“Five Conversations about the Priesthood,” a new Zoom series, will give young men ages 15–20 discerning their vocations insight into the priesthood and Catholic faith through live testimony from a priest in pastoral ministry.
This inaugural five-part series will be held on Zoom on consecutive Sundays from April 12 to May 10, at 7:30 p.m. Father Charles Lana, vocation director of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey, will lead five 30-minute videoconferencing sessions about various aspects of parish priesthood. He will cover the following topics: Priestly Identity, The Eucharist in the Priest’s Life, The Sacrament of Penance, Preaching, and Parish Priesthood.
Father Lana will start each session with a 10- to 15-minute talk on the featured topic. Young participants are warmly invited to join the conversation, share their thoughts, and ask the priest questions. Ordained in 2019, Father Lana has served in parish and diocesan ministries. Guest priests or seminarians may join the sessions to offer different perspectives on priestly life, making each session an engaging experience for all involved.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
“This series is an opportunity for young men who might have a calling to begin discerning a vocation to the priesthood. Many of them may have little knowledge of the priesthood and Church tradition,” Father Lana said. “The series is designed to help these men begin to understand the priesthood through the experiences of a priest and conversations,” Lana said. “This could lead these men to deeper discernment and greater involvement in vocations-awareness activities,” he said.
The series is based on “Five Conversations about the Priesthood,” a booklet by Father Michael Pratt, and will cover the following topics:
• Priestly Identity (April 12), focusing on the priest’s purpose and identity.
• The Eucharist in the Priest’s Life (April 19), highlighting the Eucharist as central to the priesthood.
• The Sacrament of Penance (April 26), exploring the priest’s role in reconciliation.
• Preaching (May 3), examining the priest’s role as a preacher, a teacher, and proclaimer of the Gospel. It will offer practical suggestions for preparing a homily — including the goal of keeping it simple, sincere, succinct, and substantial — and for delivering it.
• Parish Priesthood (May 10), inviting participating young men to gain an authentic understanding of the daily spiritual and pastoral life of a priest.
To explore upcoming Vocation Office activities, visit https://patersonvocations.org. You are also invited to attend the office’s monthly First Saturday Day of Discernment for young adults, college-age or older, continuing Saturday, May 2, at 10 a.m. at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church in Wharton, N.J.
To register for “Five Conversations about the Priesthood,” email vocations@patersondiocese.org.
Zoom series to give young men look at priesthood #Catholic –
“Five Conversations about the Priesthood,” a new Zoom series, will give young men ages 15–20 discerning their vocations insight into the priesthood and Catholic faith through live testimony from a priest in pastoral ministry.
This inaugural five-part series will be held on Zoom on consecutive Sundays from April 12 to May 10, at 7:30 p.m. Father Charles Lana, vocation director of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey, will lead five 30-minute videoconferencing sessions about various aspects of parish priesthood. He will cover the following topics: Priestly Identity, The Eucharist in the Priest’s Life, The Sacrament of Penance, Preaching, and Parish Priesthood.
Father Lana will start each session with a 10- to 15-minute talk on the featured topic. Young participants are warmly invited to join the conversation, share their thoughts, and ask the priest questions. Ordained in 2019, Father Lana has served in parish and diocesan ministries. Guest priests or seminarians may join the sessions to offer different perspectives on priestly life, making each session an engaging experience for all involved.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
“This series is an opportunity for young men who might have a calling to begin discerning a vocation to the priesthood. Many of them may have little knowledge of the priesthood and Church tradition,” Father Lana said. “The series is designed to help these men begin to understand the priesthood through the experiences of a priest and conversations,” Lana said. “This could lead these men to deeper discernment and greater involvement in vocations-awareness activities,” he said.
The series is based on “Five Conversations about the Priesthood,” a booklet by Father Michael Pratt, and will cover the following topics:
• Priestly Identity (April 12), focusing on the priest’s purpose and identity.
• The Eucharist in the Priest’s Life (April 19), highlighting the Eucharist as central to the priesthood.
• The Sacrament of Penance (April 26), exploring the priest’s role in reconciliation.
• Preaching (May 3), examining the priest’s role as a preacher, a teacher, and proclaimer of the Gospel. It will offer practical suggestions for preparing a homily — including the goal of keeping it simple, sincere, succinct, and substantial — and for delivering it.
• Parish Priesthood (May 10), inviting participating young men to gain an authentic understanding of the daily spiritual and pastoral life of a priest.
To explore upcoming Vocation Office activities, visit https://patersonvocations.org. You are also invited to attend the office’s monthly First Saturday Day of Discernment for young adults, college-age or older, continuing Saturday, May 2, at 10 a.m. at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church in Wharton, N.J.
To register for “Five Conversations about the Priesthood,” email vocations@patersondiocese.org.