Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin (USA), OFFICE OF VOCATIONS

An opportunity

By Patrick Slattery

Staff Writer

Young men preparing for the priesthood are perhaps in the most difficult circumstances of all, preparing to give their lives to an undertaking that has been discredited in the eyes of many because of the sex abuse scandals in this country. The Catholic Times asked some La Crosse diocese’s seminarians about how they have weathered the bad news of last year, and what strengthens their resolve to give their lives to be men of God.

Following are their responses:

Hector Moreno, St. James the Less, La Crosse, second year theology, Sacred Heart, Detroit – "While the scandal is cause for concern, I have not found the situation particularly troubling, given the fact that, in the end, the church is not in the hands of men, but of the Holy Spirit.

If anything, I see this as an opportunity for the church to make a good examination of conscience in order to purge herself of the things that led to the scandals in the first place."

David Sandquist, St. Mary, Cashton, first year theology, Mundelein, Chicago – "I am not discouraged. There is nothing wrong with the priesthood or with celibacy. The scandal points to the failings of a relatively few individuals, not the priestly state, and that is where the problems lie. Against all the bad news, anyone considering the priesthood must focus intently on what the priesthood is, and not on what it is not…

The priesthood is a magnificent vocation, and if I am so called, my response cannot be governed by the misdeeds of others. The events of the past year have been an incentive for me to prepare all the more diligently."

Nathan Sward, St. Peter, Stevens Point, college junior, Catholic University, Washington, D.C. – "When the news of the scandals broke, I was initially not very troubled. The church is 2,000 years old and has weathered worse storms. Christ himself promised that the gates of hell would not overcome the church.

The only good response is that of faith. Christ who calls will also provide. This is not naïve zeal. With prayer and discernment, it is confidence in God who cannot deceive, and by whose grace all things are possible."

Joseph Redfern, Blessed Sacrament, La Crosse, first year theology, Pontifical North American College, Rome – "When one studies history, one is amazed at how the church has continued and even thrived despite the failings of its various members. This is a great consolation to me and is evidence of its divine foundation."

Jeremy Priest, Blessed Sacrament, first year theology, Josephinum, Columbus, Ohio – "We must not exaggerate this evil which has been so prominent in the church the last year.

These scandals are, as they have been in the past, a chance to and a call to recommit ourselves to lives of holiness and loving charity. I often think of the saints of the 16th century who rose to God’s call to holiness during a period so filled with scandal and turmoil. I pray that many of us will respond as they did."

Published in the Catholic Times, January 14, 2003

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