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_02: So um all right, great.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_02: Well, we want to just do our uh introduction of our guests here today.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_02: So uh we have across the way from me here is Father Charlie Lana, who is the assistant vocation director for the Diocese of Patterson uh since the summer, uh a new a new position.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um he's also parochial vicar at Holy Family Parish in Floram Park.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_02: To my left is Carlos Vargas, one of our seminarians, who is in his second year of studies at Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University in South Orange.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_02: So hello, welcome to both of you.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks for thanks for being here.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you very much.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_01: It's good to be with you, and uh it's good to be with you, Bishop, as always.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks, thanks for being here.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: So uh you might be surprised to hear, our viewers are listeners, that it's National Vocation Awareness Week.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: So hopefully not surprised if you're going to church.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: But uh the it's moved a little bit, I think, over the years.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: When I was vocation director, we was around uh the time of the feast of the baptism of the Lord, which is usually around the second Sunday uh in January.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I think it was found that that mid-January was not the best time to do kind of programs or activities.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: So a few years ago, I think it was moved to uh I think the third week or second week of of November.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: And uh so hopefully some of our parishes uh have been uh uh doing some activities.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: We'll hear we'll hear about that uh today.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: But uh I wanted to um invite Father Charlie on and one of our seminarians, Carlos, as you'll hear, uh, has a connection with a parish that has great vocation promotion.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: But um Father Charlie's been it's a few months now, right?
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: I guess August or so?
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, about August.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: Father Ed Rama does a wonderful job as our vocation director, and Father Ed had some health challenges.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: Thank God he's now on recuperating well and uh and will be back.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: I think he's back in the office this week, right?
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: Uh little by little.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: And uh so when Father Ed had the health challenges, we uh looked for some help.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: And Father Charlie was good enough to say yes, and his pastor, Father Thomas Reichel, was also uh willing to allow him that time.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: He's uh as he'll share a pastoral associate at uh parochial vicar at Holy Family Parish in Floram Park.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: And um, but uh Father Charlie generously said yes to the call to uh to help with vocations and um looking forward to hearing about some of his experience over these uh last few months along with uh Carlos as well.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: As uh he can tell us a little bit a little bit about life in the seminary and uh and supporting our our young men uh discerning a call to priesthood, and we also pray for young women and men just discerning a call to consecrated religious life.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: So um we as we'll begin with a prayer.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um Father Charlie uh has brought a prayer for vocations, and uh I presume these are available on the website, right?
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: You'll talk about that.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of material that we have on our website, especially the vocations page, but uh maybe we'll um begin in prayer uh by praying a prayer for vocations.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: Okay?
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: Sounds great.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: We place ourselves in God's presence in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: As we come together in prayer and remember that Jesus has told us wherever two or three are gathered together in his name, he's there in the midst of them.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: We know that Jesus calls us each by name.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: Since he called the first apostles, Peter and Andrew, James and John, and so many others, men and women, to follow him.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: He continues to call by name each of us from our baptism.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: And we pray in a special way for those who are discerning God's call, whether that be to the single life, to the beautiful vocation of marriage and family life, or also especially those called to serve the church in religious vocations as priests, as consecrated consecrated uh uh women and men, and so we'll offer this prayer for vocations.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: God our Father, we thank you for calling men and women to serve your church's kingdom as priests, deacons, and consecrated uh persons.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: Send your Holy Spirit to help many to respond generously and courageously to your call.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: May our community of faith support vocations of sacrificial love in our youth and young adults.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: We ask these in all our prayers to our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of the harvest, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_02: So, yeah, I learned uh as we were conversing uh prior to beginning that Father Charlie and Carlos, you both have connections to to Newark.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_02: I guess you you both attended um I guess for your ESL training, uh Carlos, you attended uh Rutgers Newark, and then just across the street, Father Charlie, you attended uh Seton Hall Law School.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_02: And you've actually you said how long you so you've been attending Seton Hall for how many how many years in total?
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_01: Oh I went to Seton Hall for about 13 years total.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_01: I did my undergraduate in economics at uh at Seton Hall in South Orange, and then I had three years at the law school.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_01: I got my degree and and practiced for two years as a lawyer, and then uh six years at Immaculate Conception Seminary, which is also at Seton Hall.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_02: Aaron Ross Powell And you graduated.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_02: I just said you are still there, but you graduated, yeah, four, four and a half years ago or so.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_02: And you there's still someone attending there now, right?
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_02: You said you you get back there often and and one of the folks one of the seminarians that you attended with at the time is still there today?
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: Aaron Ross Powell, Well, yesterday I was making a visit to Immaculate Conception Seminary.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's an official visit from the vocations office to check in on our men.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_01: And uh in addition to seeing the six guys who are studying for our diocese, and I also was able to see a couple of former classmates.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_01: There was about three of them that were in the seminary at the same time as I was.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: And there are actually you could say two seminaries on the campus of Seton Hall, right?
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the college uh seminary for undergrads who St.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: Andrews.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: St.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: Andrews Hall, right?
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um did you spend some time there?
