On Saturday 19 July we celebrated the ordination to the sacred priesthood of Fr Gerard (Gerry) Bowen.
Fr Gerry first felt the call to the priesthood when he received First Holy Communion, but he said: “I was too scared at first, about what I was saying no to, as it meant not getting married or having my own children”. He went on to become a primary school teacher, but he still felt God’s call. 
He said: “As a teacher what got stronger is the feeling that this is what God wants me to do. At 30, I thought: ‘God has looked after me, so if I genuinely want to go to priesthood, I should do it.’” He asked for a sign, and on the Feast of St Mary the Mother of God, he saw a leaflet he hadn’t noticed before: Do You Have a Vocation? 
Fr Gerry adds: “It was really helpful, and one question was ‘Am I worthy enough?’ Then my thoughts turned to ‘’what am I saying YES to?’. That gave me the strength to get in touch with the Diocese.”
When he got to the seminary, he said: “It just felt right.”
On his career as a teacher, Fr Gerry said: “I don’t feel that my time as a teacher had been wasted, but a part of me wished I’d gone to seminary sooner.”
But, he adds: “My teaching experience will be helpful with interacting with the public - my experience is not just with children but also how to talk to parents and how you encourage them.  
“I’d like to think that having teaching skills under my belt will help me to preach the faith.”
When asked what advice he would give to anyone considering the priesthood, he said:
“One of the things I found really helpful, aside from the leaflet, was discernment weekends by the Vocations Office. Not just because of seeing what seminary life was like but being able to speak to people with the same fears, and different life situations. I got inspiration from that, and inspiration from people who were like me, too. 
“I’d encourage people to go to these weekends to talk to other people. Having a good prayer life really helps as well. I go to Mount St Bernard to get away from the world and on pilgrimage and retreats to be comfortable talking with God.”

From Fr Craig Szmidt, Vocations Director:

For Christ not only adorns with a royal priesthood the people he has made his own, 
but with a brother’s kindness he also chooses men 
to become sharers in his sacred ministry through the laying on of hands.
 
Every year at the Chrism Mass, I am struck by these words from the Preface – words that are prayed at every ordination.  Through the Laying on of Hands and the Prayer of Ordination, the man kneeling before the Altar is conformed to the image of Jesus, as his whole life reflects His love for us.  
 
This weekend, we look forward to the second ordination in our Archdiocese this year.  Last Sunday, the Cathedral was the setting for the ordination of Paul Milton to the Permanent Diaconate.  We pray for Rev Gerard Bowen as he prepares for ordination to the sacred priesthood this Saturday.
 
An ordination, like a marriage or religious profession, is always a moment to rejoice.  But more than that, it is a profound moment when we witness God powerfully at work among us.  
 
Every July, I am mindful that this month marks the ordination anniversaries of many of our priests, deacons and bishops.  Whatever month an anniversary falls – be it marriage, religious profession, or ordination – it is occasion to celebrate: a moment to look to the past with thanksgiving and to the future with great hope.  
 
As Vocation Director, it is always a joy to witness the ordination of men to the priesthood and diaconate and their years of formation.  I invite you to join me in praying the Diocesan Prayer for Vocations as we pray for an increase in vocations to the single life, married life, consecrated life and particularly that more men will respond with courage to the Lord’s personal invitation to follow Him as priests and deacons for our Archdiocese.  ​