Jibber Jabber at Mass

This morning on Facebook, I posted a little note re: moms bringing little ones to Mass and the usual 'Jibber Jabber' that goes with it.

The on-going conversation thread afterwards was interesting, especially from the moms who struggle to bring little ones to Mass as they feel it is distracting, and they sometimes get stares from others who are in attendance.

I think there are a few things happening here:

1) Especially in bigger Churches, voices echo like crazy.  Part of a toddler's growth and development (DISCLAIMER: NOT A CHILD PSYCHOLOGIST!!!!!) is learning to interact with their environment.  When they hear that echo, they can't help but make some noise.  For me, this is not interruptive.  I can usually speak louder than a toddler and still get my point across.  Also, it is important to have little ones in the presence of Our Lord, as I quipped: they speak directly to Him!  So, to the rest of us: Suffer the little children!

2) To those who grumble, DEAL WITH IT!  You were likely there once and shouldn't we rejoice, as a Pro-Life People, at the gift of life and little lives, especially?

3) Now, a screaming, wailing child is an entirely different matter.  These children I can't yell over, cause it just encourages them to get louder.  Feel free to take them out back to calm them down, deal with whatever made them so angry and come back in when you can.  Anyone who has been around children should understand.  THEY ARE NOT ROBOTS!  They're not even dogs who are trainable.  We all understand and no, you are not a bad parent because your child screamed out bloody murder at Mass.  It is their way of getting attention, give it to them.

4) Some of the most humerous things I remember about my family involve my nieces and nephews (soon to be 18) doing goofy stuff, even at Mass.  A few weeks ago, two nieces (cousins, not sisters) were sitting on the floor across the main aisle making faces at each other during the recessional at the end of Mass.  I just stopped and looked down at both of them and laughed and then kept on going.

4.b) My oldest sister has a brother-in-law who was ordained to the priesthood when I was in high school (serving his Mass of Thanksgiving might have had something to do with my own vocation, don't ya think?)  During that Mass, my nephew (and Godson) started screaming bloody murder.  So, up he goes into mom's arms and starts to be carried out the back.  Well inarticulate screams turned into very distinct yells: "DON'T SPANK MY BUTT, MOMMY!!!!" repeated down the side aisle (which was now roughly FIVE MILES long for my sister.  I think I heard her mumble, even from up on the Altar: "Well, I wasn't going to, but now....."

Morale of the Story: Life Happens.  With kids, life often takes unexpected turns.  Enjoy the ride; and bring your children to Mass.

But I have to get my throat blessed!

Earlier this week, my mom told me of the conversation she had with her mother.

While Cincinnati was generally spared the worst of DeathStorm2011 (rev. A), my home town two hours drive north was projected to be in the midst of a snow/ice/sleet/ice/snow band. Not the best weather for a 90-something woman who has had hip problems to be out, I think we would all agree.

However, Grandma was insistent. Knowing that my mother helps out at Mass on Thursday morning, grandma innocently asked: 'So, Sharon, going to Mass on Thursday.' 'Yes, of course.' 'Do you think you could pick me up?' (Grandma doesn't drive, but lives litterally right behind the Church.) 'Mom, if it is nasty, I'm not getting you. I don't want to risk you falling.' 'But, I have to get my throat blessed.' 'No, Mom.' 'Sharon, I always get my throat blessed!' 'Mom, if it is nasty (and it is), I am not taking you out in the weather!' 'How am I to get my throat blessed?!?' 'If you can't get out, I'll call the pastor to have him come over and do it special for you.' 'Ok.'

End of story.

Family is such a joy at times!

(on the flip side, I wish I had time today to drive the two hours home to do it for her, but alas.)

Happy Feast of St. Blaise, today!

There's hope, yet.....

The Saints Blog (no, not these Saints, go here for a priestly perspective, there!) at SPQN has a post on twins (or related to twins) who are saints.

Why strike my fancy? I have an identical twin* in Iowa (of all the corny places...)

Also, there was a set of identical twins in seminary for Detroit, I think they might be ordained now.

One of our seminarians (at least) is a twin as well.

And I saw a set of twins being carried into the penance service last night.


* My first weekend in the seminary, he showed up with his girlfriend (now wife) in tow, bout got me kicked out!

* At my ordination, everyone kept asking him why he wasn't in clerics and with an alb on. 'Seriously, I AM NOT HIM!!!!'

