Why my calling still makes sense today

Father Simon Gore from Animate Youth Ministries gets the odd blunt question about his vocation but, as he explains, his response never wavers.

Over the Easter break I was fortunate enough to go to the 25th anniversary of Ordination of Father John Hindley.

As an aside, while at the ‘do’ after Mass, a gentleman approached me and said he enjoyed reading the Animate Pic columns (well, there has to be one!). I said there was a good chance the Mass we had just attended would feature next month and so it has! Hello to you if you are that gentlemen!

Anyway, back to the point. Fr John spoke in his homily about the parishes he had worked in and although I know Fr John and so knew of his previous appointments, it was interesting to hear them all condensed into one homily. On the way home it made me think not just about Fr John’s story but my own as well. And then, as these things tend to do, a more vague wandering of the mind into my general life choices and vocation began.

In Holy Week, Animate helped Leyland St Mary’s with their whole school mission. As part of the mission we had two ‘Grill the Priest’ sessions. These sessions are classic Lourdes Youth pilgrimage activities when the coach can ‘grill’ their chaplain with all kinds of weird, wonderful and thought-provoking questions.

When I was a coach chaplain I used to enjoy these sessions: they made me think on my feet as we moved from where I buy my shoes to how the Body of Christ can taste like bread (try answering that one on limited sleep in a way the whole coach can understand!).

But no matter the group, I’ve always been asked something along the lines of ‘Do you miss not being a normal person?’ (Rude: I think I’m fairly normal … but I can see their point!); or ‘If you could go back in time would you still be a priest?’. (A less rude version of essentially the same question!)

No matter how it is worded, I always feel there is an implied meaning to the question that the person asking cannot get their head around why anyone would want to be a priest. I suppose it is a legitimate question. When I have been asked such a question, either in Lourdes or on a retreat programme at Lowe House, I have always said that I am happy and no, I would not go back and do things differently.

As my mind wandered on that car journey, though, I thought a little more about the broader sense of vocation – of the general sense of having faith in the modern world. Fr John noted how many blessings he had received in his ministry. A sentiment I would echo. When ‘grilled’ by young people I can give my own examples as reasons why, if I had my own DeLorean, I would not go back in time to do something else.

Of course, I know that any Pic reader could highlight their own blessings they have received through their life, people they have met, events they have been to, celebrations they have enjoyed.

Yet as I arrived back home it seemed clear to me that my life would be less full, less complete, less fulfilled, without that slightly mysterious element we call Faith.

For me and for Fr John, the sense of Faith ended up being manifested in a call to Ordained Priesthood. Of course, the sense of call – or vocation – is manifested in different ways. I think what unites all those calls has got to be the sense of happiness and fulfilment that Faith can offer. We meet people we might never have met, we go to places we might never have visited, we think things we might never have thought, found comfort when others might see only darkness.

Let me then broaden the question I get asked to include us all: Do you not want a more normal life? Why are you a Christian in the modern world?

Well, who wants to be boring and ordinary?! I’ll go with fulfilled and extraordinary! Thanks – and next question...