This story caught my attention for a variety of reasons — not least, because the event in question involved my old parish, where I served almost 40 years ago (gulp) as an altar boy.

The archdiocese sponsors a special day for seminarians and their families, and this year it took place at St. Patrick’s, in Rockville, Maryland.

From the Catholic Standard:

Seminarians of the Archdiocese of Washington and their families gathered for a day of prayer and fellowship at St. Patrick’s Church in Rockville on July 26 for the second annual Seminarian Family Day. The day included a Mass celebrated by Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl followed by a picnic. Thirteen priests of the Archdiocese of Washington concelebrated the Mass, including some newly ordained priests. This year, the archdiocese has nine new seminarians.

At the beginning of the Mass, Msgr. Robert Panke, the director of priest vocations and formation for the Archdiocese of Washington, welcomed the seminarians and their families.

Then Msgr. Panke told his own vocation story. When he was younger, he said that he had no idea God was calling him to the priesthood. But after going on a pilgrimage with his family, Msgr. Panke had a conversion experience that led to his decision to become a priest. As a priest, he said that he realized, “I actually have two families”- his immediate family and the family of God. No matter what vocation a person is called to, the key to happiness is to conform one’s heart and one’s life to God, he said.

The priest thanked the parents for their generosity and said the seminarians “have learned from their parents how to live and how to love.” Msgr. Panke said the vocation to the priesthood was “not your son’s idea” but God’s idea.

During his homily, Archbishop Wuerl said it was very appropriate to have the day begin with the celebration of the Eucharist. “It’s in the Eucharist that the priest finds the fullness of his identity,” he said. To the families, he said, “Thank you for being here today to show support for your son…” Archbishop Wuerl said the families’ gathering there highlights the “role of the family” in a young man’s discernment process.

The archbishop said Mary is the “quintessential example of being open” to God’s call. Mary must have looked to her parents for solidarity and prayer, he said. Seminarian Family Day was held on the feast of St. Anne and St. Joachim, Mary’s parents. The archbishop said, “As wondrous as was Mary’s call,” it was a “great weight” for a woman to carry alone. “The Church recognizes that she clearly turned to her family,” he said. For seminarians to have an “enduring response” to their call to the priesthood requires an enormous amount of support, the archbishop said.

Seminarian Charlie Gallagher, who is in his third year of studies at the North American College in Rome, came to the Family Day with some of his family members. Gallagher’s faith was nurtured in his family, where he is one of nine children. The family belongs to St. Mark’s Parish in Hyattsville, and the seminarian’s father, Deacon Mark Gallagher, serves there. Growing up, the family prayed the rosary together after dinner and visited a nursing home following Sunday Mass. Charlie Gallagher said he was inspired by his father’s “daily witness” and his mother’s generosity toward her children. Gallagher said “the influence that a good family had centered on Christ…[is] beyond calculation.”

Gallagher’s sister, Judy, said the seminarian was a devoted altar server in his younger years. “He took his position as an altar server very seriously,” Judy Gallagher said, noting that her brother formed close relationships with the priests in the parish. The seminarian’s younger brother, John, said his older brother’s vocation to the priesthood “brought me closer to the faith.”

Deacon Gallagher said of his son’s vocation, “It’s something that we’ve been praying for since the children were conceived.” But he said he and his wife encouraged their children to respond to whatever the Lord was calling them to. He added, “We’re so grateful to God for each of the vocations he has blessed our children with.”

Isn’t it great to have a seminiarian who’s the son of a deacon? Check the Standard link for more. And let’s keep the prayers for vocations going!

H/T to Roman Catholic Vocations.