Quo Vadis Baltimore showcases path to vocations, fraternity

The annual Quo Vadis Baltimore experience attracted a record number of participants, according to Father Matt Himes, assistant director of vocations for the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Father Matt Himes, from right, and Seminarian Pascal Atunzu, laugh at Seminarian Alexander Kulik, as he answers a question by a Quo Vadis Baltimore 2023 participant July 13, 2023 at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

Fifty-one young men from across the region joined in a community of brotherhood July 10-13 at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore for a four-day overnight opportunity to allow Christ to be part of their lives through prayer, confession, adoration and talks about seminary and priestly life. They also participated in recreational activities.

“Our goal is to offer a path to holiness through cultivating friendship and fraternity so they can see how God works in their lives.” said Father Himes, who was ordained a priest in 2019. He added that he wants to debunk the myth that Quo Vadis is a “priest camp.”

Sergio Lou Sacay, a 17-year-old student from Dulaney High School, was attending his second Quo Vadis experience.

“My friends are here, they invited me, and I wanted to spend more time discerning my vocation,” Sacay said. “I always try to live a life of faith.”

Sacay credits his faith to his parents who have a great impact on him, saying they keep him accountable to spending time with the Lord. His future plans include missionary work with the Source of All Hope, a missionary group that brings Christ to the streets of Baltimore, which he believes will help in his discernment journey.

The near week-long event is run by seminarians and includes small-group discussion, as well as a panel discussion where pertinent questions can be asked openly.

Sergio Lou Sacay, a rising senior at Dulaney High School in Baltimore County and a second year Quo Vadis Baltimore participant, reacts to a comment made by a fellow attendee July 13, 2023 at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

One such question asked of the panel was if any of the men were in a romantic relationship when the call to vocational life struck. All but one answered “no.”

“I’m going to break from the others,” said seminarian Alexander Kulik, answering without reservation. “She was a great girl and we were both part of the Catholic center at the college we were at. (We) dated our junior and senior year. We talked about getting married and planning our future … and in the middle of that relationship the Lord came knocking on the door big time. It was really tough … for both of us.”

Kulik added that it took time to break the news to his girlfriend. He also attended a retreat while they were dating that “blew the door open even more.”

Good people around him, he said, encouraged him to pray and see the beauty of the priesthood.

”Wow, I get to do the sacraments and hear confessions, say the Mass,” Kulik concluded.

While his dating life eventually ended, Kulik did say he keeps in touch with his former girlfriend periodically and that they have a good relationship.

Father Himes said vocational struggles are real and life is not perfect. It’s healthy to grapple and struggle. It’s where purification comes from. The ultimate goal is to grow from that, he said.

Quo Vadis Baltimore 2023 experience July 13, 2023 at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

Paul and Lauren Ambrogio are the parents of five children and parishioners of St. John in Westminster. “We love the opportunity they have together as a group of young men to discern the priesthood,” said Paul, who’s 16-year-old son Anthony attended Quo Vadis Baltimore 2023. “It’s not something they are trying to push on the boys or coerce them into, but trying to help them realize their authentic self and figure out what God wants them to do in their lives.”

The Ambrogios also said the life of the church resides in its youths.

While steeped in prayer and faith, Quo Vadis participants enjoyed tubing and biking along the Gunpowder River in Monkton and traversing the ropes course at the O’Dwyer Retreat House in Sparks.

Father Himes and Father Stephen Roth, director of vocations for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, offered a recap of the four-day gathering during a parent meeting prior to Archbishop William E. Lori celebrating a Mass of thanksgiving for the 51 students and their families.

Following Mass, everyone enjoyed a cookout provided by the Maryland chapter of the Knights of Columbus.

Email Kevin Parks at kparks@catholicreview.org

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