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THE ANCHOR-Diocese of Fall River-Thurs., Oct.' 29, 1981
Why Father Blaha tion about the priesthood. The priest of five years' has listed the most frequently asked questions and often then asks them of himself if his audience seems shy or asleep. Most queries are a·bout the life of
By Doug Landwehr GREEN BAY, Wis. (NC) When Father John Blaha, director of the Office of Vocations for the Diocese of Green Bay, speaks to high school students, he is ready for almost any ques-
SISTERS OF S'T. D'OROTHY Evangelizing Through Various Forms
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VILLA FA·TIMA 90 COUNTY ST. TAUNTON, MA
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ONE MAIN STREET GROTON, MA 01450
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and the other a whole month. the priest and how he decided I knew from school what I on his vocation. Q. Was it a hard decision to was supposed to be doing and tried to <:oncentrate on things becOme a priest·~ A. What was difficult was the for the salke of validity. But I .decision who to tell first and think my dad, sisters and other when to tell them. The big de- people in the pews were a lot cision was the decision to enter closer to God that day than I the seminary. That's when you was. What 8, classmate told me go public and become visible. As soon as you do it, people about the Mass seemed true. All start treating you as if you are through high school and the already ordained - they watch seminary I went to Mass to get their language in front of you, something 0'31 of it. After you kid you about wearing clerical are ordained you go there to give something. It is kind of a things. Q. What was the reaction of change in feeling. Q. How do you feel during your best friend'? A. He admitted that he wasn't Mass? A. I find it difficult to pray surprised with my decision, in fact he thought that I was go- ,during Mass. I pray before and ing to go (to the seminary) out after. During Mass I am collectof the eighth grade. Actually I ing the prayers of everyone else decided when I was a high school there. I try to make a lot of eye contact and listen during the junior. My dad was the hard one to Mass. It SElems like the priest is tell (Father Blaha's mother died doing a lot: of talking and initiawhen he was young). Telling ting the action but the celebrant him was difficult because I re- is trying to stay in tune with spected his opinion more than the congregation that is there. I look for the guidance of the anyone's. If 100 people said become a priest and my dad had Holy Spirit during Mass so that said forget it, I would have for- I don't say or do anything dumb. gotten it. Q. What part does prayer He took it very matter of factly. He told me to keep my play in your life? A. Prayer is the rubber band eyes. open and to work hard. Q. Were you seared the first that keeps my life together. When things break down and time you ever said Mass? A. Yes. I said it at my home fall apart, it puts my life back parish. Two of my seminary together again. Q. Why eao't you get mar· classmates who were recently ried? ordained were assisting me A. Legally, the tradition of the one had two weeks experience Roman church since around the first centu.ry is that it ordains priests from the ranks of single men and that's the first question
(the issue of celibacy) that a person deals with before picking this vocation. A legal reason is that the church requires it. There are a number of personal reasons too. Q. Like what? A. Personal freedom for one. You exchange one set of responsibilities for another. It is difficult to ask for both responsibilities. I am not saying that some guys couldn't handle both, but I don't think that I could. Q. Is the priesthood lonely? A. At times I think that it has to be lonely because loneliness is an element of the lives o'f people that you are called to serve. It helps me deal with the people who are lonely and have 12 kids, or are in school with a couple of hundred others. Loneliness is not relative to the num· bers. It is instead an inner, spiritual thing separation from God, separation from love. Even priests feel separated from God at times. Q. Are you really happy? A. Yes. I can answer that simply because I am doing something here as a priest. I get into moods once in a while where I pretend not to be happy or that the work that I am doing is not productive or satisfying. But then someone or something breaks through that mood. When I have unhappiness, it is that which I create for myself.
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Bob Mosher, Columban Seminarian from Cape Cod, MA, with Chilean students Should the U.S. send Military advisors to Latin America?
This complex question bothers many young people today ... . . . a questiol not easily answered. Columban seminarians spend two years of their theology study in an Overseas Training Program ... many of them in Latin America . . .
. . . but not as advisors. In a mission context students learn from the life and experience of the people themselves what it means to be a missionary priest in service of others.
. . . A Columban Father.
Columban Fathers, St. Columbans, NE 68056 Please send me more information on- how I may become a Columban Missionary. Name
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She's seeking an answer. Does she also wonder about God?