There are two moments in Lent every year that touch me profoundly and to which I look forward with great eagerness. The first occurs on the first Sunday of Lent with the Rite of Election. At that time, the catechumens who are preparing to be received into the Church through the Easter sacraments at the Easter Vigil come to the Cathedral or to St. Joseph parish in Ronkonkoma to inscribe their names in the Book of the Elect. It is the privilege of the diocesan bishop to preside at that ceremony of prayer, Scripture reading, reflection and song that burst forth in joy as we welcome the catechumens and officially accept them to be baptized, confirmed and receive the Eucharist in their parishes at the coming Easter Vigil. To see the faces of families and persons young, middle-aged and elderly at that event is one of the most moving religious experiences you can have in the Catholic Church. It is such a privilege for me to preside at this and it is one of the high points of this season of repentance and of renewal.

The other event that touches me personally in a very profound way is the annual retreat I offered during Lent at our seminary. This is a weekend retreat for men who are discerning whether they wish to pursue a vocation to the priesthood.

This past weekend was the seventh time I have had the privilege of doing this. It always is a beautiful experience to see the enthusiasm and the generosity of the younger generation. This year was no different. We had 18 to 20 young men for the retreat that began Friday evening and ended Sunday afternoon. A new development for the first time this year was the presence in the house at the same time of a similar number of young men from the Hispanic communities of our parishes on Long Island. This was organized by Deacon Francisco Cales who is the coordinator of Hispanic ministry for the diocese. I owe him a great debt of gratitude for having done this, and I thank him and the Dominican priests who gave the conferences, as well as the seminarians who volunteered to work with the Hispanic youth. On Saturday afternoon, I offered a reflection to that group, and they joined the English-speaking group and the seminarians for Mass on Sunday in the chapel at the seminary.

What makes this such an important moment for the life of the Church is not only that we can see in a very concrete way the generosity of this generation but we also can see how families and friends have helped shape a deep sense of the presence of Jesus in the lives of these young people. Catholic schools have played an important part in the lives of most of them. Others have come from our public schools and have had such good experiences in their parishes that they are very open to the idea of a vocation. The ones I interviewed told me that prayer is part of family living and that their parents are very open to having a son go into the priesthood or a daughter go into religious life. These are all healthy signs of a healthy Church here on Long Island.

Father Brian Barr, who is in his first year as director of vocations for the diocese, organized our weekend very well. He and some of the faculty and seminarians worked together to make this a very moving weekend. We began after supper on Friday with a conference I gave to the seminarians to center them on the person of Jesus and to invite them to make this weekend a time of openness — to listen to the voice of the Lord and respond with honesty and sincerity to what the Lord may be saying to them. This was followed by a reflective piece put together by two deacons whom I look forward to ordaining as priests in June. The reflection, with a slide show and music, centered upon the meaning of the call of priesthood as seen in the lives of great saints like John Paul II and Padre Pio.

The seminarians introduced these young men to the Liturgy of the Hours with morning prayer each day, as well as with rosary and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on Saturday. The priests made themselves available for penance. One of the members of the faculty, Father Richard Henning, gave one of the conferences on Saturday and I joined him to focus on the subject of Jesus as the eternal priest who gives His life for the good of the Church.

One of the most interesting events which is fun for me and I believe enjoyable for the men who participate is the Saturday evening “Questions and Answers Unlimited.” Any one of the participants is free to write down any question or questions that they want to put to me. I have to field the questions as they are brought up to me by Father Barr. They can put me on the spot at times. However, it is always in a great spirit of fraternity and with a great sense of love of the Church.

Sunday morning was focused on the Eucharist. Before Mass and after morning prayer, Father Barr met with these young men to discuss the practicalities of applying to the seminary either at Douglaston, where the college residence for Brooklyn and Rockville Centre is located, or if they qualify, for the theologate which is our Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington. It pleases me very much to say that at the end of this retreat five men applied to enter the seminary in the fall.

With that good news before me, we all gathered for 11:30 Mass with the seminary community, the Hispanic youth and the English-speaking youth all together in the beautiful chapel at Huntington. The Gospel was proclaimed in English and in Spanish. The homily was in English and in Spanish, and the Mass was truly a joint celebration of the community which is the Church here on Long Island. I said to the young men that they were the two sides of the one face of the Church on Long Island and what a beautiful face that is.

This good news of the kind of young people we have on Long Island is part of the good news of our Lenten season. It is one of the reasons for our joy and for our hope. I invite you all to pray for vocations to the priesthood and to religious life. I invite you to pray for the seminarians now at Douglaston and at Huntington as well as those who are in Rome. I invite you to pray especially for these five young men who have made their application to become seminarians in the fall. May God continue to grant an increase of vocations to our diocese and may the Church of Long Island prosper in the faith for many, many generations to come.