Ackerman, Michael R

English

Duquesne University: Digital Commons

40The Vocation Office of the Diocese of Pittsburgh Marks 70 Years Rev. Michael R. AckermanThis past January the Vocation Office of  the Diocese of  Pitts-burgh marked its 70th anniversary. According to The Pittsburgh Catholic, on January 29, 1948, Father Ferris J. Guay was appointed the first director of  vocations by Bishop Hugh C. Boyle.1 Father Guay was tasked to implement a program fostering vocations to the priesthood for the diocese while maintaining his responsibili-ties as parochial vicar at St. Brendan Church in Braddock. The initial approach to this endeavor involved a two-pronged effort. Guay was to be the “recruiter,” responsible for individual meetings with prospective seminarians and for reporting to the bishop. He was also the liaison to the newly established Diocesan Vocations Committee, which included members of  the religious communities that served the Diocese of  Pittsburgh. Father Thomas J. Quigley, the diocesan superintendent of  schools, was responsible for engaging elementary and secondary schools in classes, liturgical celebrations, and appropriate means for reflecting on God’s call. While the idea of  having a specific vocations office was emerging around the country, the idea of  the need to promote vocations was certainly not new. Pope Pius XI in his 1935 encyclical, Ad Catholici Sacerdotii (On the Catholic Priesthood),2 vehemently stressed that the promotion of  vocations was paramount to the survival of  priesthood. Later that year, the Serra Club was found-ed in Seattle, Washington, to promote vocations and vocation awareness, and Serra International was founded in 1938. Pope Pius XII continued the vision of  his predecessor and established the Pontifical Work for Priestly Vocations in 1941. Buoyed by the return to peacetime and a burgeoning school pop-ulation numbering close to 150,000 students in over 200 Catholic grade schools and 54 high schools in the Diocese of  Pittsburgh, the conditions were ripe for vocation promotion. Father Guay took to his task with enthusiasm. Aside from traveling to parishes and promoting membership in the Serra Club, which began in Pittsburgh in 1943, the highlight of  vocation promotion was the April Vocation Month celebration.3 According to archives in the Pittsburgh Catholic, some 3,000 gathered for a Holy Hour for Voca-tions with Bishop John F. Dearden at St. Paul Cathedral in 1955.4Following the sudden death of  then-Monsignor Ferris Guay on February 14, 1958 at the age of  43, the role of  vocation director At a Quo Vadis Days campSource: Vocation Office, Diocese of Pittsburgh41passed to Father Joseph H. Knorr, then the vocation assistant. Father Knorr, a native of  Resurrection Parish in Brookline and ordained in 1956, continued much of  the work that he had undertaken with Monsignor Guay. The April Vocations Month Holy Hour remained as the major centerpiece of  the vocation effort. Knorr also asked seminarians to contribute articles and reflections on priesthood for the Pittsburgh Catholic, including one by a student at the Catholic University of  America in Washington, D.C., Donald Wuerl (later Cardinal Wuerl of  Washington, D.C.), that was published in April 1962.5 On December 24, 1964, Father Knorr was reassigned by Bishop John J. Wright to a new position as the diocesan director of  the Society for the Propagation of  the Faith and the Catholic Missionary Aid Society. His replacement was Father Hugh M. Gloninger, then assistant at St. Bernard Parish in Mt. Lebanon, who would hold the title of  Vocation Director until June 1, 1971.During Father Gloninger’s time as vocation director, the Sec-ond Vatican Council enacted two documents that were to have a profound influence on the formation of  priests: Presbyterorum Ordinis (On the Ministry and Life of  Priests)6 on December 7, 1965, and Optatam Totius (Decree on the Training of  Priests)7 on October 28, 1965. Both documents stressed the need for holiness and piety in the formation of  priests, the importance of  family life for fostering vocations, and the need for excellent seminary training both for academic and pastoral needs. In light of  this, Bishop Wright, who had attended Vatican II and been involved in crafting much of  the aforementioned documents, opened Pittsburgh’s minor seminary, St. Paul Seminary, on the grounds of  the former St. Paul’s Orphanage in August 1965. From this point forward, the vocation director’s mission shifted toward recruiting men to St. Paul Seminary, and many of  his vocation gatherings were held on the campus.Vatican II also had another profound impact on vocation in that it broadened the idea of  vocation beyond priesthood and religious life. An April 19, 1962 article in the Pittsburgh Catholic written by Daniel Roos, a junior at Wheeling Jesuit College, bemoaned the lack