Last week, 54 young men took the first step in discovering their vocation — to married, religious, or single life — by asking Jesus a simple but powerful question, “Where do you want me to go?”
On a sunny June 29, these high-school-age Catholic men descended on Shiloh Bible Camp in the Hewitt neighborhood of West Milford for the Quo Vadis Day 2023 discernment retreat. There, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and participating priests and seminarians urged retreatants to develop a relationship with Christ as they ask him about their life’s calling. The day’s busy schedule included vocations talks, a Mass, adoration, and a rosary hike; sports and outdoor activities; and Bishop Sweeney’s first-ever remote broadcast of his Beyond The Beacon podcast.
Outside on a grassy knoll at the nondenominational Christian camp, Bishop Sweeney celebrated Mass with participating priests.
“God works in mysterious ways. Be open to his plan for you. Maybe he’s calling you to the priesthood. Talk to someone — your parish priest or a seminarian,” Bishop Sweeney told the young people in his homily. The bishop also said the challenges of the priesthood require a certain toughness. “Life is not always easy. Jesus says, ‘If you want to be my disciple, pick up your cross.’ But God can show us his love and bring good in the midst of the most difficult things we go through.”
Organized by the diocese’s Office of Vocations, Quo Vadis — Latin for “Where are you going?”— gave the young men time to socialize with each other and with priests and seminarians and enjoy meals together, including lunch by the Knights of Columbus. There in bucolic northern Passaic County, they also had fun swimming, playing soccer, basketball, or Frisbee, or trying out an outdoor zip line, indoor rock climbing, indoor high ropes, or archery. The retreat ended with small-group discussions, a campfire, and communal prayer.
“It’s going to be a fun day. We believe we each have a special calling,” Father Edward Rama, diocesan vocation director, said, welcoming the young men. “Today, we want you to see that priests and seminarians are regular guys. We like to have fun too.”
Dominic Wensuslaus, 15, of St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish in Chester, was one of several participants to talk about Quo Vadis on the Beyond The Beacon podcast with Bishop Sweeney and Jai Agnish, diocesan communications director and editor of The Beacon.
“The priests and seminarians aren’t pushing the priesthood but are asking us to listen to God. That’s a more important message,” Wensuslaus said.
Participants also saw firsthand that, over the years, Quo Vadis has produced spiritual fruit in the diocese. One Mass concelebrant and speaker was Father Krzysztof Tyszko, who was ordained a diocesan priest on June 24 by Bishop Sweeney. He had attended the annual retreat 11 times, starting at age 14.
One vocation talk was given by Deacon Joseph DeMarzo, who was ordained by Bishop Sweeney as a transitional deacon on May 20. He anticipates being called to ordination as a priest of the diocese next year.
“Find a relationship with Christ in the Eucharist. Ask him [about your vocation] in prayer. Take time today to tune into his voice to get more clarity about what he wants you to do in your life,” Deacon DeMarzo told the young men. “To be happy in this life, stay close to Jesus.”
For information about vocations in the Paterson Diocese, call Father Edward Rama, vocation director, at 973-777-8818, ext. 715, and visit patersonvocations.org