Operation Andrew aids discernment of young men

By Kenny Keane, Globe staff writer
Posted Oct. 31, 2002

When it comes to encouraging young men to consider the priesthood or religious life, prayers can be a powerful tool. Just ask the Serra Club. However, another program, established in the late '90s with Bishop Daniel N. DiNardo, seeks to take this encouragement a step further.

The "Operation Andrew" program is held every 18 months, with a round of four dinners held at different locations throughout the diocese. The third round of dinners were held this fall on Sept. 22 in Sioux City, Sept. 29 in Spencer, Oct. 8 in Fort Dodge and Oct. 13 in Carroll.

The dinners are designed for priests of the diocese to invite young men from their parish to attend and talk about the priesthood, but according to Father Brian Hughes, vocations director for the Sioux City Diocese, it's a more basic message than that.

"We really encourage young men to think about the idea that they should make decisions about their lives and their vocation by seeking God's will in their life, by praying about that and thinking about what it is that God wants of them," he said. "We recognize that most of these guys are going to be husbands and fathers, and we think that's a good thing. But we also think that by encouraging young people to think about priesthood or religious life, that's going to bear some fruit for the church in a different kind of way."

Father Hughes said that about 90 young men participated in the program this year, which he said is down a little bit from the past. Over the last four years, nearly 500 young men have attended the dinners with their pastors, and Father Hughes said that has been a positive experience.

"We've always had some young men enter the seminary, who first came to us through those dinners. We hope that will bear fruit again," he said. "That's the primary goal for us, to give young men an opportunity to understand how much priesthood means to us."

This is illustrated at each dinner by three priests who are invited to tell the story of their vocation or to tell how that's important for them.

"That's always been an enriching thing for me, to listen to the fascinating stories about how men come to understand their vocation, what that means for them and how they have lived that out in their lives," Father Hughes said. "The response again this year has been real positive. We do a follow up with young men and invite them to participate in a discernment retreat at a seminary if they're interested in that or to be in further conversation with us."

One of the priests who spoke at the dinner held at the Cathedral in Sioux City was Father Nickolas Becker, parochial vicar at Blessed Sacrament Church, who was recently ordained to the priesthood. Father Becker said the experience was interesting for him because he spent eight years in the seminary, and it's only now that he's finished that he actually encountered Operation Andrew.

"Back in my day, we really didn't have this sort of thing. It was interesting to be there and see the format of it," he said. "At the time, I had only been a priest maybe two or three weeks. So I thought perhaps the greatest insight that I could give the guys who were thinking about this was what my experience was as a baby priest - as someone very much newly ordained, who still is very much getting used to being a priest.

"As I recall, the heart of my reflection was how much awe I was still having at the role that I was getting to play in people's lives - what I was getting to do with and for people and the experience of going to anoint some older people and having them break down into tears as I'm doing that. I'm really getting intimately involved in people's lives through the sacrament of reconciliation, helping people to find healing and peace through that and then just the day-in, day-out, week-in, week-out gathering with a particular community at the Eucharist. I'm still experiencing all those things for the first time and being personally moved by that."

Father Becker said he received positive feedback from a couple of the guys who had actually been there as perspective seminarians. For those who are thinking maybe they have a vocation, Father Hughes said they need to be in touch with their pastor or with him. Father Hughes can be reached by phone at (712) 233-7523 or by e-mail at hughes@scdiocese.org.

"I think we need to help teach people that these vocations are things to celebrate, be grateful for and rejoice in," Father Becker said. "We don't need to be ashamed or embarrassed about asking people if God is calling them to be a priest. For that reason alone, I think that Operation Andrew and programs like it are a very good idea."