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_04: I did.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_04: I was for years studying there.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, great.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and then um and then the major seminaries, we would call it uh Immaculate Conception Seminary.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: So St.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: Andrews for undergrad, and there's when a guy's thinking about the seminary uh and living in the college seminary while being a regular student in many ways uh at Seton Hall, uh, they take a certain amount of philosophy credits, which is part of preparing to study for theology, uh, and then upon graduation, uh, can then enter the major seminary, sometimes called the theologate or the school of theology.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and the academics is one part of seminary life, but uh there's human formation, academic, spiritual, and pastoral, right?
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: The four pillars as Saint Pope John Paul II wrote a document called Pastoros, Pastoris Dabo Vobis.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_00: Give us more shepherds.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: And uh he he emphasized those four pillars, which I think are still part of the formation today.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: So um we can talk a little bit more about that.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: But uh uh also I think Father Charlie's example is um that some guys study other things in undergrad and graduate level and and work and then discern the call, right?
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: And uh and and go to the seminary.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: And many of those guys would have to do what we call pre-theology, which is uh usually two years of philosophy.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: Did you do pre-theology?
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I did two years of pre-theology at at Seton Hall.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_01: And um, yeah, it's basically some spirituality courses and some philosophy.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_01: And uh we also learned uh a language of Latin and Greek.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: Well, that's great.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: So uh National Vocation Awareness Week has been around for a number of decades now, and um, you know, we've seen, I think, over the last number of decades, um, here in our in the country, in the Western Church, Western Europe certainly, uh, and some other places where there used to be many young women and men entering the seminary and formation for religious life.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: Now those numbers are not what they were, but thanks be to God.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we still have men, young men uh answering the call, and young men and women answering the call.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um and we have to do our part.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, as uh the Lord said, uh the harvest is rich, but the labors of few beg, pray the Lord of the harvest.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: So first we should be praying for vocations, and we'll ask all our listeners to do that.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_00: Hopefully that's something we ask on a regular basis in our parishes.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: But we also need to um help to uh encourage uh young men.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_00: When I was vocation director in Brooklyn, Bishop Demarcio at the time, he was uh he had a um social work background and he liked uh studies and uh statistical analysis.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: And he had St.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: John's University do a study uh with high school and college aid students asking them different questions about their faith and had they ever considered a call to priesthood or religious life was one of the questions in the survey.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: And he always repeated the answer that came back.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: The number one response of a person is why did you never consider priesthood or religious life?
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like I forget the number, but it might have been 75 or 80 percent said, because no one ever asked me.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so if we want to encourage our young people, we have to.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: Did you ever think of being a priest?
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_00: Did you ever think of being a religious sister or brother?
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and that's just a little bit about what we call vocation work, or um, it's also been said that every priest, right, should be a vocation director.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: Hopefully, each of our priests is encouraging young men to consider the call.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but in parishes as a diocese, and um there's work that we can do to promote that.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_00: And uh the vocation director is assigned with that task.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_00: And again, Father Rama's been doing a great job, and now Father Charlie has been helping.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_00: And so I thought it'd be helpful to hear a little bit of his experience.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: What's it been like?
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_00: Uh surprises or um enjoy it, hard work.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: Uh um what how how's it been so far in these months as in vocation work?
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: It's been an enjoyable experience.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_01: I've I was kind of thrown into it, and it was um a lot of learning as I go along, but that was fun.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_01: And uh I've really had a good opportunity to get to know our current seminarians.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_01: One of the first events that I went to was our summer seminarian retreat, and that really allowed me to start developing a connection with each of the guys and uh a familiarity.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_01: So that was great.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_01: And that's certainly one aspect of of my role right now is supporting seminarians.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_01: I've had recent visits to seminaries in addition to Immaculate Conception.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_01: We also have someone down at Mount St.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_01: Mary's, and so I had a chance to visit with him.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_02: And then later on And it's where in uh Emmitsburg, Maryland.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, yeah.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_01: And then also uh I think later on a bishop and I and Father Ed are planning to go and visit uh Pope John the twenty third seminary.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_01: So that's uh an important role.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: We were certainly just outside Boston, right?
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: I haven't been there, I'm looking forward to that visit.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I haven't been there as well.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's Father Ed Rama's uh alma mater.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_01: He was uh that was his seminary that he studied at, I believe.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's right.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, that's right.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_02: And he and you said how many of our seminaries are there?
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_02: We have two, right now.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_02: Two.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_02: Oh yeah, okay.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: I think in times past that was a seminary that was uh especially geared towards guys who sometimes he used to call the second career or uh a vocation that had worked in um uh in another field and sure after a number of years.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_00: But I think now it's uh it has men like that, but it has younger men as well.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_02: So what it were like how do how does a uh prospective priest or seminarian uh w choose which school to go to?
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_02: Like some are is it some are uh have are stronger in certain areas than others, or is it a location?
