Donovan Catholic opens annual high school vocation series with Mass, outreach for all students
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
By Lois Rogers | Correspondent
The mood was spirited and uplifting as the entire student body of Donovan Catholic High School – some 702 strong – gathered Nov. 6 for the annual Vocation Day, a mainstay of national Vocation Week at the Toms River School.
Click here to see photo gallery on this story.
At an afternoon Mass celebrated by Father Garry Koch, parochial vicar of St. Joseph Parish, and concelebrated by four recently ordained priests of the Trenton Diocese who would also lead discussion groups later in the day, the energy among the student body was palpable.
Fueled by an inspiring homily by Father Christopher Picollo that captured the essence of religious vocation, the Mass was further enhanced by the high school's singers and musicians whose offering of “Jesus Christ, you are my life,” sounded the clarion call of the day.
The students listened attentively as Father Picollo, parochial vicar of St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Cinnaminson, who serves as assistant Diocesan vocation director in Burlington County, spoke of vocations as not a job, but a way of life.
“It is who we are,” Father Picollo said, speaking of himself and his brother priests and the religious sisters in attendance. He shared with the students that while each person, through Baptism, has a vocation to “be the best person they can,” whether in married or single life, “some are called to the priesthood, to sisterhood, to brotherhood.”
He urged the students to “keep your minds clear” to listen for the call that may come and encouraged them to pray for those in the priesthood and religious life as they pray for a “genuine life of faith” for themselves.
“Go out of your comfort zones,” said Father Picollo. “Stretch out your hearts to find something difficult. Those called to the priesthood, to be sisters and brothers, are called out of their comfort zone,” he said. Whether as young people answering the call or older people who have “given up being lawyers, doctors, teachers or athletes to serve the greater good.”
During the presentations that followed, Father Picollo, Father Daniel Kirk, parochial vicar, St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel, Father John Testa, parochial vicar of St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, Toms River, and Father Erin Brown, director of campus ministries and chaplain at The College of New Jersey, shared insights on their own vocations in individual presentations to freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior male students.
Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Mary Dee Ellis and Filippini Sister Shirlee Tremont did the same in a combined presentation to all the Donovan Catholic female students.
When the presentations concluded, Father Brown, who had engaged a lively group of senior boys, inspiring them with a mix of faith and humor, spoke of the need for priests to “foster the call to Christ. We have to help them cut through all the noise out there – and there is so much noise – and meet them where they are.”
Days such as this one, he said, “are times to do that.” Asking them what they want, what they are interested in is the best way to help them focus on the Church. “The kids at TCNJ love to go to church, they love to go to retreats. And when one of our peers talks,” in a video presentation, he said, “they are glued to the screen.”
Evangelization and catechisis is “so important,” he said. “We further our own cause. We help the Church. In this age of computers, it's becoming less and less a world of faith, but that doesn't mean Christ isn't calling us.”
Young women who attended the presentation with the sisters seemed energized by their meeting with the sisters.
Sophomores Nicolina Ferraro and Erica Cipoletta said they enjoyed meeting the sisters and hearing the stories, of, as Ferraro put it, “their wonderful journeys.”
Ferraro said she found the sisters “totally relatable” and women “you would want” to be mentors and friends.
The vocations day in Donovan Catholic was the first to be held in an ongoing series in high schools and parish youth groups throughout the four counties of the Trenton Diocese.
Every Catholic high school has Diocesan vocations awareness days with Mass and presentations beginning in the fall semester, said Father Dennis A. Apoldite.
The Diocesan director of Vocations and pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Trenton, said the events, sponsored by the vocations office are also held on college campuses and in youth groups around the Diocese.
“This is the fourth year we've been using the same model,” which is outreach to boys and young men. “We focus on the priesthood.”
While it hasn't been standard to extend the outreach to women and girls for religious life, he said, “vocations are needed there as well.”
What impact that outreach had is yet to be fully known but a couple of days later, Father Koch sounded hopeful notes from the young men and women who attended.
“Five young women expressed an interest in religious life and 12 young men indicated they were interested,” Father Koch said. “We want to foster support for them and engage them in exploring the possibility further. We're going to follow up and see how we can do that.”
He noted that building vocations takes time and nurturing. “It's not just one day itself, it's moving on to our next phase to do whatever we can to support them.”
