St. Patrick-St. Vincent Catholic High School’s massive gymnasium rocked.

“We Are The Light of the World” sang out the 600-plus voices of its student body.

Joining them, center stage, were 40 priests, women religious, seminarians and deacons.

There were too many smiles in the room to leave any doubt that “vocations day” was off and rolling.

This is the second year officials at the Vallejo Catholic high school have invited clergy and women religious to visit religious education classrooms.

“The students are still talking about what happened last year,” said event coordinator Father Vic Teneza, parochial vicar of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Vallejo. He is also chaplain at St. Patrick-St. Vincent. “This day is very close to my heart,” he said.

The event was inspired by the diocesan synod’s Pastoral Initiative 2, which encourages priests and religious to share their personal stories about their vocation.

It was also an opportunity to get out the word that there is more than one path to serve God.

“We need people to respond to that invitation, people from different walks of life,” said Father Brian Atienza, director of vocations for the diocese, during a Mass that started the day.

At one point during his homily, Father Atienza presented his original “take” on the Gospel story of Jesus selecting the Twelve Apostles.

“You hear Jesus choosing his disciples — Matthew, Peter, Simon, John, Paul and Ringo,” he said, a smile crossing his face as the name of the unscripted apostle’s name sunk in. “God extends that invitation to each and every one of us to heal the sick, to feed the hungry.”

Father Loreto Rojas, pastor of St. Isidore Parish in Yuba City, spent much of the day talking to sophomores about his life growing up in the Philippines. He spoke of his admiration for parents and siblings who chose a vocation in medicine, healing people who seldom could pay for treatment.

“I wanted to be like my father, who was actually giving his life to serve people,” said Father Rojas, who entered a high school seminary primarily because of its academic excellence.

It was not until 1994, after having enrolled as a medical student at the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, that Father Rojas discovered another calling.

“I realized I liked service, I liked healing and I wanted to give back the gifts I had received,” he said. “As a priest, I could be like my father, serving people.”

It was a story that caught the attention of St. Patrick-St. Vincent sophomore Charlie Podrebarac.

“Father Rojas didn’t really expect to be sitting here today,” Podrebarac said. “I kind of admire he told us that. It’s something that could happen to me.”

Another presenter at vocations day, Mercy Sister Maria Campos, associate director of vocations for the diocese, told students it was by listening to her heart she discovered a vocation quite different from what her parents, who expected her to marry, had anticipated.

As a high school sophomore volunteering at the Sacramento Food Bank, she found what gave her joy was serving the poor.

“I knew I had a different calling,” Sister Campos said.

Father Daniel Madigan, Sacramento Food Bank founder, took her to meet the Sisters of Mercy in Auburn, and after one year of discernment Sister Campos knew where she wanted to spend the rest of her life.

It was a path that would take her to places she had never dreamed about, to ministries in Peru, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico.

As vocations day came to an end, sophomore Tiffany Orias found herself exploring some options of her own.

“One priest was saying his church was like a family,” she said. “If you marry you still have a family, just not as big. You can still help others by serving in your community.”

Mary Ellen Ryan, principal of St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School, said many valuable life lessons had been passed on to students.

“You plant seeds and something will happen,” Ryan said.

Copyright © 2006 Diocese of Sacramento - All Rights Reserved