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: I think the bishop can tell us that.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_00: Uh one of the things I've learned to say over these last three plus years is um thank God and Bishop Saratelli.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Bishop Saratelli serving as our bishop from I believe 2004 to 2020, and we actually pray for him at this moment.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_00: He's uh dealing with some health issues himself, but thank God doing well.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_00: And um so Bishop Saratelli really made vocations a priority, and um he encouraged them here in the diocese.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: He was open to men coming to us from other places, in particular from Colombia, like Carlos and from Poland and some other places as well.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: And so Bishop Saratelli, I think, um, as guys would come, he would he knew well a number of seminarians, excuse me, a number of seminary programs on the East Coast.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I think he would look to uh there's certainly an advantage to being close to home as is the case with Seton Hall.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: But um there are parts of the, you know, there's similarities to each seminary program, but there's uh things that are individual about each one.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I think Bishop Cerateli um used some of that knowledge to send men to excuse me, some different um seminaries like uh um John the 23rd and and Mount St.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: Mary's.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um so um the two men with um who are currently in Mount St.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: Mary's working with Father Rama, he and I thought it would be good for them uh to um to to be in that formation program.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_00: And um, and then the majority of our guys now are are either at St.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: Andrews or um at ICS on the campus of Seton Hall.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_00: But um it's a discernment process.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_00: We have a board um of of priests that uh um and and especially in you know since 2002 and the difficulties we had with the abuse scandal that um I mean it it's been the case when I was in the seminary in the 90s, uh, you know, there was uh a psychological evaluation and and that human formation in the seminary, making sure the guy is mature and well formed and um and trying to avoid any possible, you know, personal or psychological or emotional problems that um that could, you know, cause uh a problem in in such a um you know the trust that people give to us uh as their spiritual leaders and pastoral leaders, um uh that we have to earn that trust.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_00: And um, and uh it's sad that uh you know there were times when that trust was broken.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: And uh so the seminary over these 20 years has been redoubling its efforts to um work with counselors, to have a well-rounded program, to uh and and then we as a diocese, even before sending a guy to the seminary, we have a a robust um uh uh evaluation process and application process to with that committee to consider, okay, is this guy ready to enter a seminary formation program?
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we tell the guy, that's great that you want to, you're interested, but take a little more time, work on this, be involved in your parish, have a spiritual director.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_00: But when the determination is made that this guy, okay, is ready and mature to enter, and entering the seminary doesn't mean you're gonna be a priest, you know.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_00: Any usually now it's at least six to seven years um from the time a guy enters to uh the time he he would be ordained.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but is he ready to enter the program?
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_00: And then going through that program, that continuing evaluation and discernment.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_00: So uh it's very much a team effort, and and part of that discernment uh with with with the committee um uh and myself uh and and the man in the seminary is to say you'd be best in this seminary program.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_00: So that may have been a long answer.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_00: That's great.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I didn't know I didn't know a lot of that.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_02: Appreciate that.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_02: I wonder if should we pivot to to Carlos and and maybe your background and and how you um sensed the call to study uh and become a become a priest?
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_02: And so you immigrated from Colombia, right?
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_04: Sure, yeah, I did from Colombia.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_04: I'm I came in 2017.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_04: And as I told you before, I was studying English as a second language at Rutgers Universities in Newark.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_04: And I think it all began when I was a little boy.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_04: I was just, you know, a regular Catholic family.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_04: Going Sunday to masses with my grandma.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_04: Always, yeah, grandma is was a big influence in my life.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_04: Locations come from families, that's so important.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_04: And I went to mass every Sunday, then to kind of like a C C D caracetical program that the parish offered for kids.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_04: Um I was in loved with with with the church and and what the priest was doing.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_04: So at the age of seven, I began serving at the altar.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_04: Oh wow.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_04: So they call it monarchijos or altar service.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and and then I just became like the right hand of the priest, the pastor.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_04: We were visiting the sick and the homebound and all kind of stuff, like pastorally work.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_04: Around the day the parish, and I fell in love with with Jesus and the church, basically, and what the priest does, celebrating mass and hearing confessions.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_04: So I grew up in in the parish.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_04: I was then working with the youth ministry and then I applied for the seminary.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_04: So I I met with the vocations director, was accepted for a Paterson, and I did did my property work here in Colombia.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_04: And then I just finally came in 2017 here.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, it's such a beautiful story.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_02: How has seminary been for you?
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_04: It's been quite a journey.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it's it's not easy.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_04: It's not easy, but nothing is easy in life.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_04: And if it is easy, well, there is no formation.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_04: And what year are you in now?
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_04: This is my second year of theology.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_00: So God willing, two more after this.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_00: Two more years.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, you know, I one of the experiences or um things I've learned coming to the diocese, um, especially with um candidates like Carlos who come to us from other places, uh, there's a really beautiful um experience of the church, as as I like to say, God's family or the community of believers.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um uh each of these young men um are assigned to a parish.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Holy Family in Florence Park has a long history of receiving seminarians, especially from outside the country.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_00: And we take it for granted, Thanksgiving, Christmas, uh, other holy days.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we go home to our family.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_00: I I go to you know, Queens or Long Island to, but um, when your family is in Colombia or Poland, uh not that they would have Thanksgiving, they would have their own version, maybe, but but Christmas and Easter and and those big holidays, Mother's Day, um, you can't just uh you know go home on Sunday afternoon.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_00: So, but there are families in parishes who um the guys become like members of their families.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it's the priest or pastor inviting them to join them and their family celebration.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_00: And um, Carlos, you uh uh I think had a couple of parish experiences and then have been in uh St.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_00: Vincent Martyr in Madison as your home parish for the number of years.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um and how do they do with uh supporting vocations at St.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_00: Vincent's?