of  attention that the Church paid to the lay apostolate.8 His premise was that the development of  the laity for moral life is tantamount to priestly development for a vibrant Church. Efforts at vocation promotion came to be more collaborative among priests, laity, and religious orders, and new conversation began as to what it meant to grow in holiness as a Catholic. However, this did not contribute necessarily to an increase in vocations to the priesthood. A May 28, 1971 article in the Pittsburgh Catholic lamented the decline in priestly vocations and a decrease in reception of  the sacraments in the Dio-cese of  Pittsburgh.9 Several other articles debated the purpose of  priestly celibacy and whether a married clergy would make priesthood more attractive to young men. These trends made vocation promotion challenging, but the vocation office still forged ahead.On June 1, 1971, Father John M. O’Toole assumed the office of  vocation director, a title that he held for 15 years until June 16, 1986. He and his assistant, Father Albert J. Semler (1972-1980), focused on taking the work of  vocation development to the people. Father O’Toole implemented vo-cation awareness programs including Holy Hours and Masses for Vocations in each of  the 16 deaneries. He also encouraged home Masses and a traveling vocation chalice. He implemented a Vocation Conference on themes and issues related to priesthood and religious life in conjunc-tion with the Diocese of  Greensburg, and established an affiliate program for high school and college men including retreats and visits to St. Paul Seminary. In particular, he recognized that empowering families and parishes to create vocation councils and support seminarians was essential to the growth of  a culture of  vocations.On June 17, 1986, Father Robert J. Clarke became the vocation director under Bishop Anthony J. Bevilacqua, as well as vice rector of  St. Paul Seminary. Father Clarke began to use mass media in innovative ways to promote vocations, and sponsored a number of  ads on WTAE and KDKA radio to highlight priesthood and the need for men to respond to God’s call. He also established the “Come and See” weekend at St. Paul Seminary, and sponsored open houses at St. Paul’s to encourage men to explore the possibil-ity of  priesthood and service to the Church. Father Clarke’s simple approach to vocation was highlighted well by an October 2, 1987 Pittsburgh Catholic article on how to promote vocation awareness. He stated, “I tell them [young people] that as baptized Christian men and women they already do have a vocation. They should be responding to it now, where they are in life.”10Father Clarke served as director until October 28, 1991, when Father Edward J. Burns assumed the title. Father Burns (now bishop of  Dallas, Texas) has the distinction of  serving as voca-tion director on two occasions, from 1991 until 1997 while he was successively vice rector and then rector of  St. Paul Seminary, and then again as rector of  St. Paul’s from August 18, 2008 until March 9, 2009 when he departed to become the bishop of  Juneau, Alaska. Father Burns continued many of  the practices of  Father The Vocation OfficeDonald Wuerl article 1962Source: Pittsburgh Catholic, April 12, 1962, 842Gathered Fragments | Fall 2018Bob Clarke’s time, but he also added his own touch as well. Father Burns pushed parishes to promote the 31 Club, an effort of  Serra International to promote vocations, and made an effort to encour-age men of  all backgrounds to consider if  their life was fulfilling. Although the numbers at St. Paul Seminary plateaued at around a dozen men, Burns emphasized the quality over the quantity of  applicants and seminarians. On October 27, 1997, Father David J. Bonnar became the rector of  St. Paul Seminary while simultaneously being appointed by Bishop Donald Wuerl as the Director of  Pre-Ordination Forma-tion and Director of  Priestly Vocations. Father Bonnar imple-mented some innovative ideas including vocation commercials on KDKA that aired during football games as well as throughout the course of  regular broadcasts, and the seminary’s first website. He promoted the idea that every parish have a vocation council which would serve a Diocesan Vocation Council. He advocated Sunday parish visits for seminarians to parishes, and he even established poster contests in the parishes and deaneries to promote interest in priesthood and religious life.Following Father Bonnar’s tenure, the Diocese of  Pittsburgh turned to a co-director model for vocations and promoted Father Thomas J. Burke and Father Thomas A. Sparacino to the Office of  Vocations on October 7, 2002. The approach of  the Burke–Sparacino era mirrored the early years of  the office. Father Spara-cino was tasked with developing high school programs and visiting Catholic schools and youth groups, while Father Burke