My name is Peter Gallagher and I am a second year college seminarian attending the College Seminary of the Immaculate Conception at St. Andrew’s Hall, on the campus of Seton Hall University. I live in Haddon Township and my parish is Christ the King.
I can remember as early as 5th grade when I first had developed thoughts of becoming a priest. I had a great experience with many of the priests at my home parish. If you had asked me in 8th grade what I was going to be when I grew up, I would have answered a priest! And if you had asked me that same question, three years later, before my senior year of high school, I would have said the same thing.
I am a proud alumnus of Paul VI High School and would testify that it was there my vocation blossomed. I was dating at the beginning of my senior year but quickly realized that I was simply trying to hide my very obvious vocation. I did not want to accept this call that God, out of his incredible love, had created me to fulfill. I was not my usual joyful self and even my running, which I took very seriously as captain of the cross-country team, was struggling. One day I could not find my car keys and I found myself praying, “Please God, if I find my keys, I’ll become a priest!” Finally, it took the unusual death of a longtime parishioner to realize there was no choice but to follow God’s will and enter the seminary. Through the support of our wonderful vocation director and, at the time, the chaplain of PVI, Fr. Romano, I applied and was accepted as a seminarian. And now here I am, very happy and as joyful as ever!
I first want to thank you for all of your prayers that you have already offered for the priests of Camden and those discerning the priesthood. I ask that all of you will pray for the intercession of your parish patron asking for more men to realize their vocation to the priesthood in our diocese. Priests administer the sacraments, the greatest signs of God’s love for us; especially the sacrament of Holy Communion and as St. Padre Pio said, “It is easier for the earth to exist without the sun than without the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.”
For anyone who has ever thought once of becoming a priest, I sincerely hope and pray that you have the courage to respond to God’s call. The lack of priests in the world today compared to older times is most likely due to the fact that young men are not hearing and responding to the invitation from God. Society certainly makes this difficult: we are always busy and constantly distracted throughout our day. To discern the priesthood, one needs silence, to pray and hear God speaking in our hearts.
Parents, friends, parishioners of those who are discerning: please, offer all of your support! It is not our will, but God’s. If you have a son, grandson or friend who happens to be called to the priesthood, be gracious for this blessing God has bestowed on the world! Temptation seeks to dissuade men discerning this vocation. We need to trust in the Holy Spirit to foster a culture of life and love, obeying all that God wants.
I am certainly not worthy of this calling to serve God as a holy priest and others may feel the same way. But, as we read in Scripture: God makes us worthy; he does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called.
Latest posts by Father Peter Gallagher (see all)
- Priests as Witnesses of Hope and Spiritual Physicians - April 1, 2020
- Shepherds - December 24, 2019
- A Taste of Ordained Ministry - September 17, 2019
