Tired kids encounter the search for future priests

Sales pitches abound, JOE FIORITO finds at Youth Day

By JOE FIORITO
Saturday, July 27, 2002

Rev. Francesco Voltaggio sits by himself under a tree. He is 27 years old, a baby priest. He was ordained two years ago. He says he received his calling -- the moment he knew he would join a seminary -- at World Youth Day in Denver, in 1993. He was ordained by the priest who inspired him -- Pope John Paul. He's proud of that. He is less proud that some people think twice when they see him with his collar on.

I was curious. How does the church weed out seminarians who are, you know, funny? "Our teachers would look at us to see if we have problems. They speak to us. They see how we are. Many seminarians had to leave. You have to know your vocation."

It starts to rain. He pulls a blue plastic Maid of the Mist poncho over his head. "We went to Niagara Falls yesterday." How does he deal with the stain of scandal on the clerical collar? With a stiff upper lip: "Many know the scandals of the church, but few know the graces."

And then he heads for shelter.

The rain drives many young people indoors. Paul Smith, 23, of Orlando, Fla., strolls to the recruiting tables.

The Catholic orders are here in full force: The Society of Jesus, the Sisters of Martha, the Companions of the Cross, the Sisters of the Precious Blood.

Why would a young man be drawn to the priesthood today? Paul Smith has the party line down pat: "I'm not scandalized. There are sinners in the church, priests who have had mistresses. Just because some of them mess up doesn't mean all priests are bad. I think abortion is a greater scandal. I like the life of poverty. I'm drawn to the Franciscans; also to any order that focuses on pro-life."

I lose him in the crowd.

The recruiting tables are surrounded by sweaty, happy, tired kids collecting pamphlets and listening to clerical sales pitches.

Bill Moreau sits at the booth of the Basilian Fathers; they are a teaching order. He is 33 years old. He'll be ordained soon. Not soon enough.

There are roughly 300 Basilian Fathers, down from a high of 700 in the 1960s; during that decade, 200 Basilians dropped out.

The numbers are lousy all around. There were 15,000 priests in Canada in 1970; there are 9,000 today.

The average age of a Basilian Father is nearly 70. It's bound to get worse. Bill Moreau will be ordained with just five others -- two from Mexico, two from Colombia and one from the United States.

What is it like to be on the verge of ordination in a climate of suspicion?

"For me the scandals are demoralizing. I feel let down by what's been happening. I know people will look at me and wonder if I'm one of them. There are serious problems with the church as an institution. Priests have been put on pedestals in the past. This crisis can teach us some humility."

Adam Walters of Ohio stops by for a look. He's 15 years old, big and shy and wondering if he has a vocation. "I'd like to teach about God. But I'd like to have a family. But I think to be a priest would be neat."

"Take your time," Bill Moreau says.

Adam's friend, a kid named Charles, pipes in with his own plan: "I want to get married, have a kid and when my wife dies I'll become a priest."

Someone nearby says, "What are you, a wise-ass?" Charles looks mock-hurt. He has a vocation, all right. As a standup comic.