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In
Search of the Spirit
A
monthly letter from the Glenmary Vocation Office
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April 2006
The vocation question: why so many in Africa and so few here?
After a month in Africa, particularly Nigeria and Kenya, comparisons to the United States frequently come to mind. There are so many differences--some beautiful, some challenging and others amazing. One thing remains the same in all places, however: The Catholic faith is alive and well and many young men are desiring to serve the Lord as they search for God's will in their lives.
But there are many contrasts, particularly with regard to priest and brother vocations. In Nigeria the seminaries, by and large, are full. Over and over again, I hear stories of communities receiving 500 applicants and taking 20. There is nothing like this in the United States.
In Kenya, the situation is not quite that dramatic. But one vocation director put it this way: "I am a vocation sorter, not a promoter." The significance of this remark is that it reveals how little time is spent on advertising, visiting schools, or parishes because enough seekers regularly find the way to the doors of religious communities.
In the United States, in contrast, Kyle and I spend a great deal of time visiting colleges, parishes and vocation fairs. Our advertising budget is very high--since a full-page ad in Vision magazine is over $7,000. (This amount, by the way, would fund six seminarians for philosophy for one year in Kenya--and 10 seminarians in Nigeria!) Though Glenmary is experiencing a very happy trend with more U.S. citizens and residents applying each year, it still does not compare to these two African nations.
I have asked the question in the past. I continue to ask the question: Why?
Here are a few of my hunches. I may be wrong, but after four trips in the last four years to these countries, I am ready to suggest a few possible answers.
1. Opportunity. In the United States, a young man has many opportunities to express his faith. He can volunteer; he can become a church musician, a youth leader, a pastoral associate; or he can become very involved in social ministries--all without joining an order or becoming a diocesan priest. Also, for most U.S. men, finding money to finance education is not a huge issue. In Kenya and Nigeria, however, the opportunities are fewer, and priesthood and brotherhood offer so many positives: education, faith, service and security all in one.
2. Values. The priesthood especially, and all of religious life, is seen as a good. Parents are proud to have their children choose this way of life. They encourage it and support it. They see it as giving thanks to God for all his blessings. Peers, for the most part, respect this choice. Celibacy is seen as a great sacrifice in a culture that highly values the blessing of children and where barrenness is considered a curse. Thus, men who choose celibacy are seen as making a heroic choice for the Lord and the community surrounds them with prayer and support. In general, our U.S. society does not share these values. At times, parents and friends even discourage young men from seeking brotherhood or priesthood.
3. Family Size. In the United States, where family size is often one or two children, I think it has become harder for many parents to sacrifice their only son to religious life. It is natural to want one's name and lineage to continue. But, thank God, I see more and more Catholic families responding to the call of the late Pope John Paul when he visited our country: "Americans, give your children brothers and sisters." And many are again having larger families. Several of my peers have families of over eight children. In Africa the family size still remains higher than in the United States. And it is easier to support a son entering religious life when you know another son will give you grandchildren.
Yet, despite some of these differences, the trend is slowly changing in the United States. Glenmary has the largest number of people seeking application this year since I began vocation work five years ago. We also have the largest number of people attending this year's Holy Week vocation retreat. And the number of men in their 20s writing to us for more information has increased. Though the abundance of vocations in Africa remain a blessing for us in the United States, our country is slowly changing and more are responding to God's love as priests, brothers and sisters.
