Podcast: Bishop speaks with two new priests about calling to the priesthood

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney marked the 60th annual World Day of Prayer for Vocations by inviting two young priests from the Diocese of Paterson to join him for a down-to-earth-discussion about their own discernment to the priesthood, the people who influenced them and what it is like being a priest.

Father Stephen A. Delia, parochial vicar at St. Mary’s Parish in Denville, and Father Jose Zuniga, parochial vicar at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Passaic, were both ordained in 2022, and both felt called to the priesthood in their teens.

They joined Bishop Sweeney and co-host Jai Agnish for episode seven of Beyond The Beacon — the bishop’s new podcast, which is available to listen to or watch. Read the bishop’s column on page 3 for details.

Father Zuniga contrasted learning to “feed the people of the parish” in seminary with the now being their shepherd.

“It has been an incredible journey so far, and it’s been nothing but pure joy and excitement for me,” he said. “There is a real hunger. There is a real need for holiness. There is a real need for love of Our Lord Jesus Christ and for them to be fed by us. So, being able to be a shepherd and doing that fills me with great joy. Being able to provide them with that nourishment through the Eucharist is a huge contrast.”

Asked by Bishop Sweeny about influences on their own vocation to the priesthood, Father Delia zeroed in on the prayers and support of faithful. He noted that it can be easy to think, “What do they know?” when someone says that they are praying for you to become a priest, but that sometimes we underestimate what others see in us.

“I think I definitely saw the support of the people who saw me around the parish and encouraged that (calling to the priesthood), not even just in the sense of putting it in my mind but making it seem like a good option,” he said. “It was super humbling to know that people were praying for me daily, and it spoke to the fact that this was not about me but about something bigger than me.”

The Church has celebrated The World Day of Prayer for Vocations on every Good Shepherd Sunday since Pope Paul VI (now Saint Paul VI) established it in response to a decline in priestly vocations. It is a call for all Catholics to intercede for an increase in vocations of all kinds — holy matrimony, dedicated single life, consecrated religious life, the priesthood, and the permanent diaconate.

Bishop Sweeney echoed this call by highlighting the important role that parents, grandparents, families, parishes, and catechists play in extending and encouraging young men to think about the priesthood.

Hear more from this authentic conversation about responding to the Lord’s call day by day by watching Beyond The Beacon on YouTube or listening to it through all the other major podcast platforms. Visit beyond.beaconnj.org for more, or watch it on the bishop’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@bishopkevinsweeney.

For more information about the priesthood and upcoming discernment events for young men, please visit patersonvocations.org.

Beyond The Beacon is a new weekly podcast that examines current events and topics relevant to the local Church in Paterson and the global Catholic Church. Join Bishop Sweeney and co-host Jai Agnish as they discuss topics and interview guests who offer personal reflections about their ministries and their faith. Listeners and viewers can be part of the dialog by emailing questions to the bishop at [email protected]