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_04: Well they they took fantastic, they did a phenomenal job over the years.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_04: I think this is a I'm the second seminarian who actually lived for a long period of time in at at the parish, hoping helping at any, you know, in any aspect that that there is a need, especially the liturgy, helping in the training for the altar servers.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_04: So the pastor really becomes like like the mentor and the father who's with you, like you said, we are.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_04: No family here.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_04: So it was especially during the pandemic that I have Monsignor Church.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_04: So he was Monsignor Church and I.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_04: All the time, even cooking every day and doing all day crap out stuff.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_00: And Father Chris, right, is the associate there and is just the new pastor, Father Owen Moran.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_00: Father Owen.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_00: And Father Joaneda Garcia, our director of the Office of Catechesis, lives in St.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_00: Vincent's and I know helps in the parish as well.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_00: And I think they've been the parish has been doing some things for Vocation Awareness Week.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: Is that right?
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: We have.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_04: We've been working for vocations.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_04: We were planning actually, and with I've been attending the project Andrew that you've been offering or the diocese.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_04: He's been offering to yeoman in our diocese.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_04: And I was just one afternoon thinking about vocations.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_04: And I said, well, I'm just going to Google up, Google some stuff, and I find out that National Vocation Awareness Week was coming up.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_04: And I said to Father Charlie, I'm going to start working on something.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_04: And I began, I began working.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_04: I made some like prayer cards, flyers, and a program for this week that we could do something for the parish.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_04: You have a great eye for design, I have to say.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_04: Very cool designs.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_04: And we're going to do the same with a rosary on Saturday and then a mask.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_04: Stuff has been happening in the school.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_04: Talks to the kids.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_04: And we actually have two kids, eighth graders, who said that they want to become priests.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_04: So yeah, we're working on that.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_04: Send them my way.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_04: We can talk.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_00: So uh Father Charlie, you've seen uh now uh maybe from a little bit more of the inside, uh maybe in uh what year were you ordained again?
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_00: In 2019.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_00: 2019 in your home parish?
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, St.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_01: Anthony's in Hawthorne.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, coffee with coffee.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_00: Uh shout out.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_00: And uh St.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_01: uh Holy Family, your first assignment?
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_01: It's my first assignment, and I've been there four and a half years.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_00: So for those first um four years or so, uh I'm sure you would have received uh information from the vocation office, right?
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_00: And uh um uh obviously the pandemic and the time we were in lockdown that affected everybody.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_00: But I think vocations like youth ministry, campus ministry, uh activities where people get together, yeah, uh it were were really impacted.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_00: So uh I think we had a tough time there, but we're back now.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but maybe from you know your first few years uh as and I'm sure um as a newly ordained priest, uh encouraging young people in the parish uh through just your regular pastoral work, but now um seeing it again a little bit from the inside and um encouraging our brother priest to uh uh invite men to something like a Project Andrew or to consider uh how has that experience been for you?
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_01: It's been a great experience to just communicate with the other priests in the diocese and in trying to create a culture of vocations, uh, I think it's it's a team effort.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_01: It's not just one person that's gonna make the difference.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_01: If we all have that same mindset of um of inviting young guys, and I think that's what these Project Andrew dinners uh are really about.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_01: If there are a lot of good young men who are faithful and who want to be close to Christ, and we see them in our parishes, we see them praying, showing up to mass, maybe they're involved in different ministries, youth ministry, service.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_01: And we need to identify these guys and encourage them in their faith.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_01: And then also um just an opportunity with these Project Andrew dinners for them to get to meet the bishop and to hear from our current seminarians and priests about what drew them to actually make a decision to give their whole their whole life to Christ.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe this is a good time to say a little bit more about the Project Andrew dinners.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_00: Uh there's a couple coming up, right?
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe uh what the format is like and who attends and how do they get there.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we have uh a number of Project Andrew dinners that have been scheduled for the fall.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_01: We've had two already, and we have two coming up.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_01: One's gonna be on Friday, December 1st at St.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_01: James in Totua at 6 30 p.m.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_01: It'll probably go about two hours or so.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_01: And then on Sunday, December 3rd, uh at St.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_01: Margaret's in Morristown from 6 o'clock to 8 p.m.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_01: And we're really inviting uh young guys who are high school age and older, uh, up to like young professionals, or um, that's really where it's geared toward um just in getting to know these younger young men uh who have have an interest in in hearing and about the priesthood and in in learning about what it entails.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_00: And the reason we it has the name Project Andrew is because in John's gospel uh we hear uh about John the Baptist at the beginning, and uh he at one point points to Jesus and says, There's the Lamb of God, and two of John's disciples go and follow as John has said that he was preparing the way, he wasn't the Messiah, there was one coming after him.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_00: So he says, There's a Lamb of God, and two of his disciples realize John is saying, Your time with me is over, now you go with him.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_00: And they came up to Jesus, and Jesus turned to them and he said, Uh, what are you looking for?
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_00: Which is part of our prayer experience.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we heard experienced Jesus saying to us, What are you looking for?
