Recent Blog Posts

The most recent blog posts from OYM Bloggers.

Year of the Priest Part IV: I Get To Be A Priest

I have always tried to look at my priesthood as a gift from God and like any gift it is something that I can lose or break if I am not careful. I am pretty certain that no one enters into marriage in a hope to one day go through a divorce and in a similar way, I do not believe anyone gets ordained a priest on a trial basis but rather he intends to be a priest of God for the rest of his life. However, I also know that there are many “ex-priests” out there. I therefore try to never take my vocation for granted. Here are four things that I do to personally nurture my vocation. Read more »

Submitted by Fr. Thomas Pastorius on March 14, 2010 - 6:48pm

Fr. Thomas Pastorius's blog

Stinky Face

My son is almost 13 months old and one of the books he really likes (and so do I) is called, I love you stinky face. In this book the mother tells her son, “I love you my wonderful child,” but the son replies with a series of questions. One of the questions is, “But Mama, what if I was a super-smelly skunk and everyone called me stinky face, would you still love me then?”
The boy’s mother comes up with a clever answer to every question and also tells her son that she loves him, no matter if he is a one-eyed monster, an allegator, or any other creature.
I love this story because it is cute and funny, but also because it speaks so much of God’s Love for us!

Read more »

Submitted by Tom Lancia on March 9, 2010 - 5:34pm

Tom Lancia's blog

Walking in the Desert...

I have been feeling reminiscent lately, and I've been looking back over stuff from the past. This is a blog I wrote two years ago when I was serving in Bolivia - thought I'd share it...

"This has been such an eye opening, inspiring and different Lenten journey for me this year. It has been awesome to walk with the people here, and to share in their lives a little bit more each day. Read more »

Submitted by Fr. Brian Fischer on March 9, 2010 - 4:39pm

Fr. Brian Fischer's blog

Arguing with Jesus?

Four blogs later.. Read more »

Submitted by Ron Garcia on March 5, 2010 - 11:44am

Ron Garcia's blog

I am addicted

Have you ever felt as if some temptations are too strong to overcome, like you cannot pull yourself up by your boot straps to overcome the evil that Satan wants you to do? We are creatures of habit. Sometimes we form good habits (virtues) and sometimes our fallen nature is more visible in bad habits (vices). Bad habits can become harmful addictions where we become enslaved by the habit. Have you ever felt like you are praying the same prayer over and over, “Lord please help me. I don’t ever want to do that again”? Read more »

Submitted by Greg Robeson on March 3, 2010 - 10:01pm

Greg Robeson's blog

Year of the Priest: Part 3 - Discernment

I entered the seminary my freshman year of college with seven other guys from St. Louis. We came from all over the St. Louis area and with widely varied personal histories but we all came to the seminary to explore the possibility that God was calling us to serve Him and His Church as Roman Catholic priests. Out of the eight guys that started the seminary together, I was the only one who would eventually be ordained a priest. I am certain though that some of the guys who were a part of my freshman class were better qualified to be a priest than I was but in the end the other seven discerned that God was not calling them to priesthood. I think about this a lot because it is a reminder to me that God has a specific plan for each person and He requires each person to discern his or her vocation in life. Read more »

Submitted by Fr. Thomas Pastorius on February 21, 2010 - 10:20pm

Fr. Thomas Pastorius's blog

Humor at work

I received this as an email last week and thought it was funny, but true! I wanted to share with all! Read more »

Submitted by rosanne twellman on February 9, 2010 - 1:08pm

rosanne twellman's blog

Year of the Priest: Part 2 – Burn Notice

One of my favorite television shows is Burn Notice on USA. It is a show about a spy who has been fired. One of the unique features of this show are the periodic voice-overs by the main character, Michael Weston, describing why he is doing what he is doing. At the beginning of one recent episode Michael explains that there really is no such thing as the “lone spy” because spies need support from others if they are to accomplish their mission. In a similar way there is no such thing as the “lone seminarian” because for a young man to discern a possible call to the priesthood he will need the support of his family, friends, and parish in order to overcome the obstacles that the world and the devil place in front of him. I know that in following my own call to the priesthood I would not have made it to ordination if it were not for the support I received from others. Read more »

Submitted by Fr. Thomas Pastorius on February 2, 2010 - 12:21pm

Fr. Thomas Pastorius's blog

The Statistics are In

It has always amazed me how quickly Steubenville registration slots fill up when group registration opens online. I was amazed yet again, as this year we had over 2000 more slots available than we had in years past, and they still filled up in record time.

Spots Remaining - Steubenville Registrations
Spots remaining: none. Read more »