Skip to content
The Catholic Leader
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
The Catholic Leader
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Discerning the call

byEmilie Ng
1 May 2015
Reading Time: 2 mins read
AA

Priestly dinner: Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge (centre) invited 40 young men to dine at his home, Wynberg, for the annual Archbishop’s Vocations Dinner last week.

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Priestly dinner: Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge (centre) invited 40 young men to dine at his home, Wynberg, for the annual Archbishop’s Vocations Dinner last week.
Priestly dinner: Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge (centre) invited 40 young men to dine at his home, Wynberg, for the annual Archbishop’s Vocations Dinner last week.

DINING at Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge’s house has opened new possibilities about joining the priesthood for young discerner Gerard Lai.

Mr Lai, 21, was one of 40 young Brisbane archdiocesan Catholics who dined with the Archbishop for the 18th annual Archbishop’s Vocations Dinner on April 23.

From tradesmen to university students, the dinner guests had been “personally invited” to learn more about entering the priesthood at the Archbishop’s home, Wynberg, in New Farm.

Mr Lai, a Queensland University of Technology science student, lives at Canali House, a discernment house for young men thinking about becoming a priest.

But sitting next to Archbishop Coleridge added an extra dimension to discernment for Mr Lai.

“What I liked was seeing others there, knowing that I was not the only one thinking of becoming a priest,” he said.

“It’s just good to see a lot of faces, men you can talk to on a different level about your faith.

“It made the priesthood look doable, and not boring.”

Mr Lai entered Canali House after serving on NET (National Evangelisation Teams) Ministries Australia for two years.

“I never really thought about becoming a priest before that,” he said.

Related Stories

Life ‘is always sacred and inviolable’, Pope Francis says

From a humble start Albanese is sworn in as new prime minister

Gwen has given 15,000 hours of cuddles to sick and premature babies

“But after NET, I learnt lots about my faith, and I thought the priesthood was definitely a possibility.

“I wasn’t just thinking I was automatically called to marriage, but thinking of the priesthood too.”

Mr Lai and the other men invited to the Archbishop’s Vocations Dinner are thinking seriously about whether the priesthood is their life-long call.

The guest list included men who were recommended by parishes or Vocation Brisbane director Fr Morgan Batt, but all were “personally selected” to dine at Wynberg.

“It’s not often a young guy gets a personal invitation from the Archbishop to come to his home and share his discernment journey with him,” Fr Batt said.

Vocation Brisbane officer Adam Burns said young men “don’t just materialise into the seminary” but were recommended by parishes and schools.

Mr Burns said faith communities played a vital role in building up vocations.

“It’s the community saying they believe in a young man, that he would make a great priest,” he said.

Archbishop Coleridge spoke about his own discernment, and said he had “never been disappointed” in his call to the priesthood.

Holy Spirit ProvincialSeminary rector Monsignor Tony Randazzo gave insights about seminary life, Fr Batt talked about the process of entering the seminary, and seminarian Will Iuliano shared his own discernment journey.

Fr Batt said the annual dinner helped in “building a vocations culture in the archdiocese” and it offered the added bonus of receiving advice from the Archbishop, priests and seminarians.

ShareTweet
Previous Post

Honouring the Anzacs

Next Post

Natalie’s selfless love lives on

Emilie Ng

Emilie Ng is a Brisbane-based journalist for The Catholic Leader.

Related Posts

Life ‘is always sacred and inviolable’, Pope Francis says
Vatican

Life ‘is always sacred and inviolable’, Pope Francis says

23 May 2022
News

From a humble start Albanese is sworn in as new prime minister

23 May 2022
Gwen has given 15,000 hours of cuddles to sick and premature babies
QLD

Gwen has given 15,000 hours of cuddles to sick and premature babies

20 May 2022
Next Post

Natalie’s selfless love lives on

Adoption rate decline

Let us be like children

A film bereft of laughter

Popular News

  • From a humble start Albanese is sworn in as new prime minister

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Here are the stories of 10 new saints being canonised this Sunday

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Fr Liam receives bravery medal after shark attack rescue

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • What is the difference between a Sacramental and a civil marriage?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Br Alan Moss remembered for a life of faith and learning

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Search our job finder
No Result
View All Result

Latest News

Life ‘is always sacred and inviolable’, Pope Francis says
Vatican

Life ‘is always sacred and inviolable’, Pope Francis says

by Guest Contributor
23 May 2022
0

POPE Francis praised a pro-life event in Rome and offered comments defending the dignity of life on...

From a humble start Albanese is sworn in as new prime minister

23 May 2022
Gwen has given 15,000 hours of cuddles to sick and premature babies

Gwen has given 15,000 hours of cuddles to sick and premature babies

20 May 2022
Helping stroke survivors earns Ozcare volunteer national recognition

Helping stroke survivors earns Ozcare volunteer national recognition

20 May 2022
Br Alan Moss remembered for a life of faith and learning

Br Alan Moss remembered for a life of faith and learning

19 May 2022

Never miss a story. Sign up to the Weekly Round-Up
eNewsletter now to receive headlines directly in your email.

Sign up to eNews
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Jobs
  • Subscribe

The Catholic Leader is an Australian award-winning Catholic newspaper that has been published by the Archdiocese of Brisbane since 1929. Our journalism seeks to provide a full, accurate and balanced Catholic perspective of local, national and international news while upholding the dignity of the human person.

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader
Accessibility Information | Privacy Policy | Archdiocese of Brisbane

The Catholic Leader acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Peoples of this country and especially acknowledge the traditional owners on whose lands we live and work throughout the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader

0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyChoose another Subscription
    Continue Shopping