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_00: What's going to make me happy in life?
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_00: You know, how is God calling me uh to be his disciple?
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_00: So uh, and um, and they say, Master, where are you staying?
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and Jesus says those two words, come and see, that invitation.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_00: Uh very often uh a seminary open house or other vocation events might be called a come and see event, right?
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so uh, but in that moment, uh Andrew, um faithful from a faithful family, uh, knows that his brother Peter, who might have had a different personality as we learn, but uh he knew Peter's heart and and and Andrew is realizing this is the Messiah that the Jewish people have been waiting for.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_00: And as Jesus says, Come and see, Andrew's gonna repl respond.
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_00: But first, he goes and finds his brother Peter and says, We found the Lord.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_00: And he brings Peter to Jesus in this wonderful moment where Jesus meets Peter and and gives him his name, Simon, you are Peter.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_00: And on the and later he'll tell him, You're on this rock, you'll be my church.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_00: But um, but what might have happened if Andrew hadn't gone and gotten Peter, right?
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so uh so we're asking priests and others to be that Andrew, right?
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_00: To look for that young man that might be open, active in the parish, or or uh just have a generous heart, or um uh and and as an Andrew say, oh, they're having this dinner, the bishop's gonna be there, you know, the seminarians uh they're gonna have good food, right?
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and so come and and come and see, come and listen.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_00: And um uh sometimes parents accompany, which would they're certainly welcome.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_00: And uh sometimes youth ministers can be helpful.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_00: Uh but we certainly would ask everyone to uh we'll put out that data um with the the dates and the and the times and the places for the upcoming project, Andrews.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_00: But um we ask everyone to consider being in Andrew, right?
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_01: Definitely.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_01: And um we have these resources uh about the Project Andrew and um more information on our on certainly on our website, it's on social media, and uh we're just getting the word out um as best as we can.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe each of you can say a word about this.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_00: Uh somebody might be thinking, wondering, you know, who goes to the seminary these days?
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_00: You know, uh are there guys really going uh so you've met Father Charlie um now, especially some guys who have come to Project Andrew and who expressed an interest.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um you have a once a month on uh first Saturday, right?
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_00: A gathering.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and so Father Charlie, you could maybe share a little bit about some of the men you've met who are backgrounds, where they're coming from.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_00: But then Carlos, you can share a little bit about your other brother seminarians and some of their diverse backgrounds and how they ended up in the seminary.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_01: Uh maybe Father Charlie, you want to Yeah, we meet really good young men, faithful, uh have a love of Jesus and uh from all different ages, um, from high school age on up.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_01: I've been really impressed with the the amount of high schoolers that have been interested based on our events at Project Andrew.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um and it's also uh has led into them coming to to other things, such as uh just recently I was at the college seminary, we had six guys sign up that were in high school interested in taking a tour.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_01: Uh yeah, at the open house.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, awesome.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_01: And um so I think the these young men are they're just they're looking for something.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_01: They are looking for something that the world does not offer and they're finding fulfillment in their faith, in their prayer life.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_01: Uh these there's some really uh committed young men to prayer.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_01: And I that's one of the differences that I notice.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_01: So it's not just that we should be praying for vocations.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_01: Uh we should just our own if we nurture our own prayer relationship, we're gonna find Jesus and He's gonna lead us to the path that uh where we're really called to be.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Father Charlie and Carlos.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the seminary community, uh, how many would be in uh microconception now?
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_04: Well the total number is 24.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_00: Uh backgrounds, uh um personalities, uh history, uh how they got to the seminary, give a little flavor of the that group of 24.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_00: Are they not all the same, right?
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_04: No, we're not.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_04: We're definitely not.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_04: And we're coming from all over Jersey and even outside of you know Jersey.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_04: We have a guy coming from well, we used to have guys from Madison, Wisconsin, Delaware, but uh right now we have uh one transitional deacon study for Fall River in Massachusetts.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_04: So the house is very diverse.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_04: We all have like different backgrounds and traditions.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_04: We've seen things differently, which I think is the beauty of the church.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_04: And we all come get together and we decide how to walk and how to do things.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_00: So some athletes I would say, and maybe some who are interested in popular culture, and some who are wonderful academically in the classroom, and others who struggle a little bit, right?
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_04: Would you say yeah?
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_04: I have a friend of mine who actually graduated with me from the St.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_04: Andrews Caldo Seminary, and he's he runs like 15 miles every day.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_04: Oh my goodness.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_04: That's yeah, that's that's like he his habit every day.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_04: Keeps like, you know, going and and moving forward.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_04: Body, mind, and soul.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah, we need it.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_04: Some of us are like, we need to do coffee.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_04: It keeps us going throughout the day.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_04: The chapel, of course, Jesus is is the center, but we all have different personalities.
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_04: We come from broken families, and and I think that's what Father Charlie said is is great because the church and God offer something that the world doesn't.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_04: And so we come thirsting for that.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_04: And even in our own brokenness and weaknesses, we come and we find it and we and we love it.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_04: This is a joyful life.
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_04: Um besides, you know, all the diff diff differences that we all have and and backgrounds, we we get along, we get along and we keep like, you know, pushing everybody just so we can all get to the to our goal, which is Christ.
