Take the Leap.

The headlines tell us, "The Catholic Church is doomed." "None will stay."

"The clerical abuse crisis will be the downfall of the church!"

I walk into the cafeteria at St. Mary's Seminary in Wickliffe, grab a Pepsi
from the drink machine, and sit down at a table with Rose Pfeiffer (who's taking a course in church history with me) and John Mulhollan. We’re interviewing John for this article to let people back home in the parish learn more about him, this first seminary student from Sacred Heart in several years.

 What made John decide to enter the seminary this Fall? After graduating from Highland High School in '84, he went to Ohio State and finished law school there in '94.

His parents, Paul and Bonnie Mulhollan, sent him to PSR. Roger and Helen Klaas, and Dave and Pam Armstrong were memorable influences. So was Father Conry and Father Gonzalez from
California.

 John most recently practiced corporate law for a Catholic
hospital system in California. Several times in the past, John has felt drawn to the priesthood, but other goals and attractions distracted him from
talking to a priest about his interest.

 His faith was a very private strength. Nevertheless, through his work as a lawyer, and through volunteer work within his parish, he's been contemplating the priesthood for about
three years.

John admits, "You sometimes have to take the leap of faith." To
give up a big salary is risky. To enter into six years of seminary
preparation can seem like forever. To start a new career in mid-path takes a
lot of discernment. Why do it?

John relates his passion for missionary work and the desire to build upon
his past experiences -- he would like to help individuals and families see
Jesus Christ in their own lives. He doesn't have to go overseas. He has seen
how Catholics and non-Catholics sometimes view themselves to be distant from
the Church or any religion whatsoever. He'd like to work with those who want
to come back. He would also like to continue to apply his skills in
Catholic bioethics and moral theology.

As I look around at the room full of loud, laughing young men eating pasta,
I wonder, what's the call? Were they thrown from their horses like St. Paul?
Did they see a bright light that awakened them from sleep at two in the
morning? Did their breathing stop, their hearts flame with fire, and their
ribcages burst from the presence of God within them, calling in a commanding
majestic voice, "BE A PRIEST!" What's the call?

I ask John. He smiles and ponders. For him, it's been more of a feeling
inside, he says, an internal voice. Men can psyche themselves out of it -
fear of the risk, putting it off, rationalizing...

As we talk, hope rises
within me. The priesthood will go on. These earnest young men are willing.
They have opened themselves to the clerical possibility. Not all will decide
to become priests, but many will finish and be ordained. From my two
courses and hobnobbing with "the guys," I see that all of them will be
enriched by the experience.

The seminary? It's peaceful. The priesthood? It's a blessing. Our universal
call as the people of God? Holiness. Some of us serve as priests, some are
married, some are religious, and some are single. All of us are called to be
holy, a deep-down abiding holiness immersed in the Lord who loves us.

That's the antidote to each ecclesiastical crisis. Let us pray for John, for our
seminarians, and our priests. Let us all pray for each other. God is still
in charge. Together, we are his Church.