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Friday, February 14, 2020
2.16.20
Called by Name
You may have noticed there was no piece from me in last week’s bulletin. That was not intentional. I simply forgot about it. My phone and email didn’t exactly light up with people wondering what had happened, so likely not much missed. But what if one day I didn’t show up for daily Mass, or Sunday Mass? What if there were only a part-time chaplain here, as was the case my first year here when I was still serving as the vocations director for the diocese in addition to my duties as chaplain? What if in the future there were no priest on staff here at all, but only a priest or rotation of priests to cover one Sunday Mass each week? The fact is, thanks be to God, much of the good ministry that happens here does not depend solely on me or any priest. Every day I am grateful for the gifts and passion that Tammy Norcross-Reitzler and Lauren Bollweg bring to our campus ministry team, as well as our Graduate Assistant, Abby Hammer, our Peer Campus Ministers, and our many student volunteers. This ministry simply could not exist without them. The Church in the modern era has thankfully seen an increase in the active participation of the lay faithful in ministry. This is one of the many fruits of the Second Vatican Council. We can certainly say that without the laity there would be no Church. At the same time, I hope we would recognize that the ordained priesthood is also essential to the life of the Church. There is an intimate bond between the priesthood, the Eucharist and the Church. To think we could have one without the others would be as foolhardy as to believe the Church could exist without the laity. To this end, at the request of Bishop Zinkula, this weekend and next throughout the diocese we are highlighting the need both for priestly vocations and vocations to the consecrated or religious life as brothers and sisters. Bishop Zinkula still has a letter from his bishop from when he was a young man encouraging him to think about the priesthood. It meant so much to him that he has kept it after all these years. This letter came as a result of someone in his home parish recommending him by name to the bishop as a part of diocesan wide campaign. Bishop Zinkula would now like to do something of the same here in our diocese. And so, in this “Called by Name” campaign, we ask our students, faculty, staff, friends and guests who regularly join our community for Mass to prayerfully consider submitting the names of young men and women who they feel may be called to one of these vocations of service to the Church. There will be cards in the pews that will be collected and these names will be submitted to the Bishop so that he might send a personal message to them. I recognize, of course, that the majority of our students are not from our diocese. But I also know that wherever they may be called, this could have great impact and that as a universal Church we cannot think only of our own needs. So, think, pray and share a name or two. As Jesus reminded his own disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few.” --Fr. Thom
Catholic Campaign for Human Development Internship: Are you Catholic? Interested in fighting poverty? Consider being an intern for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development! Applications are now being accepted until February 21.
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You may have noticed there was no piece from me in last week’s 
