Finally watched most of it today – off and on – as Katie watched all the eps this afternoon and then the conclusion tonight. I echo Jimmy Mac’s comment in a previous thread that they seemed young, young, young…and of course they are! And of course I’m not!

The set-up was rather bizarre, and I’d be interested to know how they planned all this out. "Yes – are you discerning priesthood? Let’s think of some tests – you carry a cross. You go on a pilgrimage with no visible means of support. You go to Guatemala." Of course there was more to it…I hope. Television deals in extremes and drama, and the artificially-created tension was almost painful at times.

But the good points were twofold: The presence of a diverse group of young people for whom being Catholic was normative and normal. Secondly, the clear message that all of life – not just priesthood – is about discerning. It’s not about finding something I want to do  or "what makes me happy." – it’s trying to understand who I am as God’s son or daughter, what my gifts are, and how I’m to serve God and my brothers and sisters with those gifts.

One quibble – when the fellow arrived at the end of his pilgrimage – the Carmelite Spiritual Center in Niagara Falls, Ontario (been there!)  – someone with just a little more Catholic savvy would have thought to mention – just mention – that it’s the Canadian shrine dedicated to St. Therese (although it showed the fellow praying in front of a statue of her) and that St. Therese has a very special connection to the priestly vocation. But, that’s not a mistake – just a suggestion of how the moment could have resonated more.

Edited to add: Last week Gashwin Gomes posted on the show and got a comment from the show’s executive producer:

Thanks for watching the show. I can tell you that neither A&E nor the Producers asked these men to do any of the things you see in the show.

All these events were asked of them by either their priests, mentors or they came up with the idea themselves. More…