Bishop Deeley, area priests to host High School Advent Discernment Day in Brunswick on Dec. 6

BRUNSWICK — “The encouragement and formation of vocations in the Church is the task of all of us. We cannot depend on others to meet our needs.”

The words of Bishop Robert Deeley, part of his message for National Vocation Awareness Week in early November, encourage the creation of environments in which young people can hear a possible calling to serve the Church.

In that spirit, an Advent Discernment Day will be held at the St. John’s Community Center on 43 Pleasant Street in Brunswick on Sunday, Dec. 6 from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

“The importance of personal guidance cannot be overstated,” said Bishop Deeley. “When I was a young man, Monsignor Keilty, out of his own experience of Jesus and his love for the Church, invited me and other young men in our parish to consider the possibility that we might be called to be priests. Several of us entered the seminary. Who knows what would have happened if no one had invited us? We need the same to be happening today.”

Fr. Seamus Griesbach, director of vocations for the Diocese of Portland, and area priests host this time of prayer, community, and discussion for young men (ages 14-18) who are serious about their faith and discerning the voice of Christ in their lives.

“This day is for young men who are striving to live out their faith and follow God’s will in their lives,” said Fr. Griesbach. “My hope is that the discernment day offers each participant, in their own way, an opportunity to encounter Christ profoundly and meaningfully, so that when they go home or they continue on, they are in some way transformed for the better through the experience.”

The day will include Sunday Mass, lunch, talks and a conversation and Holy Hour with Bishop Deeley himself.

“We all have a vocation, a call from God to live out our lives in a particular way,” said the bishop. “When we see young people who show signs of love for the Eucharist and a desire to serve others, we can invite them to pray about what God could be telling them to do with their lives.”

All state and diocesan pandemic protocols will be followed. To register or for more information, visit the “Upcoming Events” section at www.vocationsme.org, call 207- 321-7874 or email Jennifer Bernier in the diocese’s Office of Ministerial Services at jennifer.bernier@portlanddiocese.org.