by Julie Carroll
How does a young person discern God's call in his or her life?
That's the question youth delegates from every diocese in the United States discussed with 48 U.S. bishops at the 2001 Youth Congress, a special track of the National Catholic Youth Conference.
The Congress, which focused on vocations was designed to bring young people and bishops together in round-table discussions to listen and learn from one another. It took place December. 7 and 8 at the Marriott Hotel across from the Indiana Convention Center, where the larger conference was taking place.
“We're discussing vocations as seen through the eyes of different people, talking about their take on life, learning from them and deciding what's best for us,” said Jake Nistler, 17, of Helena, Mont. Nistler said one of the discussions that stuck out in his mind was on the topic of holiness.
“It's not about being set apart from the world, but becoming untangled and setting ourselves free, becoming unbound to make the world a better place,” he said. Nistler advises his peers on the subject of vocations: “It's important to be open to everything, to learn all you can about your possibilities to make an educated choice. If you set yourself too early on a particular path, you may regret it later. You want to find something that will fulfill you.”
He said he is considering both the priesthood and family life. The biggest obstacles to religious vocations are the misconceptions people have, Nistler said. He encouraged his peers to befriend priests and those in religious life.
Dustin Teeple, 17, and Stephanie Rowland, 16, represented the Diocese of Knoxville, Tenn., at the Congress. “I think it will make me more aware of my own call,” Rowland said. The sophomore said she hopes to be a lawyer helping children some day, but she's considering mission work with Mother Teresa's sisters “to see if I can give my life to serving others,” she said. “From there, we'll see.”
Teeple said he will “stress to others about the whisper of God to their heart.” Throughout the Congress, Teeple said, he felt God was “whispering” to him about a call to the priesthood. The many priests who have encouraged him in this direction have reinforced his decision, he said.
Father Mike Cummins, diocesan coordinator for youth ministry in Knoxville, accompanied the youths. “I was struck by the insight and depth of the young people, their openness to God's call, their openness to be honest about the call and the struggles in their own life,” he said. “They give me great hope.” Right now, there is not a shortage of priests in his diocese, Father Cummins said, “but we could always use more.”
After the Congress, Bishop Bernard Schmitt of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, W.Va., shared his thoughts on the future of the Church and vocations. “I have a tremendous amount of hope for the future of the priesthood,” he told The Catholic Spirit. “We have had more young men express interest than ever in the history of the diocese – 13 seminarians. It gives you some hope to see the pendulum swinging, and it's not just one diocese.”
Bishop Schmitt admitted he thought the bishops benefited more than the teens from the Congress. He said he tries to stay involved with the young people of his diocese, “but I'm afraid that's not true of all bishops.” He said he was impressed with the young people participating in the Congress – “their faith, their enthusiasm, their vitality, their tremendous willingness to listen and to learn.”
He said he has seen signs of change in the youth over the last 10 years. “I'm impressed with all the attention about religious vocations. The young people are much more open, really thirsting for spirituality and looking for more. Their idea of service is not so disconnected with the church. And their attitude toward marriage is different – they see it as a vocation.”
Bishop Schmitt said he asked the youth delegates if they thought such discussions would work in a parish setting. “They said yes,” he reported. “We need to get adults and teens together to discuss how to discern vocations. I'm going to see if we can't do that.”
In his closing remarks at the Congress, Bishop Howard Hubbard of Albany, N.Y., said, “Whatever our specific call, by virtue of our baptism, we are all called to holiness.” “You inspire us, your shepherds, . . . and fill us with pride,” he told the youths. “You engender confidence that our future is full of promise.”
Julie Carroll writes for the The Catholic Spirit.
This article originally appeared in The Catholic Spirit, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis, and is reprinted with permission.