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I the guys I think also do some pastoral work, is right?
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_00: Is that right as well?
• 34:17
  SPEAKER_00: We do.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_04: Well, it it it depends on the academic year that you're in.
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_04: This year I'm going to St.
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_04: Joseph's Hospital in Patterson.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_04: Okay.
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_04: So I go every Thursday every Thursday Tuesday in the afternoon.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_04: So I've been working lately in the palliative care unit.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_04: So it's very challenging, but I'm liking it.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_04: Uh you get to be there with the with both the patient and the family.
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_00: And the staff of the hospital, right?
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, well, we have declared, he's a great.
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_04: Declarer is wonderful, yeah.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_04: Um so all the guys, depending on the year again, they go to parishes to health acidity, catechesis, okay, nursing homes.
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_04: So it varies, but we definitely get different experiences that hopefully are helping us grow to get ready for our ministry at the parish.
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_00: That's great.
• 35:07
  SPEAKER_00: That's great.
• 35:07
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and um there's uh a recently installed new rector, right?
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_00: Monsignor McCarrin is the rector, right?
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_00: And uh we're grateful to priests like Monsignor McCarrin and a number of our priests, Father Pavel Tomczyk is full-time on the seminary faculty, and uh Monsignor Kupke, Monsignor Condin, um Father Manning, uh, and Father Jared.
• 35:28
  SPEAKER_00: Father Jared uh Brogan uh uh are all help as part-time faculty.
• 35:33
  SPEAKER_00: So uh um we're great we're grateful to the Archdiocese of Newark, Cardinal Tobin, for their administration of the seminary, uh, but we try to help out as a neighboring diocese and as we can.
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_00: Uh um Father Charlie, uh if there's someone out there uh who might be considering the call um or parents or grandparents who have a son or grandson uh um uh interested, what would you recommend uh to the young person considering the call or maybe families to and even parishioners to support vocations?
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, certainly prayer is where it starts.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_01: And if a young man has has thoughts of priesthood or that feeling is coming up, definitely talk about it.
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um find a priest, maybe your parish priest, and reach out to them.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_01: Uh that's a good first contact, and he can provide some some advice.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_01: Also, I I think reaching out to the vocation director and assistant vocation director in our diocese, that's what we're here for.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_01: To to meet with inquirers, those who are have questions, and we can provide the support for discernment.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_01: There are different programs that are available that different books and resources that um that are just very helpful for a discerner uh to grow closer in their relationship.
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_02: And the website, um, our vocations website is pattersonvocations.org.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_01: Mm-hmm.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, that's it.
• 37:03
  SPEAKER_01: And there's some resources on there.
• 37:05
  SPEAKER_01: And um, just look we want people to not be afraid.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_01: There's so much fear out there, especially with vocations.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_01: And um the priesthood is a wonderful life, it's beautiful.
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_01: And um just want them to have the we pray that they have the courage to to come forward and uh to say what and reveal what is in their heart.
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_00: As Saint Pope John Paul II would say, Don't be afraid, don't be afraid.
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_00: I Jay, you may have uh a couple other questions, but just uh one more for me.
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_00: Uh as I mentioned, was Carlos was talking about his family and grandmother.
• 37:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um uh vocations come from families, uh families uh make such a difference.
• 37:46
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes um uh it's uh very understandable that any mom or dad would look forward one day to having to being a grandparent, having grandchildren.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_00: But if your son is called to be a priest, uh you'll have thousands of spiritual grand grandchildren.
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_00: But uh there are times when uh a young man might say uh uh be thinking about priesthood and and and entering the seminary, and uh the reaction from his parents or family may not be uh that supportive or or joyful.
• 38:15
  SPEAKER_00: And uh we again that's where a vocation director or parish priest can help out.
• 38:19
  SPEAKER_00: But um wait, so what happened when you told your parents you wanted to be a priest?
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_00: I always said that uh as I thought about it in seventh grade that when I was entering high school just as a possibility, you know.
• 38:29
  SPEAKER_00: But but uh I got some reaction from my uh parents then uh my father was a man of very little words, so I really didn't know what he thought one way or another.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_00: And he was uh but I often said um my mother was too happy that I was thinking about priesthood as she was oh I was mom calm down and uh so uh but they were in the end very supportive, and my brother and sister as well, and uh and that's been helpful, certainly.
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_00: My priesthood and I was bishop to have their support, my niece and nephews as well.
• 38:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um maybe Carlos and Father Charlie, when you first told your parents or family, uh what was uh Father Charlie smiling, you remember that?
• 39:07
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I came as a surprise, certainly, to my parents.
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_01: They um they knew that I was taking uh courses and on a path toward being a lawyer.
• 39:17
  SPEAKER_01: And uh so it was a difficult thing for them.
• 39:20
  SPEAKER_01: There was certainly a a lot of tears early on, and the first few months were difficult.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_01: But I think as they saw me step into this new role, this new life of um pursuing uh studies toward the priesthood, that they as they saw my comfort level, my my happiness, and uh just the different ways the the Lord was working in my life, I I think that slowly over time those anxieties or or uh difficulties were alleviated.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_04: Oh my case is a little well, kind of like similar because even though I was serving at the parish since I was seven, my parents didn't expect me to go to the seminary or to become a priest.
