By Kathi Stearns, Staff Writer

PEACHTREE CITY – Msgr. Don Kenny, director of vocations, celebrated a Mass for vocations Oct. 29 for 50 young people with the hope that one day a few of the seeds he carefully planted would take root and flourish.

“The one thing that I want you to go home with today is an awareness that we need vocations to the priesthood and religious life,” said Msgr. Kenny. “It is only through your prayers that this can happen.”

The Mass, celebrated at Holy Trinity Church in Peachtree City, was sponsored by the Knights of Columbus Council 8081. “We do very little as a religion to promote vocations,” said Steve Boda, chancellor of the Knights’ council. “We want our youth to understand the mysteries of their faith.”

To allow the youth to fully experience the eucharistic celebration Father Michael McWhorter, parochial vicar at Holy Trinity, narrated the Mass. “What we’re trying to do is to explain some of those things you can’t see and hear,” Father McWhorter said.

He explained the movement of the Mass and the necessity of real participation. The youth learned the differences between the Nicene and Apostles Creed, the different versions of the eucharistic prayers and concentrated on those prayers which the priest offers which are not easily audible.

“I was glad to know that the priest was praying,” said Mike Dubas, an 11-year-old from St. Gabriel’s in Fayetteville. “Before today I though he was talking to himself.”

The Mass was concelebrated by Father Tim Gadziala, parochial vicar at St. John the Evangelist, Hapeville, and Father McWhorter, Sister Pat Thompson, RSM, and Sister Helen Mick, CSJ, brought the gifts to the altar and Sister Loretta Costa, CSJ, did the first reading.

Under the direction of Ed Bolduc, the Life Teen Band from St. Ann’s in Marietta provided the music for the liturgy. The middle school youth clapped and enthusiastically sang the contemporary music which is usually reserved for an older age group.

“This is what we’re about,” Bolduc said. “We wanted to share the good news and minister to a different community.”

Bolduc has written over 50 liturgical songs and produced a compact disc entitled, “The Way” featuring St. Ann’s nine-piece Life Teen Band.

“We wanted the best, so we asked them to come,” said Bolduc.

After the Mass the Knights had a luncheon for the participants. The luncheon was an ice-breaker to allow the youth to get to know the priests and sisters on a one-to-one level.

After lunch the youth divided into three groups for breakout sessions. The girls joined the three Religious women who asked the girls to come up with words that described nuns. The girls responded with “Sister Act,” “Sound of Music,” “holy” and “those who wear habits.”

The nuns tried to explain that they were very normal people. They went on to say that each person in the room had a vocation of some type and encouraged the youth to explore their calling, whatever it might be.

They told the girls, “Just think: You are not here by chance but by God’s choosing. God’s hand formed you and made you the person you are. God compares you to no one else--you are one of a kind. You lack nothing that grace can’t give you. God has allowed you to be here at this time in history to fulfill your special purpose for this generation.”

The priests also tried to overcome some of the stereotypes that young men thought a priest was about. When asked what activities they thought a priest did during a day the youth responded “celebrate Mass,” “sleep,” “eat” and “say the rosary.”

Father McWhorter told the youth that even though they spent a lot of time praying, priests were neither angels nor cloistered monks. “If God had wanted angels to minister his word, he would have sent angels,” he said. “Instead he sent us,” Father McWhorter told the group.

Father Gadziala, ordained June 4 this year, told the youth that he liked sports and listened to the same music stations some of them did. “I have a lot of the same interests you have,” he said.

“Can you believe that Father Tim likes the Atlanta Knights and 99-X?” one young man said to his friend.

“Unbelievable,” his friend replied in amazement. “This is a day I’ll never forget.