Catholic school starts vocations class for middle school students

By Sean Gallagher

Parishes, schools and other organizations in the archdiocese do many things to encourage young people to give prayerful consideration to the vocation to which God is calling them.

St. Pius X School in Indianapolis is helping some of its middle school students do this for two months.

Nine boys in the sixth- and seventh-grades in the school are currently in the middle of an elective class on vocations that all of them chose to take. In it, they are being introduced to men and women in the archdiocese who are either discerning God’s call or have already committed themselves to their vocation. The class was open to both boys and girls.

John Leemhuis, the chairman of St. Pius X’s school commission, organized the class and is leading the course.

A 1973 graduate of the Bishop Bruté Latin School, the former archdiocesan high school seminary, Leemhuis said he hoped the students in the class will see the broad perspective on vocations that he was given when he was around a number of priest instructors on a daily basis.

“Most of our grade school kids today don’t get to know a lot of our good priests as anyone other than who says Mass on Sunday,” he said. “They don’t see them all of the time. The priests are so busy. And I’d love for kids to have the chance to meet some of the good priests around the city.”

Among the people the class was scheduled to meet are Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein; Msgr. Joseph F. Schaedel, vicar general; Father Joseph Moriarty, archdiocesan vocations director; and Father Robert Robeson, director of the Bishop Bruté House of Formation at Marian College.

In addition to meeting those ordained to the priesthood, the students have also spoke with a group of seniors at Bishop Chatard High School in Indianapolis who are just starting to discern their vocation.

They will also meet Benedictine Sister Nicolette Etienne, vocations director of Our Lady Grace Monastery in Beech Grove.

Finally, they will be introduced to some lay leaders in the archdiocese, including Rick Wagner, director of Our Lady of Fatima Retreat House, and Bernie Price, girls’ athletic director of the archdiocesan Catholic Youth Organization.

Father Moriarty, who helped Leemhuis organize the class’ curriculum, has hopeful yet realistic expectations for the class.

“My greatest hope is that we’re planting seeds,” he said, “that we’re helping these young men to realize that if the idea of priesthood—which may have never crossed their minds in the past—were to cross their mind, they’re not going to see it as something they don’t know about.”

Seventh-grader Patrick McNulty has increased his knowledge of who priests are and what they do as well as other vocations by taking the class.

“Coming in, I thought we were just going to sit and talk about preaching and stuff,” Patrick said. “Now I figured out that we get to learn about the bishop and all these other people.”

Sandra Patel, principal at St. Pius X, acknowledged the challenge that many Catholic schools face today in introducing their students to people living out various vocations and how this class might be a springboard for further efforts.

“We have no religious in our school,” she said. “It’s always hard to make sure you’re giving kids the best exposure to vocations.

“My hope is [that the class] gives us new direction in how we address vocations with our students because I have never felt good about what I’ve been able to do as a lay administrator. I certainly try my best, but I think there’s a lot I can’t do.”

In addition to introducing the students to a number of priests, religious and lay leaders in the archdiocese, Leemhuis sees the class on vocations as an opportunity to encourage the junior high students to give prayerful consideration to important life decisions that they’ll start to make in just a few years.

“I want them to think about how they will hear God’s call as they grow into being teenagers,” he said. “As they get to be in the eighth- and ninth-grade, they’re going to begin to make their own decisions … about school, friendships and peer pressure. And I hope that they would listen for hearing God’s call.”

While he believes encouraging priestly vocations is important, Leemhuis recognizes that simply introducing the young men in the class to the notion of vocations and discernment is the main purpose.

“It was never an intention that some number of kids would come out of this program thinking that they want to go to the seminary, but you never know,” he said. “We’re laying a foundation hopefully at the lowest level and at least introducing them to the priesthood, religious life and hearing God’s call.” †