• 40:04
  SPEAKER_04: So when I told them, they was like, Oh no, what what are you talking about?
• 40:08
  SPEAKER_04: And my my mom definitely wanted to see children and you know, grandchildren have this big family because it's just my sister and I.
• 40:15
  SPEAKER_04: So now it's my sister and my little niece.
• 40:17
  SPEAKER_04: But I said, Well, everybody who comes to church is gonna be your your your grandchildren.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_04: So that's right.
• 40:22
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, you're gonna be uh, you know, manage big children, so you don't have to get gift gifts, Christmas gifts though.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_04: So she was like that about that.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_04: But yeah, it was a little shock.
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_04: So and they always kind of like I think in their hearts were expecting me like maybe to come back and have a big family too.
• 40:40
  SPEAKER_04: So they can be part of that.
• 40:42
  SPEAKER_04: But now when I came to the seminary, it helped them because they became a lot closer to the church and to God.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_04: So they became attending retreats and helped you out at the parish.
• 40:51
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, okay.
• 40:52
  SPEAKER_04: So they've come here too.
• 40:55
  SPEAKER_04: No, this is back in Colombia.
• 40:56
  SPEAKER_04: Okay, yeah, yeah.
• 40:57
  SPEAKER_02: So it's draw your drawing nearer to Christ is drawing your family.
• 41:01
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and the family plays a huge role, as Bishop said.
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_04: I I believe is and I actually put in my bulletin article for this week at the parish, the family is the seatbed where vocations come from.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_04: Whether you're called to the priesthood, religious life, even to get married, have your own family.
• 41:17
  SPEAKER_04: We all call to holiness and to follow Christ in our own uniqueness style, you know, lifestyle that God has planned for us.
• 41:25
  SPEAKER_04: So definitely family.
• 41:28
  SPEAKER_02: Awesome, well said.
• 41:29
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, Father Charlie, I wanted to give you a chance to also talk about first Saturday's days of discernment.
• 41:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's a big thing.
• 41:36
  SPEAKER_01: We offer that every first Saturday at St.
• 41:38
  SPEAKER_01: Paul inside the walls in Madison, and it's basically a group of of those young men who are who are considering priesthood or praying about it, and there's a support group basically.
• 41:50
  SPEAKER_01: We come together at 10 a.m.
• 41:52
  SPEAKER_01: and uh we have mass followed by a holy hour with adoration and the rosary.
• 41:57
  SPEAKER_01: And then we get together for lunch and some conversation, and we we kind of try to delve into different things that um questions they might have.
• 42:07
  SPEAKER_01: And uh maybe like last week uh we were talking about obstacles to saying yes, and uh just trying to relate to one another and to the experiences that each one of them is individually having at that moment.
• 42:21
  SPEAKER_01: And we're excited because next uh the next first Saturday of discernment in December, December 2nd, we're gonna have Bishop Sweeney with us.
• 42:30
  SPEAKER_01: And so uh we're hoping to have a big crowd.
• 42:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um everyone's welcome.
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_00: Come and see.
• 42:35
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, that's great.
• 42:37
  SPEAKER_02: So um plenty of opportunities for those who are considering the priesthood um to learn to learn more.
• 42:44
  SPEAKER_02: And and uh but so I guess a great starting place is Pattersonvocations.org, and we often have um posts on our social media accounts.
• 42:54
  SPEAKER_02: Um and so great.
• 42:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um pray, pray, pray for vocations, yes.
• 43:00
  SPEAKER_02: Well, good.
• 43:00
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much, both of you, for for coming and being on the podcast.
• 43:04
  SPEAKER_02: It was a wonderful conversation.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you for having us.
• 43:08
  SPEAKER_04: It was a pleasure, thank you.
• 43:09
  SPEAKER_02: Of course.
• 43:10
  SPEAKER_02: And thank you for the Charlie.
• 43:11
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks, Call of Duty.
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_02: So, Bishop, before we wind down this episode, is there anything else you want to share with our audience today?
• 43:18
  SPEAKER_00: Uh speaking of vocations and families, uh again, where the church has always spoken about single life as an important and uh vocation and path to holiness, married life and family, uh, and priesthood or consecrated religious life.
• 43:34
  SPEAKER_00: And this coming Sunday we'll be celebrating the vocation of marriage as we'll have the Mass and Blessing and Renewal of Vows for couples from throughout the diocese who are celebrating their 25th and 50th wedding anniversaries.
• 43:46
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so I'm looking forward to being with those uh couples on Saturday at at the cathedral in Patterson St.
• 43:53
  SPEAKER_00: John the Baptist Cathedral.
• 43:54
  SPEAKER_02: I think a couple or even have a longer anniversary.
• 43:58
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, is that right?
• 43:58
  SPEAKER_00: That could be.
• 43:59
  SPEAKER_00: That could be.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_00: So the silver and gold messages.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_00: And um I'll actually be with our Hungarian community this Sunday morning for mass uh on the 120th anniversary of St.
• 44:11
  SPEAKER_00: Stephen of Hungary Parish in in Passaic.
