Nine men took a “step closer” to discerning whether God is calling them to be Catholic priests in the United States Military as they gathered for a period of prayer and reflection in the June 23-26 “Step Closer Retreat” at the San Damiano Spiritual Life Center in White Post, Va.
The Step Closer Retreat is sponsored annually by the Vocations Office of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), for the most serious of prospective Catholic military chaplains—those showing the strongest inclination toward a priestly vocation as well as the “vocation within a vocation” to serve in the Armed Forces.
Father Aidan Logan, O.C.S.O., AMS Director of Vocations, explained: “The primary purpose of the Step Closer Retreat is to provide an opportunity for those men a little further along the vocation discernment path who are contemplating serving God and His Church as priests, and hopefully military chaplains, to have an experience of prayer in the celebration of sacraments, the quiet of reflection and the joy of fraternity, while also being challenged in thought through a series of talks by priest recruiters and a panel discussion.”
Young men interested in discerning a priestly vocation, and the vocation within a vocation to serve those who serve in the U.S. Military, can find more information at www.milarch.org/vocations, or may contact Father Logan by email at vocations@milarch.org.
