‘It was awesome!’: Teenage boys embrace the opportunity to learn about priesthood

Conrad Otten, a member of St. John Vianney Parish in Fishers, Ind., in the Lafayette Diocese, left, and Matthew Biehl, front row, a member of St. Gabriel Parish in Connersville, kneel in prayer on July 8 during a Mass in the chapel of Bishop Simon Bruté College Seminary in Indianapolis during the archdiocese’s annual Bishop Bruté Days vocations camp. Also taking part in the camp are Joshua Fuller, second from left, of Our Lady of the Greenwood Parish in Greenwood, and Joshua Skidmore, right, a member of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish in Indianapolis. (Photos by Sean Gallagher)

By Sean Gallagher

ST. MARY-OF-THE-WOODS and TERRE HAUTE—Some of the 64 boys from across central and southern Indiana and beyond who took part in Bishop Bruté Days, the archdiocese’s annual vocations camp held this year on July 7-10, might be future priests for the Church in central and southern Indiana.

And several archdiocesan seminarians who are previous camp participants helped run the camp this year.

While the majority of Bishop Bruté Days take place at Bishop Simon Bruté College Seminary in Indianapolis, the potential future priests joined Father Michael Keucher, archdiocesan vocations director, in pilgrimage on July 9 at St. Joseph University Parish in Terre Haute, where they prayed at the resting place of Father Simon Lalumiere, the first man born in Indiana to serve the Church here. (Related: See a photo gallery from the event)

In a homily during Mass celebrated on that day in St. Joseph Church, Father Keucher told the Bishop Bruté Days participants about Father Lalumiere.

He shared with them that the priest served at the same time as other saints and hopeful future saints—St. John Vianney, the patron saint of priests canonized 100 years ago; St. Theodora Guérin, a co-patron saint of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis; and Servant of God Bishop Simon Bruté, the first bishop of Vincennes, Ind., which later became the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.

“Father Lalumiere was a very faithful man,” Father Keucher said. “We look to his example, to the example of Mother Theodore Guérin, to the example of St. John Vianney, to the example of Bishop Bruté and we say, ‘Lord, help me care that much about heaven. Help me care that much about souls. Help me do my best to say yes to whatever it is that you call me to do, … just as they did.’ ”

In addition to visiting the crypt of St. Joseph Church, the Bishop Bruté Days participants also prayed at the tomb of St. Theodora Guérin on the campus of the motherhouse of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.

Ian McKiernan, a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish and soon-to-be senior at Father Thomas Scecina Memorial High School, both in Indianapolis, said praying at the resting place of Father Lalumiere and Mother Theodore “was quite profound.”

“It reminded me that you don’t have to be such a profound person,” said Ian. “Just going out there and giving yourself to the Church is one of the greatest things that you can do.”

‘That’s what keeps bringing me back’

This year’s Bishop Bruté Days drew 22 junior high-aged boys from 15 parishes throughout the state for its event on July 7.

The 64 teenage boys who took part in the high school Bishop Bruté Days on July 8-10 came from 26 parishes across central and southern Indiana, plus other faith communities in the Evansville and Lafayette dioceses and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

This year was the second time that Matthew Green, a member of St. Joseph Parish in Shelbyville, attended Bishop Bruté Days. He enjoyed the outdoor games at the event, such as team dodgeball, “capture the flag” and “knock out” played on the seminary’s basketball court.

But he also appreciated the prayerfulness of his peers.

“It was just really powerful to see so many high school boys get completely silent in front of the Blessed Sacrament when they’re usually goofing off,” said Matthew. “Seeing their reverence and devotion was very powerful.”

The camp interspersed times for social and athletic activities with prayer: daily Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours, the rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy and the opportunity for the sacrament of penance.

A eucharistic adoration holy hour took place daily, too. In addition, boys in the camp signed up for shifts of adoration through each night of the camp.

Patrick Egan, a member of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross Parish in Bright who will be a homeschooled sophomore this fall, took a 2-3 a.m. shift. It was his first time attending Bishop Bruté Days.

“It was awesome,” Patrick said. “We were all tired. But for the love of God, we powered through. Father Keucher had said that God really talks to you in the hours of the night and early morning. And he really does. It was a really powerful experience.”

After taking part in Bishop Bruté Days for the first time, Patrick said he “absolutely” wants to do it again.

“It was awesome to meet all these guys,” he said. “Seeing how they live through their faith was really empowering for me. I loved watching how God works through them. It helped me to find new ways to pray and think about things.”

Ian McKiernan said he attended Bishop Bruté Days three years ago because “my dad kind of just sent me here.” His first experience has led him back twice.

“There was something there about the adoration and the love I saw in people for the Church that opened my eyes to the fullness of what I can gain from loving Jesus and his Church,” said Ian. “I think that’s what keeps bringing me back.”

Max Ecoff, a new archdiocesan seminarian from Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish in Indianapolis, is a former Bishop Bruté Days participant. He had experiences at it much like those who took part this year.

Now, as an incoming first-year seminarian at Bishop Bruté, he helped lead the camp.

“I just want to give these guys the experience I had when I [attended] Bruté Days a few years ago,” said Ecoff. “Maybe it will help them in their discernment. Maybe some of them will be brother seminarians in a few years.”

Fostering a ‘culture of vocations’

Father Keucher sees signs for hope in the growing faithfulness of those who keep coming back to Bishop Bruté Days and in the support of their parents who send them to the camp.

“The growth of Bruté Days shows that a culture of vocations is truly taking form and growing in the archdiocese, in our schools, in our families, in our youth groups,” said Father Keucher. “It’s becoming more of a normal thing for young men to say, ‘I’m thinking about the priesthood. I’m thinking about the seminary,’ and for their friends to say, ‘That’s awesome.’ ”

Some of the people who supported the culture of vocations found at Bishop Bruté Days were volunteers who helped provide meals, such as members of the Serra Club of Indianapolis and the Knights of Columbus.

Dan Murphy and fellow members of St. Malachy Knights of Columbus Council 12540 in Brownsburg have supported the vocations camp for several years.

“One of the things that the Knights of Columbus does is to support all vocations, seminarians certainly being part of that,” Murphy said. “It’s a great opportunity for us. And we have a little bit of fun doing it at the same time.”

Part of that fun is watching how quickly the grateful teenage boys ate the supper the Knights provided.

“There is certainly no shortage of kids who love pizza,” Murphy said with a laugh. “They consumed about 36 pizzas here in about 20 minutes. They’re growing boys.”

That support could also be seen in the parents of the participants who attended the closing Mass of Bishop Bruté Days on July 10, celebrated outdoors on the seminary’s campus.

Renae Schoenig, a member of Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Beech Grove, is the mother of Dominic Schoenig, who took part in the camp.

She was encouraged by seeing so many other parents from across the archdiocese being supportive of their sons discerning a possible priestly vocation.

“It’s a really beautiful experience,” Schoenig said. “And it’s a great extension of the vocational discussions and awareness that we have in our household. We want our children to be open to God’s will.

“He calls people at different times to whatever their vocation is. We all want to support the different vocations. This is a beautiful way for that to flower more in the larger Church, outside of our domestic Church.”
 

(For more information about a vocation to the priesthood in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, visit HearGodsCall.com.) †

 

Related: See a photo gallery from the event