Annual Picnic With The Bishop

            A group of open-minded and discerning youth gathered at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Daylight on May 27 for the annual Picnic with the Bishop sponsored by the diocesan vocations office. The crowd was smaller than in past years, prompting Bishop Charles C. Thompson to joke that some young people may have stayed away  because they thought he was cooking!

Quantity notwithstanding, quality people from all over the diocese started the night together in celebrating Mass with Bishop Thompson and 10 priests of the diocese. In his homily, the bishop challenged those in attendance to be more compassionate and to be more considerate of others – unlike the disciples in the Gospel for the day (Mark 10: 32-35).

He spoke about how in the Gospel, Jesus told them of how He was going to die; and instead of responding with sympathy and concern, the disciples thought only of themselves and asked Jesus who would be sitting at His throne in Heaven. Bishop Thompson pointed out that we don’t have to be perfect to be called by God because even the first of Jesus’ followers were selfish and flawed people. He challenged the youth to step out of their comfort zones and to be open to God’s call.

After the Mass, attendees separated into groups of girls and guys. The priests and seminarians in attendance spoke about their very unique-but-similar journeys of discovering their vocation. A Benedictine sister, an engaged lady and a Daughter of Charity postulant all told their stories of discernment and the struggles they faced along the way. After the presentations, the youth had the opportunity to ask more personal questions they had always wondered about.

Afterwards, everyone came together to pray over and eat a delicious meal prepared by volunteers. The evening ended with some fun outside in the wonderful weather. Activities included a volleyball game, some cornhole, badminton, bocce ball and a kickball game.

            Robert Buehner,  a USI student from St. Bernard Parish in Snake Run, attended the annual picnic for the first time and admitted that he really enjoyed the event. “The picnic was a great opportunity for the young men and women to learn more about vocations and to start them on the right path toward accepting God’s call for each of them,” he said.

            Joy Seger from Jasper said, “I loved how they first fed us spiritually with the talk about vocations, then physically with food, and then socially with games!”

            The Picnic with the Bishop is a critical event for the youth to attend because it encourages them to be open to their vocations, and who and what God is calling them to become. “They are asking good questions and praying about where God is leading them,” said Benedictine sister Teresa Gunter, director of vocations for the sisters of the Monastery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand. “I love seeing the young people of the Church open to wherever God is leading them.”