* My first weekend in the parish in my first assignment, I mentioned: 'If you see me around town with a girl, it's not me, but my twin brother.' Yep, got that disbelieving look; until they showed up at the festival five weeks later.

* He gets me back when I visit him, in similar ways.

* Best one yet, he and I were together in Iowa, he was wearing an 'I'm the evil twin' t-shirt (I was in civies), the waitress didn't get why it was so funny that he was wearing it, not me.

Where do Priests Come From?

"Do they grow on a farm? No. Are they made in a factory? No. Priests come from God's people. They once were young boys, just like you.

"As children, some of these boys played baseball. Some of them climbed trees. Some of them were altar servers, helping out at Mass. They may have dreamed of becoming an astronaut, a doctor or a fire fighter. But somewhere along the way, these young boys also thought about being a priest."

(from the Introduction)

With this short intro, Elizabeth Ficocelli begins her short children's book: 'Where do Priests Come From?' Sensing a need to address this question among young readers, she walks through the discernment and training of a priest from the time he is the age of the intended readers up through his ordination and the beginning of his priestly ministry. Everything is explained in very simple terms even the youngest of readers should be able to grasp, maybe with the help of a little explanation by the parents. It is also nicely illustrated by Shannon Wirrenga, showing the priest in his day to day life, serving the people of God, but also the reality that priests do take time off to recharge their batteries and reconnect with Our Lord through the taking of his yearly retreat.

I often receive many questions about resources for young families to help form their boys for a potential vocation, or at least open them up to the idea that God might be calling them to something different and unique. (Which is true in every case!) This is a very nice resource to begin these conversations, after all, 'maybe the next young man God calls will be you!'

A special note of thanks to Elizabeth for sending me a review copy, which I will gladly pass along to my nephews.

A gracious thanks to Bezalel Books for publishing this short work, may it bear much fruit both now and in the future!

I think I'm outta the will

So, yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the nuptials between my father and mother. And well, umm.... I was in Cincinnati and not the hometown. It was even worse than that. Mom called, we chatted for about 15 minutes when she mentioned 4 of 5 of my siblings were over last night, or they were all at my sister's. Me: 'O, why did you all get together?' Mom: 'Ummm.... Kyle, it is our anniversary.'

%&@#$@%^$#@!#@$^!!!!

Good thing I have a steady salary and don't need to rely (much!) on inheritance!

Anyway, Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! You're great parents, even if you have a sometimes lousy and/or forgetful son!

Kudos to my Niece

Earlier this week, my eldest sister emailed me that he eldest daughter had been nominated to represent FCCLA (what used to be, in a less politically correct time, known as Future Homemakers of America, I have no idea what 'CCLA' stands for!) in our hometown's annual Carousel Pageant for junior girls entering their senior year of high school. She is the third generation of our family to take part in the proceedings.

Well, mom forwarded something else on to me this morning: the reason she was nominated.

There is one boy in 'FCCLA,' which admittedly is one more than when I was in school. The moderator, when selecting who would represent the group, asked if anyone would want him as her escort. Several girls said no, straight away; several waffled for a few minutes; my niece said yes right away, which brought other girls to say yes, eventually, too.

Why the hesitation? He is special needs, with Down's Syndrome. Her having a cousin who is special needs, another niece of mine, has helped her see the beauty and talents that each one of us has, and how we are all unique creations of our loving Father in Heaven.

I am very proud of my niece, who has always been a wonderful girl and now a superb young lady. I am also honored that she has asked me to be her confirmation sponsor this April.

Way to go, knock em dead at the pageant!

Hidden Treasures

So, I am not the only blogging member of my family.

However, she's only got ONE post!

Go pay Tania a visit and get her to post more often!

It's usually a dangerous thing....

when the first words out of someone's mouth back to me go something like: "You wouldn't be related to Tom Schnippel, would you?"  Oh boy, what did my father do to this guy?  Hmm.... should I run, I think I'm quicker than him.....

I had the evening shift at the Cathedral, and family was present to commemorate the year's anniversary of the matriarch's death.  Grandfather, Father and Mother, Son and Wife, were all present at the Mass, and simply asked me to pray for their departed wife, mother, grandmother.

I didn't think much of it, we get these requests all the time.

