Fr. Burke Masters

NOVEMBER 2009

NEWSLETTER FROM THE

DIOCESE OF JOLIET VOCATION OFFICE

Fr. Burke Masters

402 S. Independence Blvd.

Romeoville, IL 60446

815-834-4004

 

Sorry that this Newsletter is late.  We just celebrated the ordination to the Diaconate for five of our seminarians yesterday – Raed Bader, Stephen Eickhoff, John Lindsey, Josh Miller and Jason Stone.  It was a wonderful celebration at Our Lady of Mercy in Aurora with Bishop Sartain and Bishop-Elect Joseph Siegel.  I want to thank all of you who attended and all who helped behind the scenes for the ordination.  We hope that you can join these five men for the priesthood ordination on June 5, 2010 at 11am at the Cathedral of St. Raymond in Joliet.

 

October was spent traveling to visit our seminarians at three different seminaries.  I always enjoy spending time with our men and encouraging them in their vocation.  I was able to visit Conception Seminary College, St. Meinrad Seminary and Mundelein Seminary.  Bishop and I are very proud of all of the men studying for the Diocese of Joliet!  I repeatedly hear from faculty and other seminarians that Joliet has a great group of men.  The Lord is doing some wonderful things here in our Diocese!

 

The priests of the Diocese of Joliet gathered for our Convocation October 5-8, 2009.  It was a wonderful time of fraternity with our bishops and my fellow priests.

 

Three young men attended our first Quo Vadis day at the Fiat House on October 10^th.  I would like to thank seminarians Steve Borello, Bill Vagenas and future seminarian Ismael Munoz for organizing this day.  These meetings are for young men in grades 7-10 to help them grow in faith and wisdom.  Our next meeting will be December 19^th. 

 

We had a nice turnout for our first monthly Discernment Group meeting on Tuesday, October 20^th at the Fiat House.  We discussed the topic “How do I hear God’s call?”   I would like to thank Fr. Dennis Paul and Fr. Greg Podwysocki for leading this discussion.  The exciting news is that several young men are very interested in applying to the Diocese of Joliet for next fall.  Please keep all of these men in discernment in your prayers.

 

Our annual Parish Vocation Conference was held at the Cathedral in Joliet on October 24^th.  There were about 45 people in attendance.  Thank you to those who helped organize this event – Sr. Lovina Pammitt, Brother Guy Jelinek, Ron Beaumont, George Carr and Nora Labanauskus.  Thanks also to those who presented – Sr. Elyse Marie Ramirez, OP and Sr. Mary Elizabeth Sallese, OP.    Everyone seemed to gather some good information from the day on how to promote a culture of vocations in their parishes.  A topic that continued to arise during the day is that we need to find ways to reach parents on the importance and beauty of promoting religious vocations with their children.

 

Highlights for the month of November include the Diaconate Ordination (November 7^th) and two college visits.  I will be taking a group of young men to visit Conception Seminary College (November 14-16).  Fr. Bill Dewan and seminarian Michael Kearney will be leading a trip to St. John Vianney College Seminary (November 19-21) as I will be celebrating the wedding of a good friend that weekend.  These college visits are sponsored by the Diocese at no charge to the participants and are open to anyone who is a junior in high school up to age 22.

 

I have a blog which includes my “thoughts for the day”.  Go to http://frburke23.wordpress.com to see the blog.   You can subscribe to receive the daily “thoughts” on the front page of the blog.

 

Please check out our web site  www.vocations.com for up-to-date activities and profiles of our seminarians. 

 

Important dates for November

 

BIRTHDAYS

(now Deacon) Stephen Eickhoff – November 2

John Lovitsch – November 28

Chris Lankford – November 28

             

VOCATION CALENDAR FOR NOVEMBER

 

November 1 – Speak at all Masses at St. Mary Parish, Mokena.

November 4 – Whet Your Appetite for Religious Life – Dinner with Bishop Sartain and

the women religious vocation directors in our Diocese.  Twelve young women

attended this dinner.  It was a wonderful success!

