Exiit qui seminat

On this past May 14th, Bishop Sullivan ordained five men to the priesthood: Rev. Mr. Paul Abbruscato, Rev. Mr. Christopher Myers, Rev. Mr. Logan Nilsen, Rev. Mr. Cesar Pirateque and Rev. Mr. Stephen Robbins became Priests of Jesus Christ. While it is certainly the largest class of ordinandi that we've had in several years, the stark reality is that this is the last priestly ordination the Diocese of Camden will have until 2025. While it might seem that the right solution would be opening up the priesthood or focusing on the ever-declining numbers of priestly and religious vocations in the United States and in the world, the real truth is that the Lord is still calling men young and "older" to be His priests. The issue is that society and our world are so much different than they used to be. There are so many other competing voices and attitudes, so many distractions and problems that prevent not just potential priests, but all of us, from hearing God's call. These days, men truly need to be courageous to be a priest. Our world is a secular one, totally intolerant of the concepts of true religious freedom, as well as universal and immutable truths. And if this past week has shown us anything, it is that anti-Catholicism is all too alive and well. But even in the midst of all of these crosses and trials, the priesthood is a wonderful and fulfilling life. The grace-filled moments more than make up for our never-ending confrontation of sin and death. The joys of celebrating the sacraments and ministering to the People of God are a gift that I experience every single day. It is our job, our responsibility and our obligation to identify and encourage men who have "the right stuff" to be open to the Lord's call and the possibility that God has an unbelievable life planned for them as HIs priests. As the Gospel reminds us, "the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few". Not only do we continue to pray for more priests, let us be emboldened to be vocation directors to make sure that our Church has the priests she needs to serve Her people.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Rob Sinatra