I de-vested, and since I am the only one in tonight, I was on my own for dinner.  Ah, it's Lent, so a good chance to fast, so I run to the Quik E Mart over a block, and returning to the Cathedral, was heading for the main office entrance, as I had dropped my books in that stairwell back to the residence.

This same family was parked on the street changing a tire on their minivan, when I got the dubious question above.  "Father, you wouldn't be from the German Ghetto up north, would you?"  I am, actually.  "Minster?"  HECK NO!  (Sorry, Kurt H, couldn't resist.)  Botkins.  Then the father looked at me and asked: "You wouldn't be related to Tom, would you?"

Hmm... My father is in a business where he meets many, many folks, and some (really, just a few) are not always pleased with what he has done.  But he looked pretty friendly, smiling a bit as he said it.  So, I admitted, "He's my father."

This man lit up like a tree!  "I went to High School with your father!"  (and my mother, too.)

What was looking like a somewhat dreary night was turned into a night of joy as we told some stories, caught up on different details, and eventually grabbed the cell phone to call north: "Mom, do you know a F. B.?"  "Yeah, why?"  Hold on, as I had the phone over.  Talking to her later, she was mightily impressed that we made the connection.  Turns out, he had left town a few days after high school graduation, and hardly been back.   (Echoes of my own story?)

Anyway, we got the tire changed, with the help of the Cathedral's Floor Jack, and sent out on their way to have dinner together in honor of the Matriarch.  But promises were made to connect back up for dinner sometime soon.

Hmm... A chance encounter turns to a new friendship.

See, Fasting for Lent is good for you!

(By the way, before I get acused elsewise, I do very much love my family and am very proud of who they are and that I can call them Mom, Dad, brothers and sisters; it's just part of the family contract that we have to bust on each other.  Just part of the deal, ya know?)

Email from Mom

This was waiting in my inbox this morning:

We are up to 8” + and still coming down hard.  Did you all notice where this email is coming from, Mike Stroh came over to the house with the backhoe and said Tom said to get it cleared so I could come into work.  My response  “Isn’t he nice that way  !@#$@#$!@#$@!#$!

(The office is across from the house and mom's one dream is a snow day.  She almost had it, until dad 'came to her rescue!  (They work in the family business together.))

Humbled by a 3 year old

Checking in from my sister's in Minster. Yes, the pond is frozen, but I had to pass along the following anecdote:

My sister was bringing down exchange gifts for today's get together. Her daughter (and my Goddaughter) saw her bringing them down: "Ooh, goody, I want presents!" she enthusiastically tells her mother.

Sister replies: "But you have to wait for Uncle Kyle to bring your present."

Goddaughter: "But mom, I don't like Uncle Kyle!"

That's it, she's out of my will!

The kids are going hungry tonight!

This morning, my dad, brother, a brother-in-law and I went Sport Clay shooting. For those unfamiliar with Sport Clays, its shooting after little clay pigeons, rabbits, sparrows, et al, set up in stations throughout a woods or a field.

While it was a great to spend time with the family; but as poorly as we shot, all the kids are starving tonight!

The good news, I beat my brother!

Grandpa's last joke

For those of you outside of western Ohio, it seems grandpa's last joke on the rest of us was the fact that it SNOWED dramatically during the funeral Mass and Rite of Committal at the cemetary. He's smiling down and saying: Gotcha!

God's Rest, Grandpa. We all love you much.

