Ottawa’s new vocations director forms discernment group

He’s beating the bushes, not beating around the bush

OTTAWA (CCN)

The Archdiocese of Ottawa’s new vocations director decided to form a discernment group and Father Pierre Champoux was delighted eight young men showed up for its first meeting.

Though similar groups with different names have been tried in the past, he named it the Priest Discernment Group. “I want everyone who hears the title to know what it is and not have to look it up in the dictionary,” he said.

When he was named to the post in August, Archbishop Prendergast told him should start beating the bushes, so he said, “I’m not going to beat around the bush.”

Since he was also named chaplain at Carleton University at the same time of his appointment, and was working alongside CCO (Catholic Christian Outreach) missionaries on campus, he used his time on campus as “prep work” for the Nov. 16 first meeting.

Father Champoux is hoping fellow clergy will also come to the monthly meetings. He hopes men who say, “I’m interested, but not now,” will consider coming. “I don’t want to put any pressure on these guys.”

With the use of guest speakers, Father Champoux hopes to create a theology-on-tap atmosphere at the meetings. “I don’t want it to be just me,” he said. While he provided a syllabus on some of the subject areas future meetings will cover, he hopes to add group outings such as a pilgrimage to local parishes to appreciate church architecture and history, or perhaps one to Montreal. Another outing might include attending a “come and see” weekend at St. Augustine’s seminary in Toronto.

At the first meeting, Father Champoux said he set out to “allay any concerns or anxieties men may have about the priesthood,” and to dispel myths and lies men might tell themselves such as they are “not worthy enough or smart enough” to become a priest.

He discussed the many things a priest does, including: praying with and for the People of God; proclaiming the Gospel; celebrating Mass; Baptizing; witnessing marriages; visiting the sick and dying; burying the dead; teaching about Jesus and His teachings; counseling and guiding those who suffer; fighting for the souls of God’s people; remaining with God’s people in good times and bad; evangelizing; and defending the People of God from the enemy.

Father Champoux then discussed the sacred nature of the priesthood, the ontological change upon ordination, and the promises a priest makes to his bishop on celibacy, obedience and praying the divine office.

“Then I asked two questions: ‘What’s the perception of priests in your life up until now?’ and ‘Do you have any examples of positive role models that priests have played in your life?'”

Earlier in the fall, Father Champoux had attended a conference of diocesan vocations directors in Boston where he heard 80 per cent of men who respond to a vocation to the priesthood found the call originated with a question from a respected priest asking them ‘Have you ever considered a call to the priesthood?”

Father Champoux said he had taken a break from studying for the priesthood and it was a question from Father Bob Bedard, the late founder of the Companions of the Cross, “Have you reconsidered the priesthood” that led him back to seminary.

Another Ottawa priest Father Tavis Goski was asked by the previous vocations director Father Tim McAuley, “Are you called to the priesthood?” Father Champoux said.

Father Stock had a girlfriend and no intention of becoming a priest. Afterwards he said, “Father Tim, what did you do to me? I can’t get the question out of my head!” He then broke up with his girlfriend and went to seminary.

Father Champoux said some of the answers from the men about what they thought priests did were amusing. One said, “I used to think that a priest would just celebrate Mass on the weekend and just read about God the rest of the week.”

Others think about the scandals in the priesthood, or that “priests are really boring,” or “they only celebrate Mass a couple of times a week,” he said.

“We had a lot of good laughs,” he said. “It was a really good spirit about the thing at a time when society is growing more and more secular, anti-Christian even.”

Father Champoux said he believes as society gets more antagonistic to the Church, there will be an influx of vocations, even a spring time in the Church as people increasingly say they want the Church to be faithful to her teachings, and for people to say Yes, to God and Yes, to the Gospel.

“We need to be challenged as a society,” he said. “We’ve had a hard go; we have not been attracting vocations. We live in a narcissistic society.”

Father Champoux said he is grateful for the excitement of the CCO missionaries. “They are learning about the Bible, learning how to witness,” he said. “They are starting to see effects when their lives start becoming fully alive, and they are starting to feel the call on themselves.”

While this could be a call to marriage, the priesthood, or consecrated life, the call tells them, “Maybe there’s an alternative life,” Father Champoux said. “I’d like to give my life to God somehow.”