November 7  - 11am Transitional Diaconate Ordination, Our Lady of Mercy

in Aurora.

November 10-12 – Visit Sts. Cyril and Methodius Seminary in Orchard Lake, MI.

November 14-16 – Encounter with God’s Call weekend at Conception Seminary

College.

November 19-21 – Vianney Visit to St. John Vianney College Seminary.

November 22 – Speak at all Masses at St. Theresa Parish, Kankakee.

November 24 – JAVA meeting, 2-4pm.

November 28-29 – Speak at all Masses at Watseka and Crescent City.

 

Important Vocation Dates in the coming months:

 

December 13 – Discernment Group at Fiat House, 3-5pm.

December 16 – JAVA Christmas Party and Mass, 11:15am.

December 26  - Seminarian Christmas Party 9am – 8pm.

December 28 – Mass and dinner with Serra Club of DuPage County, 6pm.

January 2-3 – Seminarians speaking at diocesan parishes.

January 9-10 – Seminarians speaking at diocesan parishes.

January 9-10 – Fr. Burke speaking at all Masses at St. Peter’s in Itasca.

January 9-17 – Vocation Awareness Week.

January 16 – Jeremiah Day at Mundelein Seminary for boys in grades 7-10.

January 17 – Parents of seminarians and parents of men discerning meeting, 3-5pm.

January 19 – Bishop Joseph Siegel ordination at the Cathedral of St. Raymond, 2pm.

January 24 – Discernment Group meeting.

January 27, 29, 30 – Vocation talks at Generation of Faith at St. Bernard’s in Homer Glen.

January 30-31 – Fr. Burke speaking at all Masses at St. John the Baptist in Winfield.

February 6-7 – Fr. Burke speaking at all Masses at St. Joan of Arc in Lisle

February 8 – Operation Andrew Dinner with Bishop Sartain at St. Isidore Parish,

Bloomingdale, 6-8pm.

February 11-13 – Visit to St. John Vianney College Seminary.

February 13-14 – Fr. Burke speaking at all Masses at St. Joe’s in Manhattan.

February 14 – Discernment Group meeting.

 

 

General Information

1)      You are welcome to write to our seminarians and let them know of your support. It is very important to realize that they are not alone in this mission to serve the Lord in the Diocese of Joliet.  If you’d like to “Adopt-a-Seminarian”, please contact the vocation office.  Or you can go to http://vocations.com/seminarianbios_09-10/index.htm

to find the seminarian pictures, biographies, address and birthdays.  Their names and addresses are attached at the end of this newsletter as well.

2)      Thank you to all of the parish vocation committees for all that you are doing in your parishes to support vocations!  Your support is so helpful to me since I cannot be present at all 121 parishes of the diocese.  If you do not have a parish vocation committee and would like to start one, please call me and we can help you start this important ministry in your parish.  If your parish has not yet received its two binders on how to start and develop a vocation committee, please contact our office.  We currently have about 60 parishes with active Vocation Committees.  My goal is to have all 121 parishes with Vocation Committees within five years. 

3)      It is my goal to visit every parish over the next 4-5 years and preach about vocations at all of the Masses.  This has been a joy in my first 3+ years in the office as I have met so many wonderful people who are very supportive of vocations.  Please call my office if you would like me to come speak at your parish 815-834-4004.

4)      We are planning to take our seminarians to World Youth 2011 in Madrid, Spain with Pope Benedict XVI.  We are raising funds now for the trip so if you’d like to make a donation, please make checks payable to “Diocese of Joliet Vocation Office” and mail to

 

Diocese of Joliet Vocation Office

Rev. Burke Masters

402 S. Independence Blvd.

Romeoville, IL 60446

 

Thanks again for all that you do.  Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or you have ideas to support vocations.

 

For Vocations,

Fr. Burke Masters

Frburke23@aol.com

 

Joliet Diocesan Seminarians 2009-2010

(Summer Addresses may be different)

(updated November 2009)