'We could have a little bit better approach.'

This morning's Cincinnati Enquirer features a full length interview by reported Dan Horn with Coadjutor Archbishop Dennis Schnurr.  A nice perusal over his first months in office here in the Queen City, a few questions towards the middle caught my eye:

Priest recruitment was a priority for you in Duluth, where the number of seminarians tripled on your watch. Will it be a priority here?

"I don't think the Archdiocese of Cincinnati is an exception. It's a very important concern for the church. There are many good programs in the archdiocese that relate to vocations (priest recruitment), but there are places we could have a little bit better approach."

Will you be actively involved in priest recruitment?

"I think it's very important for the archbishop to express an interest in the seminarians. The renewal I experienced from the seminarians in Duluth was nothing less than inspiring."

Why have some Catholics, especially young Catholics, drifted away from the church and from regularly attending Mass?

"What we are experiencing is in part due to the real confusion that followed the Second Vatican Council (a series of reforms in the 1960s). We didn't explain the changes that were taking place, so people became very confused. Because of that confusion, a lot of our Catholics, you might say, threw the baby out with the bath water."

What can you do to bring them back?

"You hear people say we have to establish a culture of vocations, and I agree with that ... The whole idea of God calling can't just be limited to the priesthood. Every single person has a vocation. Everyone has been called to a purpose. One of the most important questions we have to answer in our lives is, 'What has God called me to do?' Until you raise the question - Why did God create me? - there is no understanding and you're not going to pursue that purpose."