• 44:15
  SPEAKER_00: And uh Carlos mentioned St.
• 44:17
  SPEAKER_00: Joseph's Hospital, uh, the great work that they do in Patterson.
• 44:20
  SPEAKER_00: And for many years, I think about 10 years, Kevin Slavin has been the CEO, and Kevin's gonna be retiring.
• 44:28
  SPEAKER_00: So um they're having a mess for him to thank him for his years of service at uh I was at their gala uh last week, I think, and uh it's amazing.
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_00: Four sisters of chat.
• 44:40
  SPEAKER_00: 160 years ago started taking care of people who are getting injured in a mill in Patterson.
• 44:45
  SPEAKER_00: And that was the seed or origin of St.
• 44:48
  SPEAKER_00: Joseph's Hospital.
• 44:50
  SPEAKER_00: And the Sisters of Charity ran it for so many years.
• 44:52
  SPEAKER_00: They're still involved and still very much in their mission serving the underserved in Patterson.
• 44:57
  SPEAKER_00: And so the Mass is going to be at the Sisters of Charity of St.
• 45:03
  SPEAKER_00: Elizabeth and Convent Station, their beautiful Holy Family Chapel where we were last Sunday for the uh youth mass.
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_00: And uh so we'll be back there this Sunday.
• 45:12
  SPEAKER_00: So it'll be a little uh triple header, let's say.
• 45:16
  SPEAKER_00: Uh but uh looking forward to um those celebrations this coming.
• 45:19
  SPEAKER_00: And we're recording this episode on November 9th, uh, the Feast of St.
• 45:25
  SPEAKER_00: John Lateran, the dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome.
• 45:30
  SPEAKER_00: But um hard to believe that two weeks from today will be Thanksgiving.
• 45:33
  SPEAKER_00: So uh um the month of November, we begin with all saints and all souls, and we throughout this month remember and pray for all those who have gone before us in faith and especially our loved ones who have died, but also what for Christians and Catholics should be the case every day that we give thanks.
• 45:49
  SPEAKER_00: We have so much to be thankful for.
• 45:51
  SPEAKER_00: But wonderfully, as a nation, and we certainly continue to pray for peace in the Middle East and Ukraine and throughout our world, and we pray for our country.
• 45:58
  SPEAKER_00: We just had election day.
• 45:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but um, we look forward to that wonderful uh American uh holiday of Thanksgiving that'll be upon us uh before we know it in two weeks.
• 46:09
  SPEAKER_00: So um tomorrow, of course, is Veterans Day.
• 46:11
  SPEAKER_02: And tomorrow is Veterans Day, yes, thank you.
• 46:12
  SPEAKER_02: That's right.
• 46:13
  SPEAKER_02: And um which leads us to uh just a quick news update.
• 46:16
  SPEAKER_02: We had back on C uh I think it was episode six of our podcast, we had um Father Franco Grady, all the way from Ireland.
• 46:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, who had the shrine of our Lady of Nock.
• 46:27
  SPEAKER_02: Years earlier he had served at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethsaida, uh Maryland, and we had discussed the fact that the contract for Catholic priests to provide pastoral care had had been pulled.
• 46:41
  SPEAKER_02: And just uh near the end of October I came across a news article that and I learned that that um contract was actually renewed.
• 46:49
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, the Catholic priests are back at Walter Reed.
• 46:53
  SPEAKER_00: So yes, thank you all of our veterans, to all those who have served our country and the armed forces, and we pray in a special way for those currently serving, especially those in harm's way, uh, that they would be protected.
• 47:04
  SPEAKER_00: And we thank God for their families who support them.
• 47:07
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, but um make sure you wish our veterans a happy Veterans Day.
• 47:11
  SPEAKER_00: You can do it twice this year because Veterans Day is usually November 11th, which is a Saturday this year, and uh observed on the 10th on Friday.
• 47:19
  SPEAKER_00: So uh um tomorrow, Friday the 10th, and then um Saturday the 11th.
• 47:24
  SPEAKER_00: We wish all our veterans a very happy Veterans Day.
• 47:28
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, well thanks, Bishop.
• 47:30
  SPEAKER_02: So here in the Diocese of Patterson, we are conducting our diocesan ministries appeal, which supports Catholic charities, seminary information, Catholic urban education, and the health care of our senior priests and more.
• 47:42
  SPEAKER_02: Please consider helping your brothers and sisters in need by making a gift.
• 47:47
  SPEAKER_02: Visit 2023appeal.org today, 2023appeal.org.
• 47:54
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you for spending time with us.
• 47:55
  SPEAKER_02: Join us again for the next episode of Beyond the Beacon.
• 47:58
  SPEAKER_02: Please subscribe to this podcast wherever you're listening.
• 48:01
  SPEAKER_02: Give us a positive rating, write a review, and if you're watching this episode on Bishop Kevin Sweeney's YouTube channel, be sure to like the episode, follow the channel, and ring the bell for notifications.
• 48:12
  SPEAKER_02: Also, email questions and podcast topic ideas for the bishop to beyond at patterson diocese.org.
• 48:20
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you for listening to Beyond the Beacon.
• 48:23
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you, and God bless you.