Local priests talk about answering the call in documentary about vocations
As Catholics, God calls each of us to a particular vocation in life — to the priesthood, religious life, or marriage.
A new documentary by Array of Hope, “Vocation” gives a glimpse into who, in the 21st century, is answering the call to priesthood and why. The documentary was released last month in time for National Vocation Awareness Week Nov. 5-11.
The documentary addresses the shrinking number of priestly vocations, as well as marriages and births, today while providing the testimonies of men who answer the call to priesthood — all New Jersey residents — “despite the unpopular path, widespread scandals, doubts, fears, and misconceptions about vocation,” according to Array of Hope’s press release.
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“We need good priests and God continues to call holy men to the priesthood of Jesus Christ,” said Mario Costabile, executive producer of “Vocation.” “Our Church is in crisis. The Church suffers from within. There is confusion and constant scandal and we are seeing the negative fruits of a fractured culture of vocations including non-marriage culture and non-commitment culture. All of these issues impact the Church and society as a whole. Yet, despite the scandals in the Church and the commitmentless culture we live in, there are men who are fearlessly responding to God’s call and their radical witness will encourage other men. Witness begets witness. These men are heroes because they contradict the world with their radical demonstration of faith.”
Directed by Ryan Devir, the documentary follows the lives of seven Catholic men who entered the seminary. Among those featured are two local priests — Father Eugenio de la Rama, Director of Priestly Vocations, Archdiocese of Newark, and Father Jose Zuniga, St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Passaic, Diocese of Paterson.
Father Zuniga, and scenes from his ordination, open the documentary.
“I wanted to become a priest because I felt such a strong call to share God’s Love and God’s mercy to all peoples. Because of the experience that he has given me of being called, being loved, being desired by Him who is perfect, me who is imperfect,” Father Zuniga said.
In 1970, there were over 60,000 priests in the U.S. In 2021, there were 35,000, says Father Richard Carton of St. Vincent De Paul Parish in Stirling. In the film, he points to the numbers not to highlight a Church in crisis he says, but to illuminate a simple fact affecting the tenets of our Catholic faith: the fewer the number of priests, the fewer opportunities with the Eucharist.
“We should encourage the priesthood because the Eucharist is dependent on it. A decline in priests means a decline in the number of times and places where the Eucharist can be offered,” Father Carton tells the viewers.
“I think what most people get it wrong with vocations, that essentially that it is church-y synonym for job, a church-y synonym for career. …It’s a sad sort of misunderstanding,” said Father de la Rama.
Using the example of marriage, he says the vocation of what God is calling you to do would be either a wife or a husband for one’s sanctification and holiness. Your job or career is just supposed to support your vocation.
“When one is called into eternity, we are going to be asked how you grew in holiness as a husband or wife, not in how you grew your 9 to 5,” says Father de la Rama.
The documentary also includes Mike Rose’s story. He went to seminary school but felt God was calling him elsewhere. Today, with his wife, he is fostering opportunities for his eight children “to encounter the Lord and to know Him, to serve Him, and to love Him every moment of the day.” He is now Chief Marketing Officer at Integrity Marketing group. His best friend stayed in the seminary and is now a priest.
Father Carton notes that 51% of seminarians surveyed last year said that family members attempted to discourage them from entering the priesthood. He said that too often our culture, as a materialistic society, leads us to measure success with wealth, our jobs, our homes, and what car we drive.
Also featured in the documentary are a mother and father who discuss how they discerned and later supported their son’s calling to enter the seminary.
In the documentary, Father Zuniga recommends when discerning a vocation, start with confession because a “heart that is completely aligned with God will listen to His will most carefully.” Then begin to attend daily Mass, he says. Finally, he says, spend time with the Blessed Sacrament. “If you are not attuned to His voice, it will be very hard to hear the calling he has for all of us.”
The documentary also features Father Steve Delia, St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, Denville, NJ; and Father Mike Joly, St. Joan of Arc Parish, Yorktown, Virginia.
“Vocations” is available on the Array of Hope Channel at watch.arrayofhope.net under movies.
Correction: In an earlier version of this story, the public relations firm had stated that Father Jose Zuniga was assigned to St. Anthony of Padua Church in Union City. He is assigned to St. Anthony of Padua in Passaic.
