In this episode of the John Henry Weston Show, we discuss the new documentary, "The Priest's Vocation," directed by Christian Holden, about the role of a priest in the Catholic Church. In this episode, we talk to Christian Holden about his process of making the film, what it means to be a priest, and what we can do to support priests in their vocation.
00:00:00.000Another aspect of the film we touch upon is having a deep devotion to our Blessed Mother, which I think is so crucial, pivotal to the life of any priest, in fact, of any Catholic Christian.
00:00:12.380So, in today's day and age, it is very difficult in the Church.
00:00:19.140In fact, we have an aging clergy, and then we have a lot of parishes where the priest is already running from one parish to another to another to accommodate Catholics for Mass, but the travel seems to be incredible.
00:00:32.640And I know perhaps in Europe that that's not such a bad thing where everything's so close, but I kid you not, in America, where distances can be insane, traveling from one church to the next to sort of take care of your parishes is very difficult indeed.
00:00:55.640We have to pray that the Lord send workers into his harvest.
00:00:59.700And one of the people promoting that is a filmmaker by the name of Christian Holden.
00:01:06.640Now, Christian's done a documentary on the priesthood that's absolutely beautiful.
00:01:11.400But, you know, when he presented it to me, I had a question, a really burning question, because with six sons, I would like nothing better to have priests come from our family.
00:01:22.020But how do you, as a parent or as a young man, send your child into the priesthood at this time with so much consternation in the church right now?
00:03:38.160Some are looking to, and some have seen it in more traditional forms of the Mass that they got to, but you've really captured that beauty.
00:03:45.700It's a film that's in my mind and on my heart for a number of years.
00:03:49.440So, last year to have the opportunity to finally get that underway and bring it into process was a great joy for me.
00:03:59.680And bringing together a number of priests and a bishop, priests who are young and older, priests who are secular priests and of religious orders too.
00:04:12.820And to bring that together really with a threefold intention, I suppose the first would be to present that to the laity, to bring laity to, I suppose, a greater appreciation of the priesthood, to increase that appreciation of what we have every time we go to Mass, every time we receive the sacraments from our priests.
00:04:38.940Secondly, it would be to encourage vocations, to encourage men who feel that niggling call inside, you know, is Jesus Christ calling me to something else, to something more, to that vocation to serve him as a priest?
00:04:58.520And if so, that maybe there's something in the films that will inspire them, encourage them to pursue that and discover more.
00:05:08.800And I think finally, also, as a reminder to priests of that amazing, brilliant vocation that they have been called to be in, to live, to serve Jesus Christ in his church.
00:05:24.560And, you know, each and every day to bring him present on the altar at that Holy Mass.
00:05:35.720I think, I think, I know for myself working in Catholic mission, and I know for many priests, they often go to great lengths and great efforts of putting events on and things in their parishes, and can often be, you know, they go to great lengths and find that very few people turn up often.
00:05:55.820And that can be quite soul-destroying at times, so, you know, working in that mission, hopefully priests will recall that even if one soul comes closer to Christ as a result of their actions, it's worth it.
00:06:11.720It's worth every little effort, every hardship, and that they can go forward with that in mind.
00:06:20.820And I think for a lot of time, especially recent times, in the past few decades anyway, a lot of people perhaps took the priesthood for granted.
00:06:31.060Oh, Father's always going to be there.
00:06:33.420But, you know, over this time of the lockdown, particularly when they shut the churches, all of a sudden, we got to experience what it would be like without priests.
00:06:46.480Without the priest, you don't have the Mass.
00:06:49.120And as Father Pio said, it'd be easier for the world to survive without the sons than without the Mass.
00:06:56.600The calling is urgent, the calling is needed, but there is this big question.
00:07:01.960It's a big question on the part of parents who have sons or daughters into religious life.
00:07:09.460But for those considering, what do we do in the world today?
