A PERSISTENT CALL The first time Father Philip Ching, associate pastor of St. Lawrence Catholic Community in Utica, Mich., and a member of National Shrine of the Little Flower Council 12408 in Royal Oak, became aware that he was being called to the priesthood was in the second grade. “Our teacher, Sister Ann Margaret, passed out a blank piece of paper and asked, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’” recalled Father Ching. “I wrote: a priest. That was the first time I was aware of the calling.” Years passed, and Ching thought of doing other things with his life. It wasn’t until he attended a youth conference at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, that the calling was reignited. 10 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
JUNE 2010
“There it hit me,” said Father Ching. “There were thousands of teens there. It was so powerful, so grace-filled, that the Lord spoke to me at that time. I made a 180 degree turn and began putting my vocation to the priesthood in the forefront.” So persistent was the call, and so confident was Ching in it, that when it came time to apply to college, the only place he applied was to the seminary. “There was nothing else I felt called to,” explained Father Ching. After being accepted to Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Ching found the moral and material support he received from the Knights of Columbus to be pivotal. Specifically, he was supported through the Refund Support Vocations Program (RSVP), in which local councils provide financial assistance and moral support to seminarians. Grand Knight Tadd Klimmek of Council 12408 said that supporting seminarians is something the council does each year. “Every seminarian we have is usually a member of our council,” said Klimmek. “Because we see them on a regular basis, we can offer personal support. We set aside funds annually from our general budget as part of the RSVP.” Father Ching added, “It helped pay for my books and some aspects of my tuition. Sometimes the support would come by mail. Other times, [Knights] would come for a visit. They also hosted vocation dinners that I attended.” Father Ching said that he was first inspired by the example of his father and brother to become a Knight. “During a heavy workload and academics, my brother was able to take time for fellow Knights who might be ill or hospitalized,” he said. “Witnessing that charity spoke volumes to me about the fraternal aspect of the Order.” Ordained in 2009 at the age of 26, Father Ching has found the spiritual fatherhood of the priesthood to be “a beautiful and glorious gift,” but also very humbling. “You come in as a stranger amidst the people. The only thing they know is that you have a collar and they call you ‘Father,’” said Father Ching. “They ask for help and advice. They ask for prayers. All I can do is pray to the Holy Spirit. Everything flows from that.” THE CHALLENGE OF MANHOOD Father Henry Reid serves as associate pastor of Holy Family Church on Long Island. He readily admits that he avoided the priesthood for years and has held numerous jobs, including one as a bouncer for a bar. He came to a greater appreciation of his Catholic faith while doing post-graduate research on the topic of European history at Queens University Belfast in Northern Ireland. “You can’t divorce European history from the Church,” said Father Reid. “I was living in a Catholic ghetto, and it was dangerous, even with the peace process going on. There was a lot of anti-Catholicism and attacks on Catholics. It was dangerous going to Mass.” A friend challenged Reid to quit playing around with the idea of becoming a priest and actually take the first steps. The following day, Reid met with a priest to discuss a potential vocation. “He encouraged me to pray and attend daily Mass,” said Father Reid. Reid did so, and before long, he attended the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, N.Y. During his years
PHOTOS OF FATHER CHING: Arising Images
MINISTERING TO ONE ANOTHER Father Alessandro Lovato, associate pastor at Immaculate Conception Church in Delta, British Columbia, says that it was the loving presence of God the Father that first called him to embrace his vocation to the priesthood. “Every vocation springs forth from a person’s experience of being loved by God,” he said. “The priest then goes forth to share that love of God with others.” Father Lovato, who was ordained for the Archdiocese of Vancouver in 2006, describes his parish as a large family. As a priest, he said, he is called to give this family the words they need to hear, to be there for them and to build them up. “You feel the fatherhood of God in the interaction with your parishioners and the love they return to you,” added Father Lovato. “You represent God’s fatherhood and love for others, but it’s also shared with you by the parishioners in the family.” Father Lovato said that the early example of his own parish priests inspired him to discern a priestly vocation. After completing a degree in English and history at Simon Fraser University, Lovato did pretheology work at the Seminary of Christ the King in Mission, British Columbia. He later studied theology at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y. He stressed that the support of the Knights of Columbus was crucial during that time. “I had been a member of my local parish council (Holy Cross Council 5423 in Burnaby, British Columbia) since my university years,” he said. “That council provided financial support as well as letters of support when I was away from home, studying in New York. I also received the Bishop Daily Scholarship, which significantly helped to pay for my studies.” The rector of St. Joseph’s and many of Lovato’s classmates were also members, and they often participated in K of C events at the seminary. Today, Father Lovato admits that it is not an easy time to be a priest, but he draws tremendous strength from the fraternity of his brother priests and brother Knights. On his days off, he returns to his home parish for Mass and to receive the sacrament of penance. “It’s not a coincidence that the media attacks are happening now, during the Year for Priests,” said Father Lovato. “There is real spiritual warfare taking place. The persecutions either strengthen a person’s faith or scare people away. I realize how much I am ministered to by other priests. Amidst the hustle and bustle of our day-to-day lives, we need to stop and minister to one another.”