t eanc 0 VOL. 42, NO. 44 • Friday, November 13, 1998
FALL RIVER, MASS.
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VATICAN MEET'ING - Bishop Sean P. O'Malley, Father Stephen J. Avila, secretary to the bishop; and seminarians from the Fall River Diocese studying in Rome chatted with Pope John Paul" at a recent audience during the bishop's "ad limina"visit. From left, seminarians Roger Landry and Gerard O'Connor, Bishop O'Malley, the pontiff, seminarian Rodney Thibault, Father Avila, and seminarians David Pignato and Tadeusz Pacholczyk. (Photo by Felici)
Diocese looks assertively for Dlore vocations to the priesthood By
JAMES
N. DUNBAR
FALL RIVER -Although parishes are seen as a principal source of vocations to the :'-., priesthood, religious education and the need for planning with regard to the number of parishes that can be :. .\~l I ~O!; manned under ~ . . ..:::=7 • present circumstances are essential . to maintaining the vitality of the Church in the Fall River Diocese, says its vocations direcFR.PREGANA tor. "Things right now are very much looking up as far as vocations to the priesthood go;' said Father Craig ~
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A. Pregana. "Just looking at the numbers of at Georgetown University shows that the greatseminarians, the diocese is fairly comfortable est number of seminarians are in the 25 to 29 in the number we have, although we don't .age bracket. We are told that about 30 percent have too many young men in the college of today's seminarians are in this age group;' years, and most of the men are currently.in said Father Pregana. "Most are in their post college studies." their theology years." But he noted that in the Fall River DioCurrently the diocese has 17 seminarians, 16 in major theology and only one in col- cese, the opposite currently seems to be true. lege. "Hopefully we are looking down the "We are having better luck with fellows from road for pastors and those in the parish com- high school." He said that in high school munities to encourage young men to con- discussion group that meets every other sider the priesthood as their vocation in life." month, he has about a dozen young men who AcrossAmerica, more and more dioceses -attend regularly. That compares to a recent are finding that it is older men, those who fall retreat that found only four college age have earned college degrees and have been students responding. "It seems for us that it is from our high pursuing professions, who are opting for the religious life. Generally, it is no longer the schools that our vocations are currently comhigh school student, who, in the centuries ing," he said, adding that the mortality rate is prior to the 1950s, made the early life deci- somewhat higher among the younger men. "There is a greater chance that if a man enters sion to follow a religious vocation. '1l1e recent study done by the Center for theology he'll finl~off, whereas if a young Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) man enters college, there is a chance we'll
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lose him during those long eight years. But it serves us better to have men in formation that long. It not only helps the young man but it serves the Church better in the long run." The good news, Father Pregana said. is that in the coming years, the diocese is looking at nearly 17 young men advancing to the priesthood. "This June we are looking at four men who will be ordained, then six the following year and four the year after that. So things are looking fairly good with the numbers who will be ordained in the next three years. But after that, we are maybe looking at only one or two. It means that it is really incumbent upon those in the parishes who can identify their young people, to reach out and ask them to consider the priesthood as a vocation." Father Pregana believes that a Catholic education is one of the principal factors in fostering vocations. , Tum to page two - Vocations