Knights show support for priestly vocations at their state convention
Archbishop Charles C. Thompson celebrates Mass on May 17 at the Monroe Convention Center in Bloomington during the Indiana state convention of the Knights of Columbus. (Photo by Sean Gallagher)
By Sean Gallagher
BLOOMINGTON—The Knights of Columbus do many things to help the Church at the local, national and international levels.
On the first day of the Knights’ Indiana state convention in May at the Monroe Convention Center in Bloomington, members of the Catholic fraternal organization from across the state focused on their promotion of priestly vocations.
On May 17, Archbishop Charles C. Thompson celebrated a Mass for the Knights that had a special focus on vocations. A dinner followed in which two archdiocesan priests reflected on helping others discern a priestly vocation.
In his homily during the liturgy, Archbishop Thompson thanked the Knights for “defending human life, families and religious liberty, among other issues” in the midst of a culture that “prioritizes radical individualism over the common good and prefers subjective truth to objective truth.”
He also spoke about the upcoming National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, which has received much support from the Knights.
“It is a time when we celebrate, adore, worship and reflect—always calling us to go outward to tend the sheep, to feed the lambs, to serve others,” Archbishop Thompson said.
This led him to reflect on promoting the call to the priesthood.
“In promoting vocations in the Church, we must be intentional about living this outward focus of missionary discipleship,” Archbishop Thompson said. “Through prayer, rooted in word, sacrament and service, we must strive to cultivate a culture of vocations by transforming the culture and society with the steadfast commitment to the witness of Gospel values in Catholic teaching.
“It is in the defense of human life, families and religious liberty that we cultivate a culture of vocations rooted in Christ-centered dedication of worship and service.”
In the dinner that followed the Mass, Father Jack Wright, parochial vicar of St. Monica Parish in Indianapolis, reflected on discerning a priestly vocation.
The priest, who was ordained an archdiocesan priest on June 3, 2023, noted that many young people find discerning their vocation difficult.
“It can really torment them,” Father Wright said. “This was my experience, especially in high school. I used to have this sense that God had something in mind for me that he wanted me to do. And I really wanted to do whatever that was. The problem was, I had no idea what that was.”
He suggested a way to make discerning easier: start with reflecting on Christ’s words, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:13).
“If we look at discerning our vocation from this perspective, it becomes a lot simpler,” Father Wright said. “So, what is our vocation? What is God’s will for us? Our Lord makes it clear to us: to love one another, to lay down our lives for others. That’s our vocation, every single one of us.”
He then explained that, with this basic reality in mind, people discerning their vocation can turn to different questions.
“What is the best way for me to do that? What am I most suited for in laying down my life for others?” Father Wright said. “Then it becomes a question of knowing ourselves, thinking about our own personality, our own heart, our own gifts, weaknesses, resources.”
It’s the ministry of Father Michael Keucher as archdiocesan vocations director to accompany people across central and southern Indiana as they discern what God is calling them to in their lives.
“I have the best job in the archdiocese,” Father Keucher told the Knights at the vocations dinner. “It’s really awesome. It’s a total joy to walk with young folks who are thinking about what God wants for their life. Constantly, every day, I get to talk with people who care about God, about the Church, about souls.”
Father Keucher then told the stories of priest saints who had laid down their lives for Christ and the souls of the people they served.
There was St. John Nepomuk, a 14th-century Czech priest who died as a martyr after he refused to break the seal of the confessional.
Father Keucher shared the story of the American priest Father Edward Flanagan, who cared for orphaned boys at Boys Town in Omaha, Neb., which he started in 1917. He died in 1948.
There was also St. Damien of Molokai, a 19th-century Belgian missionary priest who cared for a leper colony in Hawaii, ultimately contracting the disease and dying of it in 1889.
Father Keucher also recounted the story of Blessed Stanley Rother, a priest of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, Okla., who served as a missionary in Guatemala and who died there as a martyr in 1981.
He also spoke about St. Toribio Romo Gonzalez, a priest of the Archdiocese of Guadalajara, Mexico, who died as a martyr in 1928 during the Cristero War there.
“I think about all these priests,” Father Keucher said. “I’ve been praying a lot about them and talking about them with our discerners.”
He then thanked the Knights for assisting the Church in Indiana in promoting priestly vocations.
“Thank you for being zealous about the priesthood,” Father Keucher said. “It means so much to me and to our seminarians and priests to have you Knights be so zealous about the priesthood, because truly salvation depends on it.”
In an interview with The Criterion, state deputy of the Indiana State Council of the Knights of Columbus Scott Schutte, a member of SS. Francis and Clare of Assisi Parish in Greenwood, spoke in gratitude for the presence of Archbishop Thompson and priests from across the state at the convention.
“The Indiana Knights of Columbus do our best to stand with our priests and bishops, and we also do what we can to support seminarians at the local seminaries,” Schutte said. “As state deputy, I have had the opportunity to develop a relationship with all of the bishops within the state, and I have also had the opportunity to meet a good number of our priests. Their prayers and guidance are always invaluable.”
Knights across the state contribute to their “Support Our Seminarians” program, which resulted in each seminarian in Indiana last year receiving a donation of more than $500 to help them meet their living expenses.
Each local council of the Knights of Columbus is also encouraged to spiritually adopt a seminarian to show their care for their discernment and priestly formation.
Many local councils also host dinners to show support for priests and seminarians.
“We as Knights need to encourage our sons and other young men to explore the priestly vocation,” Schutte said. “We can do so by including the local parish when we celebrate our relationship with the priests at our vocations dinners. We should also be looking for ways to reach out to young men that are involved in the Church to encourage them to consider the priesthood.”
(For more information on a vocation to the priesthood in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, visit HearGodsCall.com.) †
