Listening for God’s call

BOONTON  Lucas Folan, 20, and other young men of the Diocese visited Domus Bartimaeus House of Discernment here on Saturday to listen for God’s possible call to the priesthood, not only by receiving the Eucharist at Mass and praying silently in Adoration but also by engaging in lively conversations about vocations, the seminary and priestly life.

On the morning of Jan. 4, Folan of Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish in Cedar Knolls and other men considering the priesthood attended a First Saturday Day of Discernment in the comfortable and prayerful atmosphere of the diocesan house of discernment. Sponsored by the diocesan Office of Vocations, the event gave them the opportunity to listen to the Lord through Mass and Eucharistic Adoration in the beautifully appointed chapel and then through a discussion about vocations in the living room, led by Father Edward Rama, diocesan vocations director. Afterward, they moved to the dining room for pizza and fellowship, which led to more conversation. Last month, the Diocese started these monthly First Saturday devotions, which will continue on Feb. 1 here at 9 a.m.

“This has given me an opportunity to be in prayer and silence as I discern, to be around other men who are discerning, and talk to priests and seminarians,” said Folan, a junior at Hofstra University on Long Island, studying music. Two seminarians, who live at the house, joined Father Rama and the men to share their experiences at the First Saturday event.

Before Mass, Father Rama welcomed the men to Domus Bartimaeus, a refurbished former convent on the grounds of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish here. Along with two seminarians, Father Rama lives with two priests here.

“It’s great that you are here today. It’s good that you have come for some support. It’s an exciting time in your lives,” Father Rama told the men. “A call to vocations is a mystery. It’s different for everybody. Be patient with it. Keep praying on it. God will put a vocation in your heart,” he said.

Then they went across the hall from the living room to the chapel. Light streamed through three stained glass windows on one side of the chapel, during Mass, celebrated by Father Rama and assisted by a seminarian. The priest read from the first chapter of John’s Gospel, which recounts John the Baptist identifying Christ as the Messiah with the exclamation “Behold, the Lamb of God!” and Jesus’ renaming the Apostle Simon as Peter.

“Here, the disciples are giving witness as Jesus gives witness to the Father and the Apostles. His blood was poured out to save us,” Father Rama said in his homily. “That’s the gift of the priesthood — to point out Jesus to others as a witness. The power of the priesthood is the Eucharist, which Jesus gave to us as a memorial and to be present to us. Today, we discern what God is calling us to be. I pray to God for more men for the priesthood, including in our Diocese,” he said.

Father Rama led the men in the prayers and Latin hymns of Adoration as they all knelt before the Eucharist in a monstrance on the chapel’s altar. Before he began, the priest called Adoration “a beautiful way to discern. We hear God’s voice in the silence, so his call for us can be strengthened.”

“It takes courage to say ‘yes’ to the priesthood in this world today but God will give you to grace you will need,” Father Rama said.

After Adoration, participants returned to the living room to talk about vocations, prompting Vidal Munoz, 19, a parishioner of St. Stephen in Paterson and a student at Montclair State University, to speak about a possible call to the Redemptorist religious order. Currently with an undeclared major, he said he is considering taking Italian and philosophy courses to possibly prepare for the seminary.

“I want to be like the Blessed Virgin Mary, a handmaid of the Lord. I want to follow him as a priest if he wants me to do it,” said Munoz, who originally thought about becoming a diocesan priest, until he met members of the Redemptorist religious order recently and got interested in ministering in other countries. Munoz said he heard the first of several calls at 11 years old, while singing a Divine Mercy hymn during a visit by Bishop Serratelli to St. Stephen’s. Later, he told The Beacon, “I feel joyful and enthusiastic being here today. I came for discernment and prayer and the support of other men,” he said.

Once the men spoke about their vocations experiences, Father Rama shared some of his experiences and told the men, “We often find it hard to trust God. We have to keep praying for the gift of that trust.” Then, participants went to the dining room for pizza and fellowship.

At the dining room table, Folan told The Beacon that he first heard the call to priesthood when he was younger. Benedic­tine Father Jude Salus, former pastor of Notre Dame Parish and current chaplain at Newton Medical Center and the Religious Teachers Filippini in Morristown, asked him to “seriously consider the priesthood.” Folan has also received encouragement from the chaplain of Catholic Campus Ministry at Hofstra and from several young men there, who also are “giving the priesthood a serious look.”

“As Christians, we are all called to be the presence of Jesus in the world. Priests are also the sacramental and pastoral presence of God and are called to imitate him,” Folan said.

In addition to the monthly First Saturday Day of Discernment events, the Office of Vocations will hold its next Pizza Night with Bishop Serratelli for young men at 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 3 at DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne. The Diocese has also started monthly Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction for vocations at local parishes, starting on Friday, Jan. 31 at St. Peter the Apostle Church, Parsippany, and then continuing on Friday, Feb. 21 at Our Lady of Pompeii Church, Paterson. Both devotions start at 7:30 p.m. [Information: Vocations Office at

(973) 777-8818, ext. 711.]