‘Be Rich in Good Works’

CLIFTON  Last May, Bishop Serratelli ordained 10 men to the priesthood for the Paterson Diocese in St. Philip the Apostle Church here ensuring the mission of Christ will continue for generations to come. The Diocese has been blessed to have had 75 men ordained as priests in the past decade, and to have 55 men studying for the priesthood in seminaries around the country and abroad, with five seminarians studying at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.

With a wealth of vocations to the priesthood in the Diocese, the opportunity for diocesan seminarians to be educated and fully prepared to serve the people of God in the Diocese relies on the assistance of the laity. For that reason, seminarian education is one of the beneficiaries of the 2016 Bishop’s Annual Appeal.

Under the theme “Be Rich in Good Works,” the Bishop’s Annual Appeal not only supports seminarians studying for the priesthood but also aids diocesan Catholic Charities agencies; Catholic school students in inner-city areas; and Nazareth Village, the retired diocesan priests’ residence in Chester.

Father Hubert Jurjewicz, diocesan director of vocations, said, “These men seek to give themselves entirely in service to our Lord and to his people as priests. In the midst of our distracted and distracting culture, they have heard the voice of Christ calling them to something worthy of themselves: a life of radical, priestly discipleship rooted in intimate prayer, joyful service and steadfast faithfulness to the Church. In short, these men are seeking that their hearts become one with the heart of the Good Shepherd.”

Last year, the Diocese allocated $1,093,797 to help fund the cost of seminarian education. On average, one year of priestly formation for one seminarian costs $47,000.

Seminarians experience long days of study during the week with times of prayer and Mass. They also have meetings throughout the week with spiritual directors, formation advisers and small group formation. Many times, seminarians also assist at local parishes to serve God’s people through various ministries on the weekend.

To those who are considering donating the to Appeal, Father Jurjewicz said, “First and foremost, I ask that you pray for our men and for an increase in the number of men who hear the call to serve as priests in the Diocese of Paterson. I especially thank those of you who consistently offer prayers and sacrifices for these men and for all our priests. Your prayers are obviously being heard. If, in addition to your prayers, you can make a financial contribution of any size, please donate to the Appeal. It might be the case that you could sponsor all or part of one seminarian’s formation costs.”

In addition to tuition and room and board, the Bishop’s Annual Appeal helps with retreat costs, books and a small stipend that seminarians are paid to help with incidental expenses.

“With more committed disciples, we will witness a rise in vocations to the priesthood. We need priests to help rebuild the soul of the Church according to the Holy Spirit rather than the Spirit of the World,” Father Jurjewicz said. “Our seminarians want to help rebuild God’s Church by forming parishes that are schools of prayer rather than schools of 10,000 activities. Pope Francis spoke beautifully of the call for disciples to beware of the Spirit of the World: ‘But they are those who think following Jesus is a career … Following Jesus is … going with him out of love, behind him: on the same journey, the same path. And the Spirit of the world will not tolerate this and what will make us suffer, but suffering as Jesus did.’ Each seminarian has encountered Jesus Christ and is responding to their call of discipleship. Now they want to go make more disciples and sanctify the world through the sacramental life of the Church. This is the mission of the priest.”

[To donate to the Bishop’s Appeal, go to www.2016appeal.org or call (973) 777-8818, ext. 218. For information on the priesthood, go to www.welcomehometohealing.org.