Operation Andrew calls young men to discern vocations

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
Jan. 31, 2008

Young men from throughout the Diocese of Sioux City gathered Jan. 16 and 23 to ponder their vocation in life.

The Operation Andrew gatherings were held at St. Joseph Parish in Sioux City and Corpus Christi in Fort Dodge. Each evening began with a prayer service followed by dinner and a talk by Father Brad Pelzel, director of vocations for the diocese and Bishop R. Walker Nickless.

"I am extremely pleased with the turnout, the quality of the young men and the earnestness and openness that they displayed. I thought the addition of parents and other involved people added greatly to it," said Father Pelzel.

He is excited that people are recognizing priestly qualities in young men in their communities and have pointed that out to the young men. He was also glad that after someone recognized these qualities the young men were open to attending a talk about vocations.

A vocation is what a person is called to in their life whether it is the priesthood, marriage or the single life. The basis of the evening was to get the young men thinking about what God is calling them to be in their lives.

"Four out of five guys that become priests say that a major part of their discernment was when someone said to them, 'I think you have priestly qualities.' In that, it is critical that we have these gatherings where people talk to the young," said Father Pelzel. "I am not there to try and convince guys they need to become priests. All we are doing is asking them to consider what God is calling them to do."

At St. Joseph there were more than 80 attendees including 40 young men. There were about 40 people including 18 young men at Corpus Christi. Also in attendance were Knights of Columbus and Serra club members.

Father Thomas Topf, pastor at St. Michael Parish in Kingsley, invited seven young men to attend the event with him.

"They were all Mass servers except one," said the priest. "They are all outstanding boys. The DRE and I thought these were the ones to ask."

During both evenings, a prayer service took place followed by a meal and a talk by Father Pelzel.

"There is not a shortage of vocations in the Catholic Church," he said during his talk. "Now people are surprised to hear me say that, but it's true because being married, the religious life and being single are all vocations. Those three categories pretty much cover everyone. What we're experiencing is a shortage of vocational discernment. The reason that we have invited all of you young men here tonight is to speak to you about your vocational discernment."

The priests that were present then talked about the blessings and joys of priesthood and their lives.

"The witness of the priests added a genuine and profound element," said the vocations director. "That really made it special. I think as the priests heard the other priests talk they modified what they were going to say to include things other ones hadn't. It really felt like you could feel the Holy Spirit communicating the beauty of having a priestly vocation."

Father Topf hopes that if the young men have a spark of a vocation that it was fueled by the talks that were given.

"There was no pressure on them, but there was a very strong positive witness," he said.

Each evening was concluded with a talk by Bishop Nickless. He talked to the attendees about Operation Andrew, how it came about and who Andrew was.

"We have to have an atmosphere of promoting vocations in our diocese," said Father Pelzel. "There are individual efforts, but we don't have a concerted effort. We need to get everyone excited about vocations."

One attendee, Tucker Lutter, son of Angie and Les Lutter, parishioners at Nativity in Sioux City, attended the gathering in Sioux City.

"About three years ago Tucker told me that he thought he had a call to the priesthood," said Angie. "Tucker wants to surround himself with as much information about the priesthood. He loves to meet priests and talk about vocations."

At a retreat at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Sioux City a few years ago, Father Pearson had mentioned that someone at the gathering was going to become a priest.

"It freaked Tucker out because he had been thinking about it," said Angie. "He didn't tell me right away though. It took him about a year to tell me. It scared him. He was only 11."

Tucker said that hearing this from Father Pearson made him think even more about a vocation to the priesthood.

"I have met with Father Brad (Pelzel) a few times and I want to encourage everyone who thinks they have a vocation to visit with him at least once," said Tucker.

Tucker mentioned what he liked about Operation Andrew was that he got to hear what priests thought of the priesthood and how happy it made them.

"Trying to be good and holy can bring you the greatest joy and happiness in life," said Tucker. "If you are good and faithful, you too can find a great love for our Lord. In this love you may find that God is calling you to the religious life."

Angie mentioned that she had not asked any of her children if they had a vocation and would not have thought to without the prompting from Father Pearson.

"It never occurred to me to ask," said Angie. "I think it is important that someone asks them."