By Lois Rogers | Correspondent

As a mist blanketed most of the seascape, the rolling waves of the Atlantic were barely visible on May 19 from the wide frame windows and generous deck of Mantoloking’s St. Joseph By The Sea Retreat House.

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It was the second morning of a five-day retreat led by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., for the five transitional deacons he will ordain to the priesthood June 6 in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton, and no one seemed to mind the iffy weather.

In fact, as they stood or sat on the upper deck or in the gallery just inside it and prayed in the chapel during breaks, the five seemed at peace with the silence that had settled over the neighborhood along with the fog.

Focusing at times on the simple drift wood cross that stands sentinel on the crest of the dunes separating the retreat house from the sea, they shared how good it was to step back with their fellows from the rush of preparations for the momentous occasion that awaits them and all that accompanies it: the gathering of relatives and friends, receptions, the first Masses of their priesthood and acclimating to new parishes.

The five – the Rev. Messrs. James J. Grogan, Sr., John Edward Large, Jason Martin Parzynski, Jarlath William David Quinn and Arian Hernando Wharff – have spent this past year of preparation immersed variously in studies and parish life.

It was more than good to have the gift of so much time with each other and their bishop, to conference with him spiritually every morning as classmates and hear the insights he has gleaned from his own 33 years of priesthood. They welcomed the opportunity to pray together throughout the day and evening, mindful of the great commission that will soon be theirs.

Their comments captured the essence of why Bishop O’Connell created the annual retreat after his installation as Bishop of Trenton in 2010. Bringing the men together to share what had previously been an individual experience for each, he said, was vitally important.

“From the beginning, when I learned that those being ordained were left to make their retreat on their own (before ordination), it seemed that they should be together as classmates instead,” said Bishop O’Connell during a period of contemplation and prayer for the transitional deacons.

“The retreat has been held every year since,” he said, “near the ocean where they can get away from everything” and focus peacefully and prayerfully on the upcoming ordination.

“It’s always the second week before ordination,” said Bishop O’Connell, as he sat in the dining room that overlooks the dunes.

He explained how, aside from the spiritual conference and prayer and reflection, each day there are presentations by diocesan officials and administrators that provide insight on the practicalities and responsibilities of parish life that will soon be the new priests’.

Bishop O’Connell said he also felt it was important to bring the seminarians together before their priestly ordination to help build camaraderie between them, especially since they all attend various seminaries.

“It’s a break in a very busy time when they are focused on all of the preparations, concerns about their first Masses, the dinners that will follow the ordination. It’s a time when they can focus on what’s important – a chance to be spiritually prepared,” the Bishop said.

And during his morning conference with the men, which preceded Mass in the chapel, he asked them to consider why they felt called to the priesthood. “What reason would you give to someone who asks?” he inquired.

In response to his own question, he offered an hour of blessed assurance that they had chosen a good path as men of God.

“... Being a priest,” he said, looking directly at the five who sat before him, “is not about us. It’s about God. The God who created us. The God who redeemed us. The God who sustains us. The God who will call us home one day. Don’t ever make the mistake or let yourself believe otherwise. The priest is, at the core of his being, a man of God. That is his basic identity.

“Not only is our identity bound up with God but so is our activity, our mission. What we do as priests flows from whom and what we are as priests. The priest is a man of God. As such, the priest does the things of God.”

That equation, awesome, profound and even terrifying, is the “first thing you put in your mind and heart if it is not already there,” he said.

In summation, he encouraged them to consider that “as a priest, from this point forward, you will be defined and identified by the God whose man you are. Let him speak. Let yourself listen and learn to live and love through him, with him and in him.”

During the brief break that followed, the seminarians sought quiet space, some walking on the beach and some, including Rev. Messrs.Wharff and Grogan, on the second floor deck and in the gallery area overlooking the sea where the Bishop had spoken. They shared their thoughts about the five days they had been given by the seashore.

Rev. Mr. Grogan said he very much appreciated the “pause which allows us to reflect on the steps ahead and God’s presence” in it all. He said he appreciated the time to be with the Bishop, “in his company as we prepare to take this next step after years of formation and study. … To be able to share our dreams with each other and Bishop O’Connell and to share on a deeper level and spend time in prayer” made the time very special and unique.

“This retreat is like a preparation for the main event to come,” said Rev. Mr. Wharff, with a wide smile.

During the retreat, each of the five was tasked with the liturgical duties of assisting at Mass and also preaching a homily related to the Scripture readings. That morning, Rev. Mr. Wharff preached the homily drawn from St. Paul’s profound writing that he was returning to Jerusalem despite the risks.

Rev. Mr. Wharff called the retreat a “beautiful time to think and be with the Lord and say, ‘here I am Lord.’ The readings were so beautiful, reflecting that in context with Paul. He faced difficulties and now he was going to Jerusalem. That spoke to us,” he said.

Like Paul, he said, “we know who called us and who sends us. That gives us courage to do our job.”