Funeral Homily for Edward L. Dietz

From the foundations of this country as a mainly Protestant country, there has always been an underlying current that wants to separate holiness from happiness. From our study of American History, we learn about the Puritans who banished dancing and all seeming enjoyment. The Quakers were ‘quietists’ who sought to eliminate any type of emotionalism to have a ‘pure’ religious experience. These two factors, plus many others, eventually lead to Prohibition, the outlawing of all alcohol outside of religious use in this country; absolutely horrifying for someone of German descent!
It is something that still exists today in Pop Culture, as those who are presented as ‘holy’ are usually also presented as ‘dour.’ They have no fun, they are always serious, there is never enjoyment to be found, rather they spend all of their time on the knees in reparation for sins.
It does not take long for anyone who has known my Grandfather, even for the shortest amount of time, to recognize that this is not who he was. Over the last few days, after Grandpa passed on, the one comment that always comes to the fore about Grandpa: “He was quick with a joke.” Seemingly, he never met a joke he didn’t like, and he was always on the lookout for an unsuspecting new acquaintance on whom he could pull out the old stand-bys, in addition to the latest he heard from where ever. For his grandchildren, this was always a nerve-wracking position as we introduced an unsuspecting girlfriend or boyfriend for the first time at a family gathering. Grandpa would get this sly little look on his face, slowly slide over by the neophyte, and unleash a torrent of his recent favorites. The appropriate grandchild would dutifully role his or her eyes and want to climb into a hole somewhere, embarrassed.
But, grandpa’s love for jokes was not self serving; he never did it to bring attention to himself, but used this great love for humor to make others feel welcome and at home. He could take a tense and anxious situation and bring a relaxing calm to all present. What a wonderful gift that is to be able to share with so many, friends and family alike. And what a wonderful way to acknowledge the Love that God has for each one of us through the mystery and gift of laughter. As Fr. Pat led us through the discussion about Grandpa the other day, this was the idea that Jim, Larry, Mom, Diane, Mark and Lora all kept coming back to: Grandpa used the jokes to break down barriers, to establish friendships, and make people feel at ease.
While this love of humor was certainly one Grandpa’s most public aspects, it was not the deepest aspect of who he was. Being a farmer, something which never leaves the blood, is a great lesson in the trusting in the deep providence of God in all things. The family was reminiscing how during planting time, Grandpa was always testy, anxious for the coming year and how the crops would turn out. This deep reliance on the providence of God, though, was expressed in many ways. I remember learning to serve at morning Masses here at Immaculate Conception, and Grandma and Grandpa were always sitting in the same pew, praying the rosary, saying their prayers after Mass. Just as prayer marked the rhythm of life in a monastery, prayer was what marked the rhythm of life for grandma and grandpa, and very little would stand in his way. In fact, so important was Sunday Mass, that at one point the farm was snowed in. Even though he felt it was too dangerous for the children to come into town for Mass, he walked both ways so that he would not miss his Sunday obligation. (Either that, or he was tired of being cooped up with Jim and Larry, and decided a walk through several feet of snow was a good thing!)
As it is for so many who work the land and rely on the Providence of God to survive, prayer was something real, something personal, something powerful, and any opportunity to steal a moment in prayer was taken advantage of. Grandma related on Thursday that he would often pray a rosary while either planting or plowing, bragging often: I got two full rosaries in today! (As an aside, this is much better than Uncle Larry’s option of falling asleep at the wheel of the tractor!)
One final aspect that cannot be skipped over is his devotion to his family. While his was not a love that was worn on the sleeve, the love and concern that he had for his family was something that was always present, guiding how he treated his children, grandchildren and now great-grandchildren. Family was always important and he was generous in his own way. While for many years, all you would receive is a hearty handshake and a firm ‘yep!’, his devotion to grandma, especially in their years of retirement, is an example to us, his friends and descendents.
The legacy that he passes on to us continues these three themes: humor as a way of inviting others into relationship, faith, and family. Through all of this, his dedication and hard work provide the blue-print to a success that is not measured in dollars, but is measured in friends. Last night, as we were leaving the funeral home after the visitation, I thought of the funerals I have had for those in their 90’s. The crowds tend to be small, a few friends who are remaining, family scattered about. Grandpa, as he did with so many things, greatly exceeded expectations. So many friends, so many family members (many of whom I did not even know!), came to pay respects for a man who was deeply loved and respected, who enjoyed his life, but also had a deep and profound faith.
And the common consensus was: where are we going to get our jokes now?

Back in the Office

Yikes

Stacks of emails

Phone messages

snail mail

bills


Almost not worth taking the time away!

Quick update on Grandpa, and now Grandma, too:

Grandpa has rebounded well to treatments and is getting stronger and better, for 91 that is! He is still in the hospital, but is expected to be released to a long term care facility sometime this week, hopefully. He could be released now, but.... Last Monday, Grandma (his wife) fell and broke her femur about an inch or two below her hip, and got taken to the same hospital where she went through surgery and is now in recovery. She should also be ready to move to a transitional care facility within a few days, so they are going to release them together.

I was teasing Grandma yesterday that Grandpa was getting too much attention and wanted some of her own. They both seem to be in good spirits, but please pray for their continued recovery.

