By Rita McInerney

A son of a migrant farm family in Texas who became the first Hispanic bishop in the United States, Archbishop Patricio Flores of San Antonio does much to encourage young Hispanics in his archdiocese to consider the priesthood.

The archbishop as one of 12 Hispanic bishops gathering June 15 at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers for a two-day meeting of the ad hoc committee on Hispanic affairs of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

He spoke of some of the programs to spur vocations during an early morning telephone interview with The Georgia Bulletin before catching the plane home on June 18.

"We have had a variety of activities" to provide information and to motivate, he said, including the dedication of 1985 as a year for vocations. "I conducted breakfast every Saturday morning in my apartment. Priests, sisters, members of the Knights of Columbus and other organizations would recommend someone. We tried to have from 12 to 15, we didn't want either a large group or one that was too small."

"We shared information. I told them why I became a priest. They had a low self-image. I would tell them of my obstacles. I came from a migrant farm family in Texas; we were very poor. I was given opportunity and support. I would tell them 'I want you to think about it and pray over it. I will support you.' "

Prayers for vocations were offered at three chapels of perpetual adoration, he went on to say. Two were in sisters' convents open to the public, the third in a grotto at the residence of the Oblate Fathers in San Antonio.

The archdiocesan office of vocations conducts seminars, weekend retreats, summer workshops. Much information is directed to the parents because the archbishop feels they have to be reassured of the rightness of their sons' decisions.

When he hears young men say, "I will never make it," or "I'm not worthy," he replies from his own experience, his own feeling of unworthiness. "We leave that up to Him," he tells them.

Finances are a big concern with many, but not to the archbishop. To youths or parents who tell him "We're too poor," he will answer "Pay what you can, money won't stop you." This year he will ordain three Hispanic seminarians to the priesthood.

The archbishop's friendly manner, in the beloved image of Pope John XXIII, drew many to him during the reception which followed the Mass concelebrated by eight of the visiting bishops on Wednesday evening, June 17, at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Atlanta.

This openness will be highly visible on Sunday, Sept. 13 when he welcomes Pope John Paul II to his archdiocese, a momentous event for the priest who was the first of Hispanic descent to be ordained in the diocese of Galveston-Houston, and the first to be consecrated bishop in the United States, in 1970.

"When we (bishops of cities the pontiff will visit) went to see him in March, they manifested a great interest in people who are moving, the immigrants and mentioned the topic of vocations, not growing as fast as the church is growing," he said.

While in San Antonio the pope will celebrate Mass in an open field expected to hold 500,000 people, lunch at the archbishop's apartment, address the National Convention of Catholic Charities, and speak to Texas seminarians and men and women in religious formation programs at the diocese's San Fernando Cathedral.

Since the invitation to the pope was issued by the 14 bishops of Texas, expenses are being shared by the dioceses. Several dioceses, Archbishop Flores said, have reached their quota. "We don't think we have a problem. We're only asking for donations, we're not selling anything." What makes it expensive is preparing the places (like the open field) where thousands of people will come. But there are four million Catholics in Texas, he said. "If each gave 69 cents it would pay for the visit, but not everyone is giving."

The current Catholic Directory gives the Catholic population in his archdiocese as 569,190. About 65 percent are Hispanics, the archbishop said, "plus those we don't know about, the aliens who have a fear of registering." But he said since "we are trying to help them (gain legal status) thousands are surfacing." Yet he expressed concern for those not coming forward from the shadows through fear that while one member of the family may qualify, the other spouse would not and the family would be separated.

"We tell everybody to pray and write to their congressmen," he said. He was referring to the nonbonding resolution in Congress which urges Immigration and Naturalization Services not to deport family members who fail to qualify for legalization.