(This article, the second of four dealing with religious vocations, features the views of two Atlanta pastors – Fathers Joseph Beltran and Henry Gracz. They reflect on the role of the pastor in the development of vocations.)

By James Tarbox

The parish priest is the first vocation director.

That sentence, simple as it sounds, is actually quite important. It is, in most cases, the parish priest rather than the Archdiocese Vocations Director who inspires and develops vocations in young men. In so many cases all concepts of the priesthood and the church are associated with the priests of an individuals parish – quite often the pastor.

“I know that the priests in my parish when I was growing up had a great deal to do with my early consideration of the priesthood,” said Father Henry Gracz, pastor of Decatur’s Saints Peter and Paul Church. “The availability and closeness of the pastor and all the priests when I was young was very important, very pastoral.”

Prior to the Second Vatican Council it would probably be fair to say that the pastors and parish priests in general were associated with the church. Many young men, indeed many Catholics in general, associated the Church with their priests.

Since the Council the renewal and changes that have swept the church have also swept the priesthood and the functions of the priesthood … Priests are a more diverse lot, their jobs and functions are more diverse as are the problems they face. Developing a sense of vocations in this changing atmosphere is a challenge.

“The priest must be a mirror of God,” Father Gracz continued, “a powerful obligation, of course, but a mirror of God none the less.”

With a strong interest in the liturgy, Father Gracz has placed himself at the forefront of the liturgical changes that have effected all of Catholicism. However, he strongly believes that the changes that the Church has undergone – both in its liturgy and its attitudes – have and will continue to have a good, positive effect on religious vocations.

“The renewal in the church has produced a real awakening, a real response within a lot of young people. We see – and continue to see on a more widespread basis – a true universal sense of vocations,” said Father Gracz. “We’re cutting through a lot of the nonessentials and getting to the heart of the matter. We’re developing a genuine sense of our own tradition now.”

This new tradition that Father Gracz speaks of includes a total synthesis of the Vatican Council’s Declaration. “We’re at a strange point, I don’t think that it is any more difficult for a fellow to make a decision for the seminary, however we (the faithful) sometimes make it more difficult by not responding to the call of the Spirit,” the Decatur pastor said.

“We are at a crucial point in our history,” Father Gracz continued, will we synthesis or will we reject the challenges open to us. A decision to do that would make it very hard for seminarians to understand the direction of their church. The new liturgy is our liturgy and is a warm call to serve.”

Just as Father Gracz has specialized himself in the new liturgy, Father Joseph Beltran has become something of an expert in another form of change in the Atlanta church – the growth of the archdiocese.

In the past years Father Beltran has built churches in Stone Mountain and Dunwoody. These new parishes signal a rise in the number of Catholics moving into the area from the north. They also give him a unique view of vocation work.

“I think that the mobility of our society keeps a lot of young people from thinking about the possibility of religious vocations,” the pastor of All Saints commented.

“In the past people grew up in one parish, where the priest made a real difference in people’s lives. Now people move from parish to parish and from diocese to diocese at the drop of a hat, there is no continuity.”

Father Beltran firmly believes that religious vocations are nourished in the early years – “by the times they are in high school its just too late” – and emphasizes the vocational aspect of every Christian life in the parish religious education programs.

“In the past ten years we have seen a drop in young people interested in vocations … it might not be a true drop in interest, but a lack of awareness,” Father Beltran reflected.

This lack of awareness can be blamed partially on the home where Father Beltran believes that parental influence is most important. “Many parents are honored when a child feels called to the religious life,” Father Beltran said, “however many are not very positive about the idea either.”

Lack of awareness.

This is the dominant theme that runs through any discussion of religious vocations. The parish priest, and his influence, is going through a subtle and lasting change. As Father Henry Gracz put it, “We only plant the seed, the rest of the work is in God’s hands.” Father Beltran agreed – “We can talk to kids but we don’t have all the answers, we can help them find them.” It is not just the seminarian that has changed and the seminaries – it is the priest as well. The emerging church is one that puts the priest in the position of guide rather than oracle.

“Vocations haven’t become any harder to find, or more difficult to define,” said Father Gracz, “they are just developing in different ways, just as the Church is.”