What is a Vocations Director?

Monday, September 1, 2008

Father Manny Alvarez

Greetings to all my friends out there in the blogosphere. I’m Father Manny Alvarez, vocations director for the Archdiocese of Miami. First, a little bit about myself. I’ve been a priest for over six years. I’m a Miami boy, born and raised here in the Magic City to Cuban parents. I’ve been assigned to St. Agnes Parish in Key Biscayne, St. Brendan Parish in Westchester, and I currently reside at St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami. I am an avid sports fan who is eagerly anticipating football season of my beloved Dolphins and Canes. In my free time you can usually catch me at Marlins games, or not see me at all since I would probably be catching up with my favorite TV show. (TiVo is one of the greatest inventions ever, especially for a priest!)

Anyway, enough about myself. So what does a vocations director do? Basically, it is my responsibility to recruit the next generation of priests for the Archdiocese of Miami. Easier said than done, right? I go around to different parishes and schools talking to young people about vocations and the possibility that God indeed might be calling one of them to a vocation to the priesthood or religious life.

If a young man expresses an interest in the priesthood, I meet with him personally to help him discern whether or not God may be calling him to this great ministry. We also hold monthly discernment group meetings where young men gather who have thought about the priesthood. The seminary also hosts two Vocation Awareness Weekends every year where they invite potential candidates to spend a weekend in the seminary and experience the life of a seminarian. I also plan different events throughout the year to motivate young people to think about vocations.

Once a young man decides to apply for seminary, it is my job to guide him through the rigorous application process which includes a lengthy application, an autobiography, three interviews with members of our Archdiocesan Vocations Board, and two days of psychological testing. (Trust me, it’s not as bad as it sounds). If he’s accepted by the archbishop to be a seminarian, then I send him off to seminary where I basically shepherd them through the 7- to 9-year formation program until the day they are, God willing, ordained to the priesthood. On ordination day, it is the role of the vocations director to formally present the candidates, in the name of God’s people, to the archbishop for ordination to the priesthood.

Of course, the vocations director needs the help and prayers of all of you to pray for vocations and for our seminarians so that God may send us good and holy priests. For me, it is indeed a privilege to have a front row seat in witnessing the formation of the future priests of the archdiocese, and, my friends, looking at the 34 wonderful seminarians we currently have, the future looks bright!

Father Manny Alvarez
Vocations Director

Comments from readers

Iliana Artime - 09/07/2008 01:36 AM: This blog thing is a fabulous idea...I will continue to keep voations as part of my daily prayers...Father Manny Thanks for all you do!

Fr. Alejandro Roque, OMI - 09/04/2008 11:00 PM: Dear Fr. Manny,

Congratulations on your current assignement to serve the Church and the people of South Florida as Vocation Director. I am happy to see the wonderful support and response that you've been receiving throughout these past few days in your BLOG on VOCATIONS. I pray that many more of our faithful - laity, clergy and religious - will get involved and contribute to this important cause not only in a BLOG, but especially right there where they work and worship in our Parish Communities in South Florida.

I do pray that this simple contribution will make it on your 'BLOG' this time around. The one I sent you on Labor Day (September 1) apparently did not quite make it. In it I shared a little bit of my personal vocation (right here in Miami) to serve the Church as a Priest and a Religious, through a call to the Consecrated Life. If you or your bloggers are interested to read about it, I can forwarded to this site once more... I saved the text.

In Jesus and Mary,

Fr. Alex Roque, OMI
Pastor of St. Stephen Church
and former National Vocation Director for the
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate

Father Manny - 09/04/2008 04:14 PM: Hey friends,

Thanks for the additional comments. Keep them coming. I would be more than happy to answer more questions on Vocations Ministry and our future priests.

To Heidi and my good friend Myriam, thanks again for your support and prayers.

To Deacon Venezia, I hope to see those young men who were fired up by the TEC on Labor Day weekend and are thinking about the priesthood at our next Vocation Awareness Weekend at St. John Vianney on November 7, 8, and 9. Go to www.miamivocations.com for more information.

