Pray For Priests, Thank Your Priests

The month is almost over. Over the past day, I have been thinking a great deal about Fr. Evan Harkins. I didn’t know Fr. Harkins personally, but it is always sad to hear of suicide and hearing of that about a young priest hit close to home.

As the Director of Vocations for the Province of St. Martin de Porres, I try to cover as much territory as possible, spreading the word of God and inviting men to life as a Dominican friar. All Vocation Directors know the challenge of presenting a balanced view of the priesthood and religious life. Like in any vocation, there are ups and downs, failures and accomplishments. There is the temptation to present only the happy, insta-worthy aspects of the life. But anyone who has been around priests and religious know that they are human - we get angry, sad, scared, happy, surprised, and everything else. We study a lot, we pray a lot, we take on sacrifices and penances. We have friends, we are part of a community. We also have struggles.

Hearing about Fr. Evan Harkins on social media was a shock, especially because just a few weeks earlier an article about Pope Francis saying that priests need friends made the rounds on the same social media channels.

Priests are susceptible to the same temptations and problems as anyone else. Priests need friends just like anyone else.

Pray for Fr. Harkins, his family, all those who loved him. Pray as well for all priests, including your priests. Pray for the men discerning the priesthood and religious life. Pray for those who are struggling with sorrow, depression, loneliness, or despair. Often, priests, because of who they are and who they think people want them to be, can’t bring themselves to share their pain.

Thank your priests.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.