00:07:13.800We have a hierarchy in much of the church, particularly the West, that is unfaithful in a lot of ways.
00:07:22.800You know, a lot of these parents of large families are, for instance, supportive of the pro-life movement.
00:07:38.440And then there are many, many bishops who take great disdain in the pro-life movement.
00:07:44.040So, in such a world, how can we think about letting our children go into the priesthood, encouraging them to do that?
00:07:54.280And same for, you know, a lot of these young men with vocations.
00:07:58.440A lot of them are in the pro-life movement.
00:08:00.500A lot of them are, you know, into it because the moral issues that the world is so against right now has captured their heart because it's the truth of Christ.
00:08:10.940And so, how do these parents, how do these young men consider going into the priesthood now at this time when it seems there's so much combat around it, it seems like perhaps they might be cancelled?
00:08:26.940I mean, first of all, for any young man or older man, any females thinking of a religious life, to first and foremost remember that that calling comes from Christ himself.
00:08:39.700That is a vocation, that's a calling for you in particular.
00:08:45.380And today, like never before, do we need men and women of courage and of deep faith who will respond to that call and go forward with that deep faith, that response to Christ.
00:08:58.620Secondly, I think if there's a particular problem in the local diocese or in the area, that people take the time to discern where best to apply for the priesthood or religious life, to look to a diocese or a religious order where they will get the faith presented and taught as it should be in its fullness, in its completeness.
00:09:23.720And there, have the confidence to go forward and pursue that, but certainly not to delay.
00:09:31.220If there's that calling coming from our Lord, then we must respond.
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00:10:11.460It depends, of course, on the bishop of that diocese and, you know, of course, the reasons why you may want to move across to a different diocese.
00:10:23.080But that's a discussion that a candidate would need to have with the diocese and bishop or the superior of a religious order.
00:10:31.920I guess that's one of the answers, is that religious orders are apart from the diocese in a way, and they have their own priests who serve, like the OMIs, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.
00:10:49.160They actually serve a lot of parishes in different dioceses, but they're ordained and they have their own regulation and they get sent out from a central location.
00:10:59.820The same with the fraternity of St. Peter.
00:11:03.200Also, it's not under a particular diocese.
00:11:06.380Tell us more about the film, about your inspiration for doing it, and about what you hope to see happen from it now.
00:11:14.900So, yes, with the film, as well as it being something that we wanted to be visually powerful and appealing and hopefully moving,
00:11:23.560what would draw people into a deeper understanding of the priesthood, we also wanted to touch upon some key theological areas, the important areas of the priestly life.
00:11:34.860First and foremost, about a deep prayer life that each priest would spend that time each and every day with our Lord, deepening, deepening his relationship with him.
00:11:46.480And from there, he can go out and present that mission, live the sacramental life.
00:11:53.360Of course, the Holy Mass at the very centre of the priest's life each and every day, wherein he brings our Lord himself to the faithful, feeds the people.
00:12:03.400Another aspect of the film we touch upon is having a deep devotion to our Blessed Mother, which I think is so crucial, pivotal to the life of any priest, in fact, of any Catholic Christian.
00:12:17.900I think the film is so beautiful that it might touch some priests.
00:12:23.140I hope a lot of priests see this who are perhaps struggling in their priesthood, because the beauty of it, I think, would inspire them to go beyond, perhaps, what they got in seminary.
00:12:34.240I know my priests, older priests, have told me that, you know, they were told in seminary that they shouldn't be praying the rosary.
00:12:40.780In fact, they had a group that prayed the rosary, and they had to do it outside, because they weren't permitted to.
00:12:47.640They weren't permitted to wear their cassocks either in seminary.
00:12:51.580So those times hopefully are over, but I'm hoping some of the priests, perhaps, of those generations will watch this and be inspired to take more.
00:12:59.460Christian, where are people able to view the film? How can they get it?
00:13:02.280Yes, the film can be viewed via our website at saintant.com forward slash video.