We gathered in Thetford, where the retreat started with Mass, celebrated beautifully by Fr Peter Wygnanski (Assistant Vocations’ Director), with Fr Christopher Smith (Vocations’ Director) concelebrating. Fr Peter’s homily served as an introduction to the retreat. He reflected on how, like the apostles who were tasked with spreading the Gospel after the Ascension by taking Christ out into the world, so the diocesan priest is called to work fruitfully within the world around him to help others encounter Jesus where they are. As I looked around during Mass, I noticed I was the youngest person at the retreat, which made me realise how serious this whole thing actually was.
Aside from the priests and Deacon Anthony Reilly, there were nine of us who went to the retreat and, after Mass, had a chance to socialise over coffee. This was followed by an informative talk by Fr Christopher, describing how priests are formed in the seminary, how priests and seminarians are all human, and how formators are, most of all, “looking for people who are comfortable in their own skin”, not a finished product. During the talk, Fr Peter described what to do as you discern, including especially the importance of living the life of a Catholic in a community and slowly sharing your sense of a possible calling with others before applying to go to the seminary. At the end of the talk, Fr Christopher recommended some books for us to read, including those written by people from the diocese, such as Canon Sean Connolly and the late Bishop Michael Evans. After Fr Christopher’s talk, we had lunch prepared by generous members of the Thetford parish. The ham was particularly delicious. Most of us had seconds, even Fr Christopher.
After lunch and more coffee, Fr Andrew gave a more reflective talk on vocation. The idea that struck me most was that if, like Jonah, we try to run away from what God might be calling us to, we are not running away from God; we are running away from ourselves. He quoted Thomas Merton:
“There is only one problem on which all my existence, my peace, my happiness depend: to discover myself in discovering God. If I find Him I will find myself, and if I find my true self I will find Him.”
For me, this was the biggest lesson of the day. God has already prepared the path that each of us is going to take. It varies from person to person, of course, but God loves all of us in the same way.
The retreat ended with Eucharistic Adoration, which was beautiful and reverent. Being in the church, kneeling before our Lord Jesus Christ, we sang hymns together. It created an atmosphere which reminded us that we are in union with Christ, and that He unites us with our Father in heaven through the Holy Spirit. During the silences, we were given a chance to let God speak to our hearts and a chance to rest, as it had been a long day. The adoration reminded us that, during that day, we had one goal in mind: to know what God calls us to do, and to let Him lead us to where He wants us to be.
After the retreat, a group of us, along with Fr Peter and Deacon Anthony, continued our reflections at the pub just opposite the parish church. This less formal opportunity to share and speak with each other concluded an edifying and insightful day. The retreat really set me up for how I am going to approach my first year at university in September, which means I have a few years to discern God’s will in my own life. This retreat day showed me that priesthood is not a profession or a job; there is a reason it is called a vocation. Being called to the priesthood means being called to it for the rest of your life. Jesus did not abandon us when He ascended; He continues to do His work through His ministerial priests.
