BELMONT — Young men from across the Diocese of Charlotte came together at Belmont Abbey College June 16-20 for the annual vocations discernment camp called “Quo Vadis Days.” The camp focused on one question: “Where are you going?” – literally, “quo vadis” in Latin.
Since 2014, teenagers have been taking a week out of their busy summers to spend time with the Lord and each other. Over a decade later, these camps have provided more than a thousand young men with a unique opportunity to explore vocations to the priesthood, religious life and marriage.
Father Brian Becker, the diocese’s vocations promoter and director of formation at St. Joseph College Seminary, has organized Quo Vadis Days for the past five years. Father Becker said he doesn’t expect all the participants to become priests as a result of their vocations camp experience, but he hopes they all walk away with a deeper level of discernment and fraternity.
“Every year, I am impressed by the caliber of men that come to the camp. This year was no exception. One hundred men showed up to give God a week to answer this question, ‘Where am I going?’” said Father Becker. “The goal of this camp is not really to put 30 guys in the seminary every year – that’s not the goal. The goal is to get the men to come face-to-face with that question in prayer, asking where our Lord is leading them, and to give them the tools to hear God’s voice and to understand, rightly, how to respond to it.”
Each day’s activities included Mass, prayer and a rosary, and Father Becker encouraged participants to continue that daily prayer effort even after the weeklong camp is over.
“This place is not only a place to discern priesthood – it is also a great way to reconnect with God when you are lacking and really need to go back to the roots of good Christian men,” said camper Joshua Vilorio, a member of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Charlotte.
The young men also listened to talks by seminarians who, at one time, were in the same position and ultimately decided to pursue a vocation to the priesthood.
Seminarian Matthew Sei, who not long ago attended a Quo Vadis Days camp, assisted throughout the week. Attending the vocations camp did not result in an “aha moment” for him, he said, yet it laid a foundation for him to explore later.
“It is so encouraging to see so many kids here that are open to asking whether they want to be a priest or not,” said Sei. “It’s such a full circle moment for me.”
Other highlights of the camp were a tour of St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly, a Eucharistic Procession through the Belmont Abbey campus, small group prayer and, of course, bonding time over some slightly competitive sports and a cookout.
For some of the teens, it was their second or third visit, and while they don’t yet know where they might land, they have a better idea of how to be a Catholic man and how to invite God on their faith journey.
“It is really just a great place to reconnect with guys across the diocese that are in the same place as you. They are all in high school, they are all thinking about priesthood, and they are all just really trying to discover Jesus Christ,” said 17-year-old Josiah Siebert, who has attended the vocations camp three times. “We are just really here to have a good time and play hard, but also, pray hard.”
Newly ordained Father Joseph Yellico offered the concluding Mass – one of the first Masses he has celebrated since being ordained June 14. The moment was poignant, he said.
“It was interesting because, looking out from the altar and looking at all these guys looking back at me, I remember when I was there discerning at Quo Vadis, thinking, ‘What does God want me to do?’” he said.
Newly ordained Deacon Robert Bauman gave the homily, one of his first since his ordination on June 7.
“We are all fallen men, and we have the same struggles and human nature as anybody, yet Christ has chosen us to be able for us to go forward and bear fruit in His name and the Church, and be able to communicate to them that they can do likewise,” he said. “Whatever God is calling for them to do, whether it is going to the seminary or something else, they can be great men in Christ.”
— Lisa Geraci. Photos by Troy C. Hull and provided
Building up the Kingdom of God
Father Paul Gary is celebrating his 40th anniversary of ordination this year. In his four decades of ministry, one of his favorite moments was building and dedication of a new church for St. Luke Parish. Pictured above is Bishop Peter Jugis handing the keys of the new church to Father Gary at the dedication in 2023. (Troy Hull | Catholic News Herald)
MINT HILL — As he celebrates the 40th anniversary of his ordination, Father Paul Gary can’t remember a time in his life when he didn’t dream of the priesthood.
“I always wanted to be a priest – the dream goes back as far as I can remember,” he said. “I could not imagine doing anything else with my life. I remember telling my mom as she sat by her dressing table, and she was not surprised.”
Father Gary has spent the past 16 years as pastor of St. Luke Parish in Mint Hill, where he marked his anniversary on Feb. 11 by celebrating the 9 and 11 a.m. Masses, speaking about his priesthood in his homily and then gathering with parishioners for refreshments.
Father Gary grew up on Long Island in the town of Manhasset, N.Y. A cradle Catholic, he attended Catholic schools and remembers the guidance of the Immaculate Heart of Mary sisters in elementary school and Marist brothers in high school. He has four brothers, including his identical twin, Peter Gary, who is also a parishioner at St. Luke.
His family eventually moved to Charlotte, and the young Gary found a supportive and welcoming environment that nurtured his vocation. Bishop Michael J. Begley had attended Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., and decided to send Gary there for his formation. He entered the seminary in August 1980, completed his formation, and was ordained by Bishop Begley at St. Patrick Cathedral on Feb. 11, 1984.
Forty years later, Father Gary’s happiness at a life of serving God fills his voice when he talks about the landmark anniversary.
“It’s a milestone for sure – 40 seems like a big number,” Father Gary said. “Overall it feels great because I think everything about the priesthood is wonderful.”
His ministry has taken him all across the diocese – serving as parochial vicar at Immaculate Conception Parish in Hendersonville and St. John Neumann Parish in Charlotte, and then as pastor at St. Leo the Great Parish in Winston-Salem and St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Statesville. He was rector at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte from 1996 until July 2008, when he was assigned to become St. Luke’s pastor.
GaryHe says it’s hard to single out one accomplishment in a life he loves so much but describes the building and dedication of a new church for the Mint Hill parish as his biggest success. Plans for the new church were just starting to get under way when he arrived there in 2008.
“It took all of my years here to do it – from finding and buying the land, to planning the church design and running the capital campaigns,” Father Gary said. “Building a church takes a lot of work, a lot of prayer and a lot of time, and when the project is completed it’s like a dream come true.”
St. Luke’s new 21,000-square-foot church building was dedicated by Bishop Peter Jugis on Feb. 19, 2023.
It wasn’t the first time Father Gary helped guide a parish through a building campaign. He was pastor at St. Philip the Apostle in Statesville when a new church was built there and dedicated in 1995, and he helped oversee the construction of a new family life center at St. Patrick Cathedral, completed in 2008.
Father Gary marvels at the growth of the Catholic population in western North Carolina since his ordination four decades ago, and he’s especially happy to see the strength and growth of the Catholic school system in the diocese.
Through his decades of service to Our Lord, it is his devotion to many saints and the Blessed Virgin Mary that has guided him throughout his priesthood, he said.
“I pray the rosary every day because it brings me closer to God,” he said. “It is special to set aside part of my day for the rosary. It gives me confidence knowing God will bless me throughout the day.”
Knowing since childhood that God was calling him to priesthood has helped Father Gary rely on God’s guidance in everything he does.
“It’s not so much about my abilities but about what God allows me to do and helps me to do,” he said. “I would say that trusting God has helped me to accomplish what I’ve accomplished. If you allow Him to work through you, you can accomplish great things.”
— Christina Lee Knauss
Editor’s note: This profile is the first of a series featuring priests and consecrated religious who are celebrating milestone anniversaries this year. Look for more interviews and stories in coming editions of the Catholic News Herald.