Update on Grandpa

For those wondering, my Grandfather whom I mentioned last week is holding on, getting a bit stronger, and is now in something like a transitional care facility. I really don't know what it is, something between full hospital care and a regular nursing home.

In related news, today is his 91st birthday!

Welcome, and some updates!

First off, to those visiting from New Advent, welcome! Make yourselves at home and look around. For the nickel tour, see the Top Ten Posts that I put together some time ago.

For my regular readers, there are a few new additions to the family.

Last week, Rob, who used to work with me in the Vocation Office, joyfully announced the birth of their second boy: Stephen Aquinas!

Last night, my twin brother joyfully announced the arrival of their second daughter: Lucy Ann!

Both have been gifted with wonderful names and wonderful parents.

Other than that, have you signed up yet? (Even you, Kat!)

Yikes! Nearly forgot a new short video on women's religious, highlighted by Adoro! (These are good sisters, too!)

Post 500 Couldn't be Better!

Developments contnue to be made over at www.cincinnativocations.org.

Today's update features questions and answers by the parents of some of our current seminarians.

Questions range from the observed changes in the family since a son/brother has entered the seminary to the more humorous 'Would you go to your son for confession?'

Dan Hess' father had the best response: Sure - this way I can tell him that he really didn’t lose the autographed Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card, but I got $35 for it on EBay.

Hopefully Dan will be easy on the penitent! (Although, it doesn't sound as if his dad is sorry about this trangression!)

Life with a Special Needs Child

My sister sent along an update and a speech she gave at her daughter's rehab center. It was too good not to share:

