For nine days, leading up to the feast of St. John Vianney, August 4, my parish prayed a novena for vocations to the priesthood.

Then, on August 4, at the 5 p.m. vigil mass, we had a special mass to conclude the novena. The celebrant was a newly ordained priest from our diocese, with six other priests from my parish (those assigned and those in residence) concelebrating. (Your Humble Blogger served as deacon.) The new priest’s parents were there, and the mass was very well-attended. It was a beautiful and inspiring event for all, and it may well have caused a few people to ponder a vocation to the priesthood.

Now, we have a thriving altar server society, comprised of about 90 kids, some in high school. They are a loyal and very devoted bunch, and they always do us proud; there’s nothing quite like the Easter Triduum at our parish, with dozens of young people in cassocks and surplices bearing candles and incense — it’s just breathtaking.

Were any of the altar servers in our parish inspired by the mass that concluded our novena?

Hard to say. Only one of the five assigned for the mass showed up.

I may be wrong, but I don’t think the mass made that big an impression on her.

Photo: from St. James Cathedral, Seattle