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By Lois Rogers | Correspondent
The mood was spirited and uplifting as the entire student body of Donovan Catholic High School – some 702 strong – gathered Nov. 6 for the annual Vocation Day, a mainstay of national Vocation Week at the Toms River School.
Click here to see photo gallery on this story.
At an afternoon Mass celebrated by Father Garry Koch, parochial vicar of St. Joseph Parish, and concelebrated by four recently ordained priests of the Trenton Diocese who would also lead discussion groups later in the day, the energy among the student body was palpable.
Fueled by an inspiring homily by Father Christopher Picollo that captured the essence of religious vocation, the Mass was further enhanced by the high school's singers and musicians whose offering of “Jesus Christ, you are my life,” sounded the clarion call of the day.
The students listened attentively as Father Picollo, parochial vicar of St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Cinnaminson, who serves as assistant Diocesan vocation director in Burlington County, spoke of vocations as not a job, but a way of life.
“It is who we are,” Father Picollo said, speaking of himself and his brother priests and the religious sisters in attendance. He shared with the students that while each person, through Baptism, has a vocation to “be the best person they can,” whether in married or single life, “some are called to the priesthood, to sisterhood, to brotherhood.”
He urged the students to “keep your minds clear” to listen for the call that may come and encouraged them to pray for those in the priesthood and religious life as they pray for a “genuine life of faith” for themselves.
“Go out of your comfort zones,” said Father Picollo. “Stretch out your hearts to find something difficult. Those called to the priesthood, to be sisters and brothers, are called out of their comfort zone,” he said. Whether as young people answering the call or older people who have “given up being lawyers, doctors, teachers or athletes to serve the greater good.”
During the presentations that followed, Father Picollo, Father Daniel Kirk, parochial vicar, St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel, Father John Testa, parochial vicar of St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, Toms River, and Father Erin Brown, director of campus ministries and chaplain at The College of New Jersey, shared insights on their own vocations in individual presentations to freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior male students.
Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Mary Dee Ellis and Filippini Sister Shirlee Tremont did the same in a combined presentation to all the Donovan Catholic female students.
When the presentations concluded, Father Brown, who had engaged a lively group of senior boys, inspiring them with a mix of faith and humor, spoke of the need for priests to “foster the call to Christ. We have to help them cut through all the noise out there – and there is so much noise – and meet them where they are.”
Days such as this one, he said, “are times to do that.” Asking them what they want, what they are interested in is the best way to help them focus on the Church. “The kids at TCNJ love to go to church, they love to go to retreats. And when one of our peers talks,” in a video presentation, he said, “they are glued to the screen.”
Evangelization and catechisis is “so important,” he said. “We further our own cause. We help the Church. In this age of computers, it's becoming less and less a world of faith, but that doesn't mean Christ isn't calling us.”
Young women who attended the presentation with the sisters seemed energized by their meeting with the sisters.
Sophomores Nicolina Ferraro and Erica Cipoletta said they enjoyed meeting the sisters and hearing the stories, of, as Ferraro put it, “their wonderful journeys.”
Ferraro said she found the sisters “totally relatable” and women “you would want” to be mentors and friends.
The vocations day in Donovan Catholic was the first to be held in an ongoing series in high schools and parish youth groups throughout the four counties of the Trenton Diocese.
Every Catholic high school has Diocesan vocations awareness days with Mass and presentations beginning in the fall semester, said Father Dennis A. Apoldite.
The Diocesan director of Vocations and pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Trenton, said the events, sponsored by the vocations office are also held on college campuses and in youth groups around the Diocese.
“This is the fourth year we've been using the same model,” which is outreach to boys and young men. “We focus on the priesthood.”
While it hasn't been standard to extend the outreach to women and girls for religious life, he said, “vocations are needed there as well.”
What impact that outreach had is yet to be fully known but a couple of days later, Father Koch sounded hopeful notes from the young men and women who attended.
“Five young women expressed an interest in religious life and 12 young men indicated they were interested,” Father Koch said. “We want to foster support for them and engage them in exploring the possibility further. We're going to follow up and see how we can do that.”
He noted that building vocations takes time and nurturing. “It's not just one day itself, it's moving on to our next phase to do whatever we can to support them.”
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