Recently I was on a Zoom call about a program called Higher Calling, from the Avila Institute. It’s a formation program for men interested in the Catholic priesthood, before they enter a seminary, to prepare them for seminary. I found it extremely encouraging. I find healthy young men who want to be priests encouraging and inspiring. We should be encouraging and supporting them and their discernment. Not only is it noble, holy work when it is entered into with a pure heart and a desire to truly bring Christ to people; it is absolutely necessary.
The pandemic shutdowns made me more convinced of this reality, as we could not be present for Mass, the greatest prayer on earth, which unites Heaven and earth. We could not receive the sacraments. I was present for a Goddaughter’s Baptism via iPad just a half-second before everything shut down. I cried when I finally got to Mass and confession. There are certain things only priests can do and we need to let them know we need them and love them. There’s a lot of evil, too, where humans are. That’s not the priesthood. That’s evil. It’s why we need well-formed seminarians and psychological and medical and mentoring and friendship support for our priests in all kinds of ways.
That Higher Calling call happened as the North American Martyrs Shrine in Auriesville, N.Y. — where Jesuit Fr. Isaac Jogues, among others, was killed — was confronting the reality that they don’t have a priest to serve the shrine during its open season (beginning soon and through the martyrs’ feast in late October). The holy grounds are in the diocese of Albany, and they don’t have a priest to spare. So far, within the sound of the cry for help, there has not been a retired priest who has made his availability known. It could be that there are just not enough priests to go around — and this is going to be even more and more of a reality in the years to come.
Here’s the invitation my friend and fellow board member Fr. Roger Landry issued on his Facebook page in recent days:
Attention Brother Priests, especially those who are retired, who are students, or teach with some time off during summer months: The Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs in Auriesville, NY, where Saints Isaac Jogues, Rene Goupil and Jean de Lalande were martyred and Kateri Tekakwitha was born, is looking for priest help during their upcoming 2022 Season (beginning of May through the Feast of the North American Martyrs in October). They have a beautiful, newly renovated house for priests and it’s on a huge, prayerful, quiet grace-laden place. The commitment would be a daily Mass and some daily confessions. The rest of your time is free to pray, read, write, etc. The monthly stipend is similar to a full priest’s monthly salary. I very much have enjoyed my time there. It is also an excellent place to do your retreat if you didn’t mind these basic priestly duties. They’ve love to find a priest who could commit to the whole season but they would be happy to have priests who could commit to one or two week periods. If your schedule would allow, I’d urge you to contact the executive director, Julie Baaki, at julie@ourladyofmartyrsshrine.org. If you’d have any questions, feel free to contact me (fatherlandry@catholicpreaching.com). And please share this with priests you know who might be interested.
It really is a beautiful, quiet, grace-filled place. I go up there as often as a nondriver can manage. I’d go up even more if I know there is Mass there!
Julie Baaki tells the stories of people who make long pilgrimages to the shrine for healing and prayer. Their hearts often ache for a priestly blessing. She wants to be able to provide. As Fr. Landry put it, it would be great to have a priest there from May to late October, but if you have a few weeks, I’m praying God brings one or enough of you to Auriesville, N.Y., this year.