Why Prayer for Vocations and Seminarians

From notes for my Sunday Homily:

Why should we pray for vocations to the priesthood? Why should we pray for seminarians?

In looking at today's readings, all three include the struggles of those who are called to do something by God, but all face their own weaknesses or temptations in responding:

Isaiah is a man with unclean lips among a people of unclean lips, how will he be able to convey the message that God wants him to convey?

Paul is the least of the Apostles, one who does not deserve to be called an Apostle, for he persecuted the Church of Christ.

Peter recognizes that someone great is in his midst and can only see his own weaknesses: leave me Lord, for I am a sinful man.

The good news is that God does not call the perfect to follow Him, thankfully, for I wouldn't be here! If He called the perfect, they would rely on their own strength instead of the grace that comes from Him.

Rather, He calls those who have a heart open and disposed to serving Him, a Heart which desires to be an open conduit from Him to His people. The best compliment to give a priest is that he gets out of the way to let God work through him.

When a young man enters the seminary or religious formation, when a young woman enters the convent, he/she will experience temptations and attacks, questions of faith, questions of worthiness, the 'what in the world did I just get myself into?!?!?' moment.

In my first year of seminary, as a soph in college, in a three week span, three of my high school classmates and my great-grandmother all passed away. That was it for me: 'What in the world is happening here?'

It would have been easy to walk away, but boy am I glad I didn't!

We need to pray for our sems that they might have the courage and strength to make it through these periods of temptations, these periods where they are confronted with their own sinfulness, yet also with a call to do and be something more. 'How is it that Jesus has called me, a sinner, to so great a responsibility?'

Pray for your priests who might be hitting the same thing, too, that they might persevere.

Prayers for Priests

Fr. Rob Jack, faculty member at Mount. St. Mary's Seminary in Cincinnati, provides a great service of listing a 'priest a day' for the faithful to remember in a special way during their prayers.

Today's priest needs all the help he can get!

March Prayer Warriors Newsletter

Announced today from the Vocation Office: By the by, this month features Fr. Martin Fox of Bonfire of the Vanities.

Dear Prayer Warriors,

The end of February and the start of Lent is upon us already!

The March St. Michael Prayer Warriors Newsletter is now posted online: http://cincinnativocations.org/prayerwarriors.shtml or directly here: http://cincinnativocations.org/pdf/March2009color.pdf

Our next conference will be held at Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center on Sunday, April 26th, 2009, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. Fr. Benedict O’Cinnsealaigh, Dean of Formation at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, will delivering the Key note address. Again, Adoration precedes the conference from 6:00 – 6:45 for those who are interested.

Things here in the Vocation Office continue to be very busy. We had a very successful ‘Cast Your Nets’ youth event this past Sunday, with well over 200 teens gathered in praise and worship of Our Lord and a fantastic presentation by Mother Seraphina of the Franciscan Daughters of Mary, who are based in Covington, Kentucky.

Looking towards the future, please pray for the men who are applying for entrance to the seminary this fall. There are two weekend events coming up for those who are interested in entering the seminary this fall: Welcome Weekend at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary on March 13 and 14 and Live-In Weekend at the Pontifical College Josephinum on April 16-18. Please keep the men who are attending these events in your prayers as well.

May you all have a Blessed and Holy Season of Lent and come to a experience the joy of Easter in an ever deeper way.

In Christ,
Fr. Kyle Schnippel
Vocation Office
Archdiocese of Cincinnati
100 East 8th Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202

February Prayer Warriors Newsletter Posted

Dear Prayer Warriors:

The February Prayer Warriors Newsletter is now published and features an extended interview with Archbishop Dennis Schnurr. It can be found here: http://cincinnativocations.org/prayerwarriors.shtml

Also, new on the page is an audio file of the inaugural conference from last September available for download and listening.

And, if you were unable to make the last conference in January, Fr. Earl Fernandes is delivering his talk again this weekend at St. Cecilia Catholic Church, 3105 Madison Road, Cincinnati, OH 45209. The evening starts at 6:00 with Adoration; the talk follows at 7:00. It was a fantastic presentation on the call to greatness within the Church. We hope to record it and have it posted shortly at http://cincinnativocations.blip.tv

Also, good news from the Vocation Office: in the last month, I have had meetings with ten men who are interested in entering the seminary this coming Fall. Please pray for them and their discernment, that they may be open to following God’s Will and have the courage to respond whole heartedly.

God Bless

Daily Prayer for Priests

in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati is now up and running.

Behold the Priest

Word comes from Fr. Rob Jack, priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and faculty at Mount St. Mary's Seminary, of a new project 'Ecce Sacerdos: Confraternity of Priestly Renewal.' Knowing Fr. Jack as a former student of his, this will be solid, Catholic, and engaging.

Stop on over, bookmark and add it to the reader account!

Praying for Priests

The article from the National Catholic Register is online:


The newest effort is the St. Michael Prayer Warriors in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. According to archdiocesan vocation director Father Kyle Schnippel, whose office is initiating this apostolate, it will be launched in September at its Call of the King Conference. But many individuals have already signed on.
The apostolate asks laity to pray at least one hour a month before the Blessed Sacrament for their archbishop and priests and for an increase in vocations to priesthood and religious life. Father Schnippel explained that while originally envisioned to be hours of Eucharistic adoration, St. Michael Prayer Warriors is flexible. Any group in a parish can pray together, and “it’s designed so it can be very easily used in families as well,” he stressed.
Members can get direction and prayer suggestions from the apostolate’s electronic newsletter, such as invoking the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Priests. The vocation office offers Holy Hour programs with Scripture readings and Rosary meditations connected to vocations, adaptable for praying before the Eucharist or in the family setting.


By the way, I'm no longer asking if you've signed up for the conference yet, now I just expect you to attend! September 21!

Is it begging

if I say: 'Go Here; and follow what it says'?