Shepherds of vocations

By Fr. Mike Traher, S.F.M.
September/October 2009

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I was 15 years old, when my past­or said to me: “Would you like to be a priest?” Something stirred inside but I didn’t dare give him an immediate Yes. What would my family think? What would my friends say? Seeing my hesitation, he added understandingly, “Think about it and I will ask you again in six months.”

As I prayed about it over the next six months, my mind and heart leaned clearly in the direction of the invitation. It wasn’t easy to let go of a budding friendship with a girl I liked, an after-school job, and all the sports and social activities I enjoyed with my friends. But family and friends all said, “Give it a try! You can always come back home if it’s not for you.” I ended up staying the course.

After finishing high school at Sacred Heart Jr. Seminary not far from my home in London, Ontario, the choice of where to go next was not difficult. Inspired by its magazine stories of missionary priests in China and elsewhere, I applied to Scarboro Missions, was accepted into their seminary in Toronto, and subsequently ordained to priesthood in 1970. Society promotion work in Canada followed ordination, then 10 wonderful years missioned in the Philippines. Next I was assigned to be vocation director for Scarboro back in Canada.

Throughout these years as a vocation director I have come to appreciate deeply the role of family, friends, spiritual guides, and other witnesses in shepherding my vocation as a priest. Allow me to share some highlights of my experience of them:

Family

As children we often heard the question asked of our parents: “Do you think one of your children would like to be a priest or a sister?” A good question, but what influ­enced me much more was the lived faith of my parents—Sunday Mass as a family, their many sacrifices, the image of my father humbly kneeling in prayer before going to work, my mother praying for us as we left for school or climbed into bed. Coming home for holidays, my brothers especially kept me honest, making sure I didn’t get undue privileges as a seminarian. I learned patience, humility, and understanding, virtues I gladly appreciated later in my priesthood.

Friends

A religious community of priests that looked after our parish for a while, one day invited the altar servers to visit their seminary. What I recall of that day was not a spiritual lecture, but the fun of playing pool and enjoying the camaraderie among their seminarians and priests. Later I became a life-long friend with their vocation director. We wrote each other throughout my seminary days and later while I was missioned overseas. It felt good to be connected with someone who enjoyed life, and was dedicated to God and the people of God through his priesthood. Close friends from my school days still continue to be friends. After they all got married our friendships actually deepened and grew to include their families; I baptized some of their children and even presided at some of their children’s weddings.

Spiritual Guides

In my early years as a seminarian while taking summer catechetical studies in Washington several spirit­ual guides came across my path. They were women religious, teachers in the American parochial schools, I enjoyed many nourishing conversations with them about our respective vocations. They taught me to be open and trusting of God in my vocational journey. One of them with whom I corresponded for many years often wrote at the bottom of her letters: “Remember to let the Lord be the bus driver in your life.” Her simple wisdom has often carried me when I needed to remember to rely on God. My present spiritual director of many years echoes similar wisdom.

Other Witnesses

As seminarians, we looked forward to Scarboro priests coming home from their missions for a break. Down-to-earth men, faith-tested and refined by their experience of God and the cultures of the world; they were a motley but inspiring crew. From one of them, I picked up the value of true priestly fraternity: “If a fellow missionary comes to see you, drop whatever you are doing to be available to him. He may need a listening ear, a bit of encouragement, someone to pray with, a boost. In that moment, your fellow priest is Christ, the most important person you can possibly serve.” I still try to heed that advice.

Many other witnesses have helped shepherd me along the way to find great joy and satisfaction in my vocation; among them university students, chaplains, families, fellow priests, religious, and lay missioners.

Today God’s Spirit is inviting the whole church to foster a new and vibrant vocation culture that will encourage an abundance of new religious and priestly vocations along with marriage and committed single life. “We must pray that the whole Christian people grows in its trust in God, convinced that the ‘Lord of the harvest’ does not cease to ask some to place their entire existence freely at his service so as to work with him more closely in the mission of salvation.” (Pope Benedict XVI, Homily for Vocation Sunday, May 3, 2009)

As shepherds with Christ, the whole church has an essential role in fostering vocations. Let us pray that in the Shepherd who leads us we will bear much fruit.

Fr. Mike Traher serves on Scarboro’s General Council. This article has also appeared in the Prairie Messenger.

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