Writing the history of one’s vocation is not an easy thing to do, because in the words of Pope John Paul II, a vocation is gift and mystery. On the one hand it is mysterious, almost elusive so that when we think we have grasped it we realize that there is so much more that we don’t understand. Faced with the reality of a supernatural call from God to serve him, we flounder with its implications for our life. There always remains that inexplicable element. On the other hand a vocation is also a gift. It is a gratuitous gift from God, which is not earned, but rather flows from the love of God. We remain astonished at the awesomeness of the fact, that he calls “vessels of clay” to participate in the salvation of his people. This is also true for the way in which God calls men to follow him as priests. The ways are certainly as varied as the men God calls.

Unlike many others who tell of a childhood dream of becoming a priest, I have no such recollection. I was an altar boy in my parish for a few years until I reached high school and thought I was too cool to continue! One of my earliest memories of the idea entering my head must have been when I was about 12 or 13. A relative with whom I used to stay during the holidays joked that my cousin and I would become priests. I think that image remained somewhere in my mind.

I grew up in a Catholic home. We went to Mass every Sunday and we prayed a decade of the rosary every night. Even when we were returning home in the car late on a Sunday night, we would say the decade and pray for each member of the family by name before we fell asleep! We would also read from the New Testament every night and then talk about what it meant. While this was par for the course in our home, I must admit that I was usually not very receptive to praying, nor did I particularly like it, but it formed a habit that would be important later when I left home.

In a much more subtle way I was influenced by the constant presence of priests and religious sisters in the family home while I was growing up. We enjoyed their company and loved listening to the stories and jokes they would tell. The other important lesson that I learnt from my parents was the absolute value of human life. I am sure our involvement in the Pro-Life movement was crucial to my vocation because through it I came to see that God relies on us to do his work, even though we can do nothing without him. (I have since come across a growing body of data that points to pro-life involvement as a common characteristic in the profile of the contemporary candidate for the priesthood).

When I was in year 10 of Secondary School I vaguely remember discussing the possibility of a priestly vocation with the Careers Teacher. I don’t recall what he said to me. All I know is that the question of a vocation presented itself to me, although it came to nothing.
For me, the explicit recognition of a vocation first became evident during a silent retreat in 1991 in which I somehow “felt” a great desire to serve God, to give myself totally to him. I was in my second year of university and didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. In the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, exposed on the altar of the chapel, I came to a realisation of God’s personal love for me. This was a totally new experience for me; that God would actually care to stay with us in the Eucharist. What the retreat did was to introduce me to the spiritual life. In the silence of those three days of retreat during the Easter holidays, I began to pray. A flame of God’s love was ignited in my heart.

At first I was not sure that I had a priestly or religious vocation, I just wanted to serve the Lord. Somewhere I had read or heard a talk about the “universal call to holiness” of the Second Vatican Council, whereby all people and all Christians were exhorted to pursue a life of holiness. I was definitely attracted by the ideal of holiness and the example of the saints. St. Augustine was a great influence on my emerging spiritual life. I was living the same kind of lifestyle as my friends. There was a kind of innocence about it due to the fact that I was like everybody else, but deep in my heart (now I would say, conscience) I was not happy and yearned for truth and real freedom: real happiness.

About this time someone suggested that I read the autobiography of Thomas Merton, “Elected Silence.” I identified with his lifestyle and was fascinated by his conversion to Catholicism and his vocation to the religious life as a Cistercian. I immediately wanted to follow his lead into this strict religious community! This early enthusiasm was tempered by the advice I received from many people. They encouraged me to finish my degree and to continue my prayer and discernment.

The priest who had conducted the retreat became my confident and later spiritual director. He guided me and helped me to see where the Lord was leading me. I considered several religious communities and even wrote letters of enquiry, but in the end I was persuaded to look into the diocesan priesthood. I began an accompaniment program with the Archdiocese and finished my Arts degree. I decided to do a Diploma in Education in the hope of clarifying my vocation. During that year (1993) I came to a firm decision to enter Corpus Christi College.

The other influence which was, and still is, very important to me is that of friends who are walking the same path. When I went on that first retreat, I met other young men who were experiencing the same restlessness and who were in pursuit of the true meaning of their existence. The value of spiritual friendship for vocational discernment and encouragement cannot be overestimated. It played a crucial part in my perseverance in my vocation, especially in moments of uncertainty and apprehension.

Since my ordination to the priesthood I have been blessed with the work God has called me to do. My first appointment was as Assistant Priest at Sacred Heart parish, Croydon, in Melbourne’s outer East. I enjoyed two and a half years of parish life, working in schools, hospital, nursing homes; but my great joy was to be able to work with young people. In my last year at Croydon I was made Chaplain to Catholic Youth Ministry, the agency that oversees the youth apostolate in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. So in addition to the local youth work I was able to help on a much wider scale.

In January 2005 I was appointed Director of the Vocations Office and reappointed as chaplain to Catholic Youth Ministry.

- Fr Anthony Denton, Director of Vocations