Father Aaron helps vocation prospects seek IRL (in real life) mission experiences as they discern their calling. By Father Aaron Wessman

During my time as Glenmary’s vocation director, I had the opportunity to meet and accompany many men interested in exploring a vocation to Glenmary as a priest or Brother. This has been a rewarding ministry. Listening to these men, here are some things I’ve learned. 

The Love of Tradition

Many discerners view tradition, broadly speaking, as a blessing and not a burden. For sure, this translates into a desire to connect with ancient liturgical and devotional practices. But a love of tradition often means, as well, a comfortability with inheriting the grand moral and theological framework of Catholicism. There is a sense that contemporary society — and their own personal, sometimes misguided decisions — have not provided them with a strong moral formation. Catholicism does just that, and this tradition is for many of these men a source of freedom and life. 

It is not always initially evident to vocation prospects that Glenmary and our ministry offers the kinds of “traditional elements” they are looking for. Certainly, Glenmarians locate themselves within the heart of Catholicism. But our ministry emerges in rural contexts without ecclesial structures, parishes, or a visible, established kind of Catholicism. Our liturgies are more often likely to take place in storefronts or barns because there is no Catholic church where we serve or in small, crowded churches because of rapid growth. 

With a closer look, men who are attracted to Glenmary see in our missionary charism one of the most ancient traditions of the Church: a desire to go to all the nations to share the good news. And the heart of this good news is Christ ever ancient, ever new, in the Eucharist.
This leads to my second observation.

A Desire for IRL Experiences

Many vocation prospects have never known a time without a smartphone or social media. Others encounter life almost exclusively online, particularly for those involved in gaming, or those who are from the “Zoom Generation” who, during the pandemic, experienced most of high school and college online. Socializing, for them, has been done with a headset, a game controller, scrolling through videos, or online classes and meetings. Even though these young men are not ready to put aside online reality completely, they have a very keen understanding about how unfulfilling online reality can be. 

To counteract this, many desire “IRL experiences.” Being of an older generation, I had to learn that this meant in real life. Prospects are consciously looking for ways to put aside their smartphones and computers and work with their hands and feet. In fact, many interested in Glenmary have some experience building, repairing, fixing, creating, and tinkering, whether with houses, cars, tractors, or art. 

Glenmary’s “blue-collared” ministry and spirituality are attractive to these men. We work with our hands and feet, repair and build, are pragmatic, and spend much time out of the church office or rectory in the homes of parishioners or frequenting the businesses of our towns. It is no surprise to me that those working or interested in more traditional, “blue-collared jobs” are contacting us. Like one of them said: “I don’t want a life relegated to a cubicle looking at a screen.”  

The young men I’m in contact with find the Glenmary-IRL adventure attractive! But they also don’t want to live these experiences alone. This brings me to my final point. 

Looking for Community 

Young men, in general, are not doing great in contemporary, American culture. Countless studies have documented this challenge. I’ve seen it in my vocation visits. I hear of it from friends and family members. 

Young adult males report fewer friends and mentors than they used to, some have none. More men are struggling in college or universities, if they even attend, have rising rates of suicidal ideation, and are more likely today to indicate that they feel isolated and alone. These are major concerns. 

Of course it seems reasonable that these young men are looking for community. They want fellowship with their peers, they desire mentors, and they want to succeed and contribute to society and the Church. Even as they want these things, though, they have not necessarily come equipped with the skillsets to cultivate friendships or sustain community due to the challenges previously mentioned. Some admit that they have not learned how to socialize well and need to ask for help.

When young men today hear that they don’t need to enter Glenmary perfectly ready to be a missioner on day one and that many folks are ready to accompany and mentor them, they feel encouraged. 

Glenmary is a community of missioners, and we wrestle with the tension between serving mission needs (which are many) and sustaining community life (which is tough). But today, more Glenmarians are recognizing that our way of life envisions us dedicated to community so that we can accomplish our mission. The more we support and love each other in community, the more effective we are as missioners in rural, Mission Land, USA.