Father McFarland, thanks for joining us on this new series that we're starting, kind of a mini-series,

if we wanted to be trendy and call it that. I guess we could call it that. Thanks for joining

us. We're talking about vocations, right? Yes, I'd be here, Andrew. Thank you. Great. And just

to introduce you, we've had you on for both the crisis series and just for the

Sacrament series that just wrapped up, Father.

But why are we having you talk about the Vocation Series?

Because somebody's got to do it.

But in all seriousness, so I am the vocations director for the U.S. District of the Society of St. Pius, the 10th at this time.

So this is something of my field of expertise.

Fair enough.

And it's obviously something that you're passionate about and something that you've been asked to do.

So vocations director, we've, again, we've talked about this on a couple different podcasts over the last few years.

But you are one of the things, for instance, that you do is help to coordinate the vocations retreats that take place every summer.

One for men, one for women.

And that just kind of helps people to discern their vocation a little bit, out you know is this the right path for me to take things like that right right so we have again one

a vocations retreat for men one for women every summer i preach those retreats and then um also we

on the the point of contact for people particularly who don't really know any priests to the society but are interested in pursuing the priests of religious life with the society or with our affiliated congregations.

So if they have questions, they can get in touch with me. Also, I try to help out the priests when they have questions, if they haven't done it a lot, if they have questions about the process, how do we get an application, what things are necessary to send in?

Or, you know, this young man just showed up at my mission chapel.

He says, interest in the priesthood, where do we go from here to help them answer those questions?

I also coordinate the, been doing with a lot of potential seminarians recently.

They spend a year in a priority to get to know the society better for us to get to know them better.

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