was given college and post-college ministry. The affiliate program, gath-erings such as Theology on Tap, Young Adult Holy Hours, and Adoration, and even retreat experiences encompassed what was a holistic approach to vocation awareness. Sparacino and Burke worked in conjunction with Father James A. Wehner, the rector of  St. Paul Seminary, who succeeded them as vocation director for six months, from February 4, 2008 until August 18, 2008.After the brief  interim return of  then-Monsignor Edward Burns to the Office of  Vocations, the role of  director passed to Father Matthew R. McClain on April 20, 2009. Father McClain served in the office for a brief  time, but was well suited for the task due to his subtle humor, dynamic homilies, and pastoral parish visits. On March 9, 2010, Father Joseph M. Freedy became Director of  Priestly Vocations. Freedy, a former college quarterback, used his athletic ability to institute Quo Vadis Days in the diocese in 2012 – a four-day camp focused on priesthood, fraternity, sports, and sac-raments. He also effectively branded the office using the domain name, PGHPriest.com, which permitted dynamic content, videos, and communication to be established for a mobile, fast-paced society. Other initiatives accomplished under Freedy’s leadership include the Vocation Conference “Called by Name,” a College Christmas Discernment Retreat, a high school silent retreat, and a renewed vigor for high school retreats and workshops on prayer. After seven years, Father Freedy left the Office of  Vocations, and Father Michael R. Ackerman assumed the position on May 30, 2017, which he currently holds.The Office of  Priestly Vocations, while changing its strategy, has never changed its approach to vocation. It is quite simply to allow men to encounter the living God and his plan for their lives. Although society has become hectic and focused on the immedi-ate, there is no substitute for spending time in prayer, adoration, and reflection on God’s purpose for us. Future events for the office include vocation retreats and workshops, parish visits with seminarians, vocation conferences and fairs, and the continued development of  online and media resources11 to meet the growing needs of  the diocese, and those who consider a priestly vocation. The number of  priestly vocations continues to be an issue for our diocese, and others across the United States, but the quality of  applicants has never been higher. The priority will be, as it always has, to remind people of  their Baptismal call to serve God and the Church, and to allow men to ask the question of  how they can serve God. This has sustained our diocese for 70 years, and with God’s help it will continue to do so.Endnotes: 1  “Father Guay Named Vocation Director,” The Pittsburgh Catholic, January 29, 1948, 1. 2  The encyclical is available at the Vatican website, accessed August 10, 2018: http://w2.vatican.va/content/pius-xi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_enc_19351220_ad-catholici-sacerdotii.html.3  In 1950, Bishop Boyle directed that April be devoted to “a very special promotion of vocations to the priesthood and religious life” with a Holy Hour for Vocations conducted on “Vocation Sunday” at St. Paul Cathe-dral. Father Guay announced that priests and sisters would visit parish schools to promote vocations. “‘Vocation Month’ to be Observed,” The Pittsburgh Catholic, March 30, 1950, 1.4 “3000 Jam Cathedral for Vocation Holy Hour,” The Pittsburgh Catholic, April 28, 1953, 1.5  “When Do Seminarians See the Light?,” Pittsburgh Catholic, April 12, 1962, 8. The future cardinal was then a Basselin Scholar at the Theological College, the national seminary administered by the Sulpicians and affiliated with the Catholic University of America.6  The decree is available at the Vatican website, accessed August 10, 2018: http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19651207_presbyterorum-ordinis_en.html.7  The decree is available at the Vatican website, accessed August 10, 2018: http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19651028_optatam-totius_en.html.8  Daniel Roos, “The Laity Also Have Vocations,” Pittsburgh Catholic, April 19, 1962, 12.9  “Diocesan Population Down 7,000 in Year,” Pittsburgh Catholic, May 28, 1971, 1.10  Father Robert Clarke, as quoted in Patricia Bartos, “Vocations Pro-gram is ‘Lifeline’ of Diocese,” Pittsburgh Catholic, October 2, 1987, 3.11  The Office of Priestly Vocations maintains a website at http://pgh-priest.com, a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pghpriest/, and a Twitter account at https://twitter.com/pghpriest?lang=en.

The Vocation Office of the Diocese of Pittsburgh Marks 70 Years

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The Vocation Office of the Diocese of Pittsburgh Marks 70 Years

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