Vianney House officially opened to bring together aspirants
By Alistair Burns
The B.C. Catholic
VANCOUVER

Young men who are considering a vocation to the priesthood now have a discernment headquarters to call home. Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, officially opened Vianney House June 27; the building will house those seriously considering God's call to become a man of the cloth.

"God's kindness has brought us together to bless this house," said the archbishop in his opening prayer. "The love of Christ will bring together those who desire to follow Him more faithfully."

The home was named after St. John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests. He was the curÇ (curate or parish priest) in the rural town of Ars, France, in the 19th century.

"Jesus, we entrust our seminarians to You," prayed Father Joseph Phuong Nguyen, director of the vocations office of the archdiocese. "May they become priests who are models of purity, teachers of truth, and heroes of sacrifice."

A reading from the Gospel of St. John, in which Christ asked His disciples, "What are you looking for?" followed.

Archbishop Miller said in his homily that for the archdiocese, Vianney House is the definitive response to that question.

"Grant that all who come here, and who those live here, be without distress, may prayerfully discern their vocations, and faithfully follow Your call," he prayed.

After offering the prayer of blessing, the archbishop walked through the house, blessing the entire building and the crowd with holy water, while the congregation sang "Now Thank We All Our God" in the back yard.

Inside, the home is just another Vancouver dwelling, but the focus on discernment remains paramount, since Vianney House does have a chapel. Large windows let light stream in on the ground floor. Old oak tables in the living room provide an ample surface for writing or reading. Immaculate tiled floors lead to screen doors through which are a patio and garden perfect for barbeques.

In fact the archdiocese did host a BBQ for those who attended, including many Knights of Columbus, and members of the Serra Club.

Father Nguyen pointed out the home currently has only one seminarian, which means there is "room for four or five more."

aburns@rcav.org