To William, I do remember you from St. John Neumann and your suggestion. While I cannot control what gets published in the Florida Catholic (Ana and her team do a great job promoting vocations every year!), I can control the Vocations Office website where all the seminarians' names are listed along with their pictures and brief bios. Just go to our website, www.miamivocations.com, and click the "Meet the Seminarians" tab. You'll find our seminarians listed by their year of formation. I encourage everyone who reads this to visit that page and "adopt" one of our seminarians in prayer. I know many groups and parishes who pray for a different seminarian every day. I know of one parish, St. Catherine of Siena, that prays for a different seminarian during every daily mass. There is so much we can do to continue to pray to the divine harvest master to send us more workers.

Keep the comments coming! God bless!

William VanderWyden - 09/03/2008 05:13 PM: Thank you, Father Alvarez, for this update on formation in the Archdiocese. I have heard you preach on vocations at liturgy at SJN, and we communicated by email after a trip West that I made in the summer of 2007. You may recall that I informed you that the diocesan newspaper in Wyoming listed all the seminarians and their contact information so that the People of God could pray for them. I have been doing just that with regularity for many seminarians studying for the Diocese of Cheyenne, Wyoming, and by the work of the Spirit I was invited to an ordination in Wyoming, this past June, where one of the fellows I had been praying for by name was ordained tio the priesthood. This connection with a fellow that I did not even know personally until his ordination day truly has been a high point in by Catholic Faith. As I celebrated the liturgy there with his family and friends, the universality of the Church was made even more apparent. I suggest that we publish the names periodically in The Florida Catholic so that we can pray for our own seminarians by name. I know that the names are published sometimes in Dialogue, from St. Vincent de Paul Seminary, but I imagine few South Florida Catholics know that. Anyway, just a suggestion. May the Lord continue to guide you and bless you in His work. Thanks for the article.

Deacon Richard Venezia - 09/02/2008 08:43 PM: Your letter is so timely! The sixth Miami TEC (To Encounter Christ) retreat concluded yesterday and during the closing exercises I was able to participate in a very moving happening. TEC is a Catholic retreat movement for young adults, and I serve as the Spiritual Director in the Archdiocese. The other spiritual director on the retreat told the participants and team ''- nearly seventy of us ''- that if anyone had felt even a slight stirring of a call to the ordained or consecrated life, it would be very apropriate to spend some meaningful time in prayerful discernment, particurlarly with a qualified mentor. He invited those who would answer such a call if they were to truly hear it to come forward. Approximately fifteen young men and women came forward and we prayed over each individually, asking as today's first reading says that they might know the mind of Jesus in this regard. I had the pleasure recently to "train" Fr. Luke Ballman regarding the process of serving as the spiritual director on a TEC retreat. Fr Luke is the Vocations Director of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Afterwards he noted that TEC is a "gold mine for vocations." I have every confidence that there will be vocations coming from the Miami TEC community. "How can people preach unless they are sent?" Romans 10:15

Mirian Novoa Rodriguez - 09/02/2008 05:17 PM: Hi Manny - we get the updates to the blog through the school's email and I had to respond to YOU. You know that you are never far from my thoughts and prayers and that I admire your dedication to "recruiting" as we desperately need to continue the search for those willing to serve and lead. You know you're always welcome at St. Agatha (which by the way you didn't mention in your personal history). :) Sending you a huge hug of support and hoping to see you soon.
Going to email you today as well so check that later.

Heidi - 09/02/2008 08:23 AM: Father Alvarez - I had the pleasure to see you preach, or should I say, adore Jesus, at St. Louis a few months ago. I was very impressed with your love for the Lord, and I learned to ask God to allow me to learn to love him as you obviously do. Thank you for you opened up a whole new world to me. The seminarians are very lucky to have someone like you guiding them - thank you for taking the time to help them on their way!