Greetings, my name is Tania ***** and this is my husband Aaron. Aaron and I would first like to congratulate the Rehab Center on their 36th Anniversary and all the work that it took to reach this milestone. The Rehab Center asked us to give a little story on our experiences with the center.
So how did we get here? Aaron and I are the parents of 4 children, Taylor, Tristyn, Ashlyn and Alex. Tristyn our daughter is the second of four children with only 15 months separating her and our oldest daughter Taylor. At around four months of age we started to notice that Tristyn did not seem to be meeting her milestones. After many months of trying to persuade the doctor’s on a “mother’s instinct” that something just was not right we finally had an MRI at 10months of age. The MRI showed that Tristyn has Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum, ACC for short. ACC is a rare birth defect in which the structure/nerves that connects the two hemispheres of the brain (the corpus callosum) is partially or completely absent. What does this mean you wonder? I am sure most are aware that the right side of your brain controls the left side of your body and the left side of the brain controls the right side. For Tristyn, her brain itself is fine but she does not have the nerves that allow the right and left brain to seamlessly communicate with each other. Hence leaving her with the struggle of getting information back and forth. Imagine taking all the traffic from a 16 lane superhighway and trying to route it down a single dirt lane road. ACC can occur as an isolated condition or in combination with other cerebral abnormalities. In our case we were fortunate that Tristyn’s condition is isolated with no other anomalies, genetic conditions, etc. She did have eye surgery at one year of age and has also dealt with extremely low muscle tone which has been the biggest cause of motor delays in fine motor and gross motor skills. The neurologist painted 2 pictures of a life with ACC, the first is one without struggles as many people are walking this world without their corpus callosums and are even unaware that they are missing this important structure of their brain the second is one that is severely impacted. Unfortunately our situation is closer to the second and as a result of Tristyn’s struggles we sought out services at the Rehab Center nearly three years ago. Tristyn presents very similar to that of an autistic child – self-stimming behaviors, non-verbal, isolated in her own environment, etc. So needless to say our struggles were numerous prior to starting here. We could not run the sweeper or garbage disposal without Tristyn screaming. She hated bathtime which ultimately led Aaron and I to playing paper, rock scissors on who had bath duty and it was the fastest bath that either of us could give. We were also very limited on public places we could go due to being unsure how Tristyn would handle the people, the noises, etc. As a result we would do things with family as they tolerated what we were going through and understood the behaviors she would have. Relationships with others seemed to be limited due to it being easier to avoid the situation than have to explain everything with Tristyn. There were even a couple of family weddings in which we were forced to leave prior to supper due to Tristyn being unable to handle the situation and the sensory overload. These times were very difficult for our family and resulted in many tears, many struggles, and an older sister that was wondering why we were always the first to leave places.
We started Tristyn at the Rehab Center the summer she would be turning three. She came four days per week the first summer with myself, a high school babysitter and a future sister-in-law covering the times she came. Honestly, in the beginning I thought we made the biggest mistake ever by enrolling her for services. Tristyn would scream through the entire session and I could not believe that it took five adults to manipulate a three year old with severly weak muscles – guess she was stronger than what she led on!!! I would cry every Friday on my way home with her questioning myself on what we were doing. Looking back now I can not imagine what life would be like if we had listened to my gut and pulled Tristyn from the program. Tristyn has made some wonderful gains during her time at the Center. We no longer have the serious aversion to noises making it much easier to do your day to day activities around the house. She has even taking a liking to dancing to Hannah Montana with her two sisters! She also loves the water, sometimes swimming in the bathtub for an hour, she frequently giggles during her sessions in the pool with Jason, and she really thinks she is special when her dad takes her in the hot tub at home. She has gone from a child that could not walk on her own when she started to walking independently, going up and down the steps independently and doing her best run to the school bus in the mornings. We no longer deal with the aversion to touch and has learned to give some of the best unconditional hugs ever! We have also seen a dramatic increase in her eye contact and attention to things going on around her. She also knows the way to my heart as she is quickly becoming a great shopper loving to walk and ride in her stroller through the stores and malls – what mom does not relish in spending the day shopping with their daughter! As you can imagine we have seen more improvement than we can summarize into words; however we still have a long way to go in some areas. We are hopeful as Tristyn continues to improve and as new activities and exercises are tried that we find that key to continuing to unlock the hidden treasures within. We will not give up on our daughter and we hope to see as much progress in the next three years as we have seen the first three.
When preparing this speech I looked back over the reports and evaluations from Mr. Burns, Beverly and Christine and this also made me realize the progress Tristyn has made over the years. She has gone from uncooperating with all activities and exercises to actually maybe even enjoying her time at the center – especially with her buddy Christine! It is rewarding to see things she does do summarized in the reports when most reports discuss the shortcomings.
We are forever thankful for the dedication of the staff and their willingness to continue to push Tristyn to reach her greatest potential. It is rewarding for us to see how much the staff cares for Tristyn and all the clients that come to the center – although they can be unforgiving when you make a mistake such as sending your child dressed as if she were a member of the red hat society!!! Guess I will have make sure not to make that mistake again!!! We also would not be where we are today without the help, love and nurturance of Tristyn’s great aunt Lois. Lois could not be here tonight due to a previous commitment but she truly has been a huge key in making this all work for Tristyn. She has the most unconditional love for Tristyn and strives on the amount that Tristyn has taught her about life and how much many of us take for granted on a day to day basis. I think many of our family members and those around us have realized how precious life is and how your outlook on life can change by watching someone like Tristyn develop and learn new things. Life with Tristyn has been a struggle but it has also been a blessing and an eye opening experience. We will continue to endure the daily, weekly and monthly struggles along with the celebrations of each new task Tristyn learns to do independently and hopefully with the help of the activities and staff at the Rehab Center the struggles Tristyn faces decreases and the triumphs increase!

Good Families = More Vocations

Via the eNewsletter of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, comes the exhortation from the Asian Bishops that good families make for more vocations:

In their final statement, the bishops said that it was in families that the mystery of a vocation is born, encouraged and guided, and “the quality of family life […] either nourishes and fosters vocation or weakens and destroys” it.The bishops said an emerging global culture that fosters individualism, self-assertion and ambition brought a negative influence to Asian families and vocations as well.

As Catholics, especially during Christmas, we need to combat this 'emerging globacl culture that fosters individualism, self-assertion and ambition' with the deeper reality that an embrace of Christ, born for us by the Virgen, and crucified to take away our sins, is the only true path to an embrace of life.

Ten Things

you can do, as parents, to help the current state of Vocations in the Church today, as enumerated by Fr. Todd Peterson, of New Ulm, Minnesota:

This last weekend I preached my first of 8 weekends on the state of vocations in our Diocese in various parishes/Area Faith Communities. Instead of presenting a message of desperation on our need for priests, I tried to present the present state as one of opportunity for us to reflect on the need for priests to preside at the Eucharist and other sacraments, and that God is calling. In addition, I tried to give practical hints of what parents can do to raise their children in a culture of vocations - an environment in which the notion of a call from God is not only capable of being heard but readily responded to.

Go to his site to view the list, which is both simple and profound.