Metro Detroit — Calling men and women to a religious vocation is the work of the Holy Spirit, but many parish priests are working to help parishioners be open to that call.

Parishes around the Archdiocese of Detroit present programs and activities to expose young men and women to the idea of religious life. Vocations committees at some parishes host events throughout the year and pray for an increase in vocations.

Vocations on the rise

Currently, four seminarians at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit come from Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Plymouth, making up approximately 15 percent of the AOD’s seminarians. The parish membership also includes two women in religious orders, two consecrated virgins and two permanent deacons.

Fr. John Riccardo, the parish’s pastor, cites several factors for the interest in religious life, particularly to the priesthood.

“We’ve been blessed with many newly ordained priests here over the years,” Fr. Riccardo said. “Their joy is contagious, and it’s clear to anyone observing them that the joy is rooted in Christ. That’s appealing to a young man who is thinking about his life. When you have a person in front of you who is joyful, prayerful, humble — he looks like a reflection of Jesus.”

Fr. Riccardo believes the high number of religious vocations is rooted in the parish’s very reason for existing: to offer every person a life-changing encounter with Jesus.

“This shapes everything we do,” Fr. Riccardo said. “We’re all about trying to lead people to our Lord. It’s God and His love or it’s nothing, and once you’ve discovered that yourself, you want that for others. These seminarians and the others in religious life here are passionate about their faith in Jesus and about helping Him get his world back.”

Every Wednesday, Our Lady of Good Counsel hosts an evening Mass with 300 to 700 people in attendance. Attendees are encouraged to fast during the day for marriage, family and vocations. Prior to Mass, the congregation prays a rosary with one decade dedicated to praying for vocations.

Knowing who we are

At St. Frances Cabrini Parish in Allen Park, Fr. Tim Birney brings a unique perspective to vocations awareness as the former director of priestly vocations for the Archdiocese of Detroit. Fr. Birney says priests and parents should remind their children of who they are: children of God.

“First and foremost, God has a plan for them to live a holy life,” Fr. Birney said. “Then, through prayer, they should be asking: how does God want them to live out that holy life? Many will be called to marriage but some will be called to the priesthood or other religious vocation.”

St. Frances Cabrini hosts holy hours for vocations, offers vocation talks for young people, and participates in broader efforts such as National Vocations Awareness Week and the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Cabrini High School students may nominate a fellow student whom they believe would make a good priest, and then those comments are shared with the nominated student.

Fr. Birney also takes groups of middle school and high school students to discernment events at Sacred Heart Major Seminary each year.

“These programs help us initiate the conversation, and then ultimately it comes down to helping people understand who they are,” Fr. Birney said. “The more people think in these terms, the more holy the priesthood and religious life will be.”

Interacting with priests and religious sisters helps young people see a religious vocation as a viable option for themselves in a personal way.

The Companions of the Cross, an order of religious priests and brothers based in Canada, have a presence at Our Lady of Good Counsel, as well as other Detroit-area parishes, on weekends. Religious sisters from Ann Arbor’s Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, teach in schools such as St. Isaac Jogues in St. Clair Shores.

Fr. Birney recalls watching priests living out a joyful model of priesthood as a child at his home parish, Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church in Beverly Hills. Priests were invited to the family home for dinner on a regular basis.

Parents also play a crucial role in their child’s formation, says Fr. Birney, and he encourages parents to ask their children to be open to the possibility of religious life. Fr. Riccardo tells parents to pray with their children daily, asking God to make His will known for their vocations. He says his father was his biggest influence growing up, telling Fr. Riccardo, “Whatever you want to do, I will bless.”

“He gave me permission, and that meant everything,” Fr. Riccardo said.

Fr. Birney asks priests around the archdiocese to make vocations awareness a priority in their parishes.

“Sometimes it gets lost in the shuffle of the many other priorities of a parish,” Fr. Birney said. “But don’t be afraid to invite young men in the parish to think about it. Every parish priest should see himself as a vocations director to his own people.”