Father Manny - 09/01/2008 08:06 PM: Wow! I didn't think we would get so many comments on a holiday, but I'm glad so many of you took the time to add to this ongoing "cyber conversation".

Thanks to Chris, Martha, and Sara for your prayers and support!

To Monica and Maggie, I would be honored to visit the youth groups at your parishes. Please call the Vocations Office so we can set it up (305-762-1152). And Maggie, fear not about your son possibly joining seminary after high school. I did the same thing 15 years ago and have been ordained for over 6 years now.

Deacon Plummer, thanks for your very important insights into the need to see vocations in a broader context. I usually begin most vocations talks by saying that the first vocation of every Christian is the universal call to holiness. We're all called to be saints, and there are two sacraments that are dedicated to service: Holy Orders and Marriage. We always pray for holy priests, but there is such a great need for holy marriages! As Deacon Plummer rightly points out, there are also many vocations of service such as religious brothers and sisters, deacons, consecrated laity, and lay ministers (Cheryl Whapman and Sister Sylvia will speak about lay ministry and religious life, respectively, over the next few weeks). While the main emphasis of my ministry is to foster vocations to the priesthood, when I talk to young people, I always emphasize the importance of our fundamental vocation as Christians to love and to serve others as Christ loves us every moment of our lives.

Ok, that's almost another blog there. But I look forward, as time allows me, to continue answering your questions and continuing this conversation during the rest of the week.

P.S. Pray for the good people in the Gulf Coast.

Maggie Laino - 09/01/2008 06:49 PM: Hi Father Manny,
This blog is great, you answered some questions I had in regards to the application process. As a member of St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church in Plantation and a member of St. Gregory's Vocations Committee we would love to extend an invitation to you to come to St. Gregory's and speak to the men of our parish. As the mother of a teen who anxiously awaits his high school graduation so that he may join the seminary I can only say it is amazing to see how God is calling him to a deeper relationship with him. I am often told that is is unheard of for a teenager to want to become a priest and as his mother I am very proud of him and support him 100%. God Bless you and all of the men and women who serve our communities in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Mike Plummer - 09/01/2008 03:16 PM: Father Manny Alvarez,

Great job at explaining the role of vocations director for priesthood. We need great priests, now more than ever, but we also need to help people see vocations in a broader context - vocations to service in the diaconate, religious life, and commited careers in lay ministry. Can you addresss any of these other critical vocations needs in a future blog?

Keep up the good work.

Deacon Mike Plummer

Monica Vega - 09/01/2008 03:03 PM: God bless you for all you do, Father Manny! If you would visit a high school youth group to talk about vocations, you are more than welcome to visit the one I lead! God bless.

Sara Torres - 09/01/2008 02:58 PM: Fr. �lvarez, may the Lord continue to guide you as you do this wonderful and very important work for our Church. Our prayers for you and for many new vocations to the priesthood are offered in every mass at my community of Good Shepherd Catholic Church. In Jesus our Lord and our Blessed mother Mary, Sara T.

Martha Selaya - 09/01/2008 01:06 PM: Father Manny Alvarez:
Thank you for the overall outlook of your duties as Director of Vocations. What you do is so important, and I think your visits to the different parish is a great way to meet possible seminarian candidates for the priesthood.
Count on my prayers for you and for all the seminarians, as well as for those who are considering the priesthood vocation; that all may have the right discern from the Holy Spirit as well. God bless you. Martha Selaya

Chris Wills - 09/01/2008 12:52 PM: Father, the work you do as vocations director for our Archdiocese is so very important and I hope and pray that the entire Catholic community of South Florida will continue committing to full support of our Seminarians and all those discerning a vocation to the priesthood or religious life. My cousin is currently a seminarian for the Jesuit order and is studying in the Dominican Republic. He alsways asks friends and family to consider offering the prayer of one Hail Mary daily for him and all Seminarians and I beleive this is a simple thing we can do daily to entrust to Mary, the men and women who are fully devoting their lives to serve God and His children. May God continue to bless your work Father Manny!