Since Fr. Giera took over as vocations director last year, the office has rebranded, refocused to help men discover their true calling in life
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DETROIT — When we talk about vocations, we are really talking about our identity in Christ, says Fr. Craig Giera, director of priestly vocations for the Archdiocese of Detroit.
In the year since taking over the position from Fr. Joe Horn, Fr. Giera has restructured and rebranded the office, placing an emphasis on walking side by side with men as they discover their identities in Christ.
All of this is part of creating a culture of vocations, at parishes and within families, Fr. Giera said, and to do so, the Church first needs a sense of what a vocation is.
“First of all, we are a beloved child of God, and God wants us to be with Him in heaven,” Fr. Giera said. “And secondly, God has given us a specific task; we were created for a purpose, and that purpose is our vocation. Often, I think teens and young adults feel they need to create themselves into something, but we are already created in the image and likeness of God.
“When we talk about vocations, what we are really talking about is God’s love,” he added.
Fr. Giera took over the department amidst a pandemic, which presented unique challenges. For one thing, social distancing made it difficult to schedule in-person events, such as discernment days at the seminary or parish and classroom visits.
Instead, Fr. Giera used the time to take a good look at the department’s structure and reorganize with a new vision, including a new website, detroitpriestlyvocations.com, and identity: “Men of the Hearts.”
He began an initiative to have parishes pray the Luminous Mysteries of the rosary for vocations, and dedicated the archdiocese’s vocations efforts to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
In March, the office launched a new vocations podcast, which Fr. Giera hosts along with Fr. David Pellican, associate pastor of Divine Child Parish in Dearborn. Most recently, they interviewed Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron about his own vocation story.
Although in-person events were limited, Fr. Giera was able to launch a men’s discernment small group, which meets monthly for fellowship and discussion. Since the group’s inception, several young men have applied to the seminary.
The small group is accomplishing its goal, Fr. Giera said, “which is to create a community of discerners.”
“They don’t have to do this alone. The plan for the vocations department is to really walk with men on their journey of discovering their vocation,” Fr. Giera said. “The first goal is to walk with young men on their journey, and the second goal is to equip pastors, parents and parishes to do the same thing.”
The office focuses its efforts on men between the ages of 18 and 35, although Fr. Giera still plans to talk about vocations with young men in high school.
“My plan is to get into as many high schools (as I can) to either say Mass or be in the classroom for a couple of days, talking to theology classes, giving students an overview of what a vocation is,” Fr. Giera said.
Fr. Giera hopes to see additional discernment groups form throughout the archdiocese, creating a network of priests who can walk alongside men in their discernment. The archdiocese’s transition to “families of parishes” could help with that, he said.
Even with the added challenge of the pandemic, Fr. Giera said men are still being called to the priesthood, and his office is present to help men answer that call. (Paul Duda | Detroit Catholic)
“I can only meet with men so often,” Fr. Giera said. “Some of these men just need a spiritual director or someone to talk to on a regular basis. What I would like is for these priests to be another person to talk to on their journey.”
When Fr. Giera became director of priestly vocations a year ago, he emphasized that helping young men open their eyes and hearts to beauty might be the key to hearing the call to their vocation.
“Everybody is attracted to beauty, and to show the beauty of God can be a great enticement for men to say ‘yes’ to their vocation,” Fr. Giera said.
“Beauty doesn’t have to be in an image or artwork, although we took great pains to make sure our logo and branding conveyed something that was not only beautiful, but could be attractive to a young man who is considering the priesthood,” Fr. Giera said. “We really focused on that beauty, the beauty of harmony.”
Above all, though, Fr. Giera doesn’t discount the power of person-to-person engagement, and he makes an effort to reach out personally to every young man inquiring about a vocation.
“We are making it clear that we don’t want to miss anybody, so if someone calls, I will be in contact with them,” he said. “No one will get lost in the cracks.”
Even with the added challenge of the pandemic, Fr. Giera said men are still being called to the priesthood, and his office is present to help men answer that call.
“It seems that God’s voice is still loud enough even in the midst of a pandemic to be able to reach the hearts of men who are considering the priesthood,” he said. “We are still getting men who are stepping up to the challenge.”
Men of the Hearts
To inquire about a priestly vocation in the Archdiocese of Detroit, schedule a discernment weekend or speak to Fr. Craig Giera, visit detroitpriestlyvocations.com.
