PRIESTHOOD INVOLVES HELPING THIS YOUNG MAN

Fr. Michael had just returned from unlocking the church doors for Saturday evening Mass, when his presbytery doorbell rang. Standing under the porch light was a middle-aged woman clutching the coat collars around her neck to shield her from the chill Liverpool rain. Her dishevelled and distraught state immediately conveyed to the priest that this was not a parishioner seeking an early pew. ‘My son’s been shot and the lads are threatening to kill the ones that did it!’

Making a quick assessment of the situation, Fr. Michael (not his real name) hastily phoned round for a priest to say his evening Mass so that he could attempt to bring calm to a volatile community situation; the son, the leader of a notorious gang, had been murdered by a rival group in an attempt to take control of a drug dealing territory.

This true story became the inspiration for a poster campaign the vocations director of England and Wales commissioned me to undertake this year, and the theme which has continued into a video about the priesthood due to be launched at the end of October.

My involvement in these projects had arisen through having spent several years as a monk, where I had embarked on studies for the priesthood, and more latterly, through my work as a lay person within the media industry. However, the more I thought about the sort of themes which ought to be incorporated in a poster and a video, the more I recognised that neither should be seen as merely recruitment tools.

Only about 5% of the British population go to church on Sunday. It follows therefore that the modern perception of priests and vicars for the remaining 95% of the ‘unchurched’ population comes from, at best, programmes such as ‘Father Ted’, ‘Ballykissangel’ and the ‘Vicar of Dibley’ and at worst, the scandals involving members of the clergy.!

Within the Catholic Church, the situation is not much better. At a conference of English and Welsh vocations promoters in Rome last November, the assembly of priests conceded that low morale among their fellow clergy had a significant effect on the promotion of priesthood as a life option for young men. No video or poster can ever surpass the impact positive and happy role models of priesthood has on sowing the seeds of a vocation in the minds of young people. Bearing in mind that the above statistic just about makes Britain the most pagan country in Europe, it is little wonder our clergy regard their currency is undervalued.

However, to focus on the rather pessimistic landscape as portrayed above would be to miss the point if one is trying to promote the public awareness about priesthood. You see, priesthood is like life itself – Mystery – in that it raises more questions than it solves. I have to admit that producing this video has turbo-charged my own journey in faith and has been quite a revelation for the film crew who accompanied me around the country on this project.

By focusing on the lives of the seven Catholic priests from around the country, the video illustrates the decision-making and leadership qualities needed by priests to balance the sacramental role with their very challenging pastoral programmes. Each priest we have featured is set within the context of a sacrament, say Baptism, and his pastoral ministry acts as a modern day metaphor, or parable, for that particular Sacrament. For example, Fr. Philip Sumner who has spent 21 years in Mosside in Manchester ministering to the black community, reconciling alienated sections with main stream society, is set within the context of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Similarly, Fr. Jim and his work with T.H.O.M.A.S. is featured as a Eucharistic ministry.

It wasn't until we spent a day with each of the priests, however, that the video team and I realised that the remarkable lives of these men needed to be told to a wider audience than just potential candidates for the priesthood. The stories these priests told about their ministry with the marginalised in particular, and humankind in general, does not merely demonstrate the hitherto unseen work of these individuals. My own, reaction as well as other priests who have seen some of the video footage, is that it challenges our social conscience as well as providing an extremely positive role model for both young people and our clergy.

. Material Copyright © 1997 THOMAS (Those on the Margins of a Society)
THOMAS is an integral part of Catholic Welfare Societies, Registered Charity number 503102