Parish Ministry in Ireland and England
“Did you always want to be a priest?” It’s by far and away the most popular question I get asked. Anytime I’m giving a Confirmation class in a school, speaking to a group of young adults or even just talking to someone at a wedding it regularly comes up. The simple answer is ‘yes, absolutely.’ Saying that though my idea of being a priest back then was a million miles away from the reality of being a Missionary of the Sacred Heart today.
Growing up in Cork I would have been involved in my parish, firstly as an altar server and then as a reader in later years. After school I went to University College Cork and where I studied commerce. I remember distinctly in my first year in December I came out of a business statistics lecture and asked myself if I could do this for three more years in order to get my degree. The answer was a hesitant ‘yes.’ But when I thought about working in finance for the rest of my life it quickly changed to ‘NO.’
Novitiate in South Africa
It was this ‘no’ that brought me on a very roundabout way, living and working on four different continents, to where I am today. More about that in a later post. At the back of my mind, throughout all my journeys, was a persistent question about whether God was calling me to religious life and priesthood. I found myself back where I began in my original parish asking my parish priest, a Missionary of the Sacred Heart, about a possible vocation. At the time I didn’t know the difference between religious or diocesan priests, but what attracted me to the MSCs was their openness to people, their sense of humour and above all the life of their community.
Youth Ministry in Venezuela
Twelve years later and it seems I’m back at the beginning once again in my new ministry of vocations. It’s a challenging time for the Church. However if my study of history and scripture has taught me anything it’s that the Holy Spirit is always at work, calling people, inviting them to explore a vocation to the priesthood and religious life. To this end we have an exciting new vocations programme to help people discern where God is calling them in their lives. There will be a variety of different elements, including walking ancient pilgrimage paths, taking part in Catholic young adult festivals and World Youth Day, attending retreats and ‘come and see’ weekends, and joining us in our ministries in Ireland and England and around the world.
As Missionaries of the Sacred Heart we are called to share the depths of God’s love with everyone, especially those most in need. It is a message that has as much relevance today as it did when we were founded a century and a half ago. Now we are a group of over 2,000 priests and brothers working together in over 50 countries, including Ireland and England. If you think that this is something you might be called to or even if you’re just considering the possibility feel free to contact Fr. Dave or myself.
Fr. Alan