MORRISTOWN Most young men might have been more concerned with keeping the flame lit. During his freshman year at Delbarton School here, Derek Lattmann accepted the honor of carrying one of four candles that surrounded the Blessed Sacrament for a procession. On route, this life-long member of St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish, Chester, did not seem overly worried about his duties as keeper of the flame. Instead, his thoughts centered on something deeper — reflecting on the great power of the Eucharist and hearing God’s call to the priesthood for the first time.
“I looked back at the monstrance that held the Blessed Sacrament and felt that someone was present — Jesus Christ. I thought, ‘Wow! I’m the guardian of the Eucharist.’ I felt at peace,” said Lattmann, now 18 and a Delbarton senior. From June 27 to 29, he and 14 other young men attended the Quo Vadis Days 2018 diocesan discernment days held this year at the retreat center of St. Mary’s Abbey, on the same campus as Delbarton, to help stoke the flames of their own future vocations, whether as a priest or layperson. “At that moment [during the procession], I knew that this [a possible call to a priestly vocation] was something that I needed to investigate,” he said.
Organized by the Diocese’s Office of Vocations, Quo Vadis gave these young men the opportunity to join together to ask God and themselves, “Where am I going with my life?”’ They explored God’s call — as a priest, religious, married person or single person — during a busy schedule of spiritual activities. They included daily Mass; Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament; prayer alone in quiet reflection or together reciting the rosary, the Angelus, the Liturgy of the Hours or Morning Prayer; and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Other activities included talks on vocations, the priesthood and other religious subjects by clergy and seminarians, followed by large- and small-group discussions.
“The young people are at all stages of faith. Some are very spiritual and some are not as experienced. They were learning but asked questions. The young people also had practical questions, such as if they can go to college to get a degree and then come back and think about the priesthood,” said Father Edgar Rivera, diocesan vocations director. He noted that over the years Quo Vadis has borne spiritual fruit in the Diocese, as several former retreatants have entered the seminary to pursue the priesthood or some have been already ordained as priests. “We told the young people, ‘Don’t hesitate to pray about your vocation,’ ” he said.
Often invited by their parish priests, the young men at Quo Vadis — Latin for “Where are you going?” — also got time to socialize. They hiked; played sports, such as soccer, basketball and volleyball; and played board games, such as “Risk.” All the while, they engaged in enlightening conversations.
On the last day of the retreat, Bishop Serratelli presided at a Mass attended by Quo Vadis participants. During a special session afterward, he offered his insights about the faith and answered their questions about vocations and his own journey to the priesthood. Then, the Bishop joined the young men for a cookout, sponsored by the Emmaus Group of St. Margaret of Scotland Parish, Morristown.
On the morning of June 28, Lattmann took some time to speak to The Beacon about his vocation, which still includes considering family life. He has been active in various liturgical, campus and youth ministries at St. Lawrence and Delbarton — operated by the Benedictine religious order, along with St. Mary’s Abbey — and he traveled with the Benedictines to Rome to meet with Pope Francis.
“My parents are super supportive [of his exploring the priesthood] but surprised. I always have been fascinated by the mysteries of the Church and feel devoted to the Eucharist,” said Lattmann, who comes from a religious family. “At Quo Vadis, we all have an interest in discovering our vocations. Jesus calls us to share in his ministry as a priest or in married life,” he said.
Participants deepened their faith and homed in on their vocation by listening to talks on various subjects. Father Christopher Barkhausen, the newly-named administrator of St. Francis de Sales Parish in the McAfee section of Vernon, spoke on “Vocation: Universal Call to Holiness and Love.” Father Yasid Salas, parochial vicar of St. Margaret’s, talked about “Prayer and Discernment.” Rev. Mr. Dailon Lisabet, a transitional deacon, who anticipates being called to ordination as a diocesan priest next year, spoke on “Mary.” Father Yojaneider Garcia, parochial vicar of St. Peter the Apostle Parish, Parsippany, talked about “Four Types of Vocation.”
In his talk on “Prayer and Discernment,” Father Salas urged the young people here to “take prayer with you,” whether discerning a vocation or navigating their everyday lives.
“Have a relationship with God and a community in prayer. God will open the door for you to see where he wants to you go. Also, God will give you the gifts that you will need if he wants you to be a priest or have a family,” said Father Salas, who also encouraged participants to give the seminary a try. “Go, look, see and pray. You might see that the seminary works for you or perhaps you will say, ‘It’s not my thing.’ But at least you had a taste of seminary life,” the priest said.
Another Quo Vadis participant, Christian Matos, 18, of St. Margaret’s, recently was graduated from Morristown High School. He also comes from a religious family that includes his brother, Michael, 17, who also attended the retreat. He fondly recalls joining Bishop Serratelli and other faithful on a pilgrimage to Spain in 2014. Matos describes his vocation status as “exploring” with a strong pull toward becoming a priest.
“In Spain, I learned about the other side of the priesthood — that they are people who also laugh and have fun. To be a priest is still to be human,” said Matos, who cited Father Rivera, as having interests like a regular person, such as soccer, guitar and marital arts. “I was in denial [about a call to priesthood] for so long but now I’m considering it. I love that priests have access to churches and chapels all day, so they can pray,” he said.
On hand, during the three days, were members of a team — including young men, who attended previous retreats — that helped Father Rivera organize this year’s Quo Vadis. They included: Father David Monteleone, an assistant vocations director and pastor of Holy Spirit Parish, Pequannock; the three priests, who delivered talks, plus Father Vidal Gonzalez Jr., also an assistant vocations director and administrator of St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish, Sparta; Rev. Mr. Lisabet; and five other seminarians.
“It’s a good thing that these young men gave up some of their free time during the summer to come away from their busy lives to have God speak to them,” said Father Monteleone, who told The Beacon that they asked priests some insightful questions, such as “Do you get lonely?” and “What is parish life like?” “Wherever God leads these men, they will be assets to the Church, whether as layman or priest,” he said.
[Information about vocations in the Paterson Diocese: the Vocations Office (973) 777-8818, ext. 711 or rcdop.org.]