Fr. Michael Williams

This Sunday has been designated ‘World Day of Prayer for Vocations’. It’s a day when we pray and promote vocations to the priesthood and religious life. The Archbishop has asked the priests of the Archdiocese to speak about their own call to the priesthood, their call to be good shepherds to God’s flock, His sheep.

I suppose I first thought about becoming a priest, when I was an alter boy in my home parish of Holy Name in Fazakerley. I remember a friend and I would pretend to say Mass at our homes using digestive biscuits and ribena. One day I remember calling around at my friends house and his mum opened the door. I heard my friend Phil shout down to his mum: ‘If that’s Michael don’t let him in! He always makes me laugh when I try to say Mass’.

So it seemed my potential vocation to the priesthood looked pretty unpromising at a young age. It continued to seemingly disappear as I got older. At the age of sixteen I’d left school and I was working and earning money- so football matches and nightclubs and girlfriends was the order of the day for me. From my perspective I was a million miles away from a vocation to the priesthood. What I was to be in the future had not yet be revealed. If some of the people I used to associate with in those days now knew I was a Catholic priest now they would be dumbfounded.

But I often think that throughout my later teens and early twenties when God was not too much in my mind, God must have been looking at me and thinking I’ve got a surprise for you! Someone once said if you want to make God laugh tell Him your plans!

I would say that God began calling me back to Himself, when I was in my early to mid twenties. I think God showed me the futility of my lifestyle at that time and I began to become more spiritual. I started reading my little red Gideon Bible which I’d been given at school, but had never looked at it up until this point. Through this Bible I began to listen to the voice of the Lord. I also started reading other spiritual books and enjoying religious art. I remember one picture in the Walker Art Gallery particularly struck me. It’s called the Virgin and Child in Glory, and it’s by the Spanish artist Murillo. Through this picture, and through other means, I felt Our Lady came into my life in a very powerful way. She began to bring me closer to Christ, her Son. I began to get back into my faith very strongly. Our Lady is always involved in an authentic priestly vocation, as she is the Mother of the Great High Priest of our Faith- Jesus Christ. I can honestly say if it wasn’t for Our Lady I wouldn’t be a priest today!

Whatever our vocation we need this Mother in our lives, as she is the Mother of the whole Christ. She’s the Mother of Christ- the Head; and she’s the Mother of His Body, the Church- that’s you! The month of May is an opportunity for us all to deepen our relationship with her.

It’s now approaching five years since my ordination to the priesthood, and when you reach certain points, it is an opportunity to reflect on the story so far. One thing I do know is that a call to the priesthood is God’s work. As I said it was definitely not my idea! But once that call comes it’s irresistible, more powerful than anything on this earth. So powerful that you are prepared to lay down your life, to give everything you have, for the service of God and His Holy Church. Laying down your life as a priest, or religious, involves celibacy. To give up the very good reality that is marriage, for the greatest good that exists- God. Celibacy gives the priest freedom from earthly ties to focus completely on the Lord’s affairs. As St Paul writes in 1 Corinthians: ‘The unmarried man is anxious about the Lord’s affairs alone’.

The vocation to the priesthood is the call to do the work of the Christ, the Good Shepherd; to be a leader, teacher and to make holy the people of God by praying for them and giving them the Sacraments- those most potent manifestations of God’s grace. Christ set up His Church from the beginning with priests. Those first apostles were ordinary men called to do extraordinary things. It’s the same today. In the five years of priesthood I’ve had, there have been lots of amazing graces- too many to mention.

Interestingly, my friend who was the altar boy with me pretending to say Mass is now married with three lovely children. He was the friend I went to see in Australia at the beginning of the year. He was called to that vocation; the disruptive one was called to the priesthood!

So please pray for more vocations to the priesthood and religious life, and let’s pray for those who are called, that they will be faithful to their calling of serving God’s people.