Vocations Come From Families that Pray
By Patrick Slattery, Staff Writer
January 8, 2004 -- The Catholic Times

LA CROSSE - The connection between priesthood and family life is clear to Father Joseph Hirsch, and of paramount importance in his work of recruiting and nurturing seminarians preparing for the priesthood for the Diocese of La Crosse.

Those who come best equipped to lead self-sacrificing God-centered lives, he observes, come from prayerful families that put their trust in the Lord. The more families there are with these values, the better the prospects for more new priests, brothers and sisters.

Ordained a priest in 1986, Father Hirsch was an associate at the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman in La Crosse, taught and was chaplain at Assumption High School in Wisconsin Rapids, and was pastor of the Quad Parishes in Monroe Country prior to taking on his current duties as director of the office of vocations in the summer of 2002.

Recognizing the importance of priestly vocations, Bishop Raymond L. Burke assigned Father Hirsch to this work full time. He is the diocesan liaison to 25 college and theologate-level seminarians, who are either studying at one of eight seminaries used by the diocese, or are undertaking a pastoral year in a parish.

"I see my priesthood as fatherhood in the spiritual sense, and seek to be a good father to others in all that I do," said Father Hirsch, who is known for his seemingly boundless energy.

Father Hirsch believes his own family circumstances have much to do with why he's a priest, and a happy one besides.

He is the third of nine children born to Mark and Bernice Hirsch, members of St. Patrick's Church Sparta. He is not the only religious vocation in the family, as the family's youngest child, Sister Ancilla (Christine), is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul, and works at a Catholic bookstore in Nurenburg, Germany. Now long after their children have been reared, the senior Hirsches remain very active in the life of the Church, and sometimes accompany their priest son to various events.

Father Hirsch recalls that a constant in the Hirsch household growing up was family prayer.

"We prayed the rosary together regularly, and included special prayers at the end for religious vocations and final perseverance," he said. "My grandparents, who did likewise, died holy deaths, and I suspect part of the reason was because of their prayer together.

"No matter what the circumstances my parents and our family went to Mass on Sundays. That had a big influence on me, especially during a period in my teens when I was questioning my faith. I though that if Mass was so important for them, there had to be something to it."

According to Father Hirsch, prayer was an integral part of his family's everyday life.

"We always prayed before we ate. Every evening my father blessed us on our foreheads with holy water as part of our bedtime prayers.

"We also often said together a special family prayer, dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary," he added. "It was the prayer I chose to put on my Ordination card, and I never knew until a few months prior to becoming a priest that his was an original prayer written by my father as our family prayer."

During his nine years of teaching high school, Father Hirsch got an education in family circumstances far different than his own. For many, he notes, a family meal eaten together is unusual, prayers before eating are not often said, and Mass attendance is sporadic.

"It is more difficult for vocations to develop in these situations, and when they do it is a special sign of God's grace," said Father Hirsch.

Critics contend that the family life Father Hirsch knew in his youth is impossible in today's fast-paced society, where work and so many other pursuits draw people out of the house.

"But I can point to families that are busy and involved with sports and everything else, and yet manage in the struggle to find time to eat and to pray together," said Father Hirsch. "If we are truly serious about the importance of our spiritual lives, we must try and make the time to do these things."

Father Hirsch said he finds an encouraging number of younger families that are praying together, especially married couples that make it a priority to pray together daily for their children and with their children.