Vocations celebrated in locally-written booklet

The 18-page booklet highlights the life of one Albany diocesan priest, Rev. James Cribbs, but reflects a call to priestly ministry that every man who becomes a priest has experienced.

Co-author Linda Berkery, religious education director at Our Lady of the Assumption parish in Latham, said the idea for the booklet came about after she read an article by Bishop Howard J. Hubbard in The Evangelist several years ago.

"The Bishop wrote about his own vocation to the priesthood," she said. "I was very interested in his article and wondered how I might go about telling the story of how a boy or a man is called by God to the priesthood."

Mrs. Berkery and a longtime friend, author Patricia Dahl of St. Henry's parish in Averill Park, decided to write a story that could easily be understood by children between the ages of five and nine.

"There really is nothing out there for young children that age on this subject," Mrs. Berkery said.

One of Mrs. Berkery's close friends was Rev. James Cribbs, an Albany diocesan priest who lost his battle with cancer about the time she became interested in writing the booklet. After contacting Father Cribbs' family, who supported the booklet's writing and publication, Mrs. Berkery and Mrs. Dahl were able to obtain some of his childhood photographs to use as illustrations.

"Every priest was once a little boy and comes from a family just like us," Mrs. Berkery said. "While this story is not a memorial to my friend or a testimony to his individual life, it is an example of the good work and dedication of each and every one of the many fine, wonderful priests we have right here in the Albany Diocese."

Written in the first person, the book follows the life of a young boy as he remembers his childhood, school, Cub Scouts and Little League, as well as times he talked to God and God talked to him.

The boy explains, in simple language, how he was called by God to become a priest. The narrative follows him through high school, college and the beginning of his priesthood.

The booklet includes a foreword by Archbishop Harry Flynn of Saint Paul/Minneapolis, a native of the Albany Diocese, as well as a letter to addressed to children by Bishop Hubbard.

The story presents a theme of faith, prayer, relationship with God and a call to the priesthood. "Priests are real people and we wanted children to be able to relate to them that way," explained Mrs. Berkery.

She told The Evangelist that in the religious education program at Our Lady of the Assumption, she uses the booklet as part of the curriculum for second-graders.

"What better time is there to introduce a child to the vocation of the priesthood than while he or she is preparing for First Eucharist?" she asked.

Both authors felt strongly that with the decline in vocations, their booklet could be a means by which parents might discuss the priesthood with their child in a comfortable environment.

"We think that the book can offer parents an opportunity to read about the call to priesthood with their child and at the same time provide a means to talk about the priesthood and vocations in general. Basically, we wrote this book for the sole purpose of supporting vocations to the priesthood," she said.

The book's publisher, the National Coalition for Church Vocations, distributes its catalog to Catholic schools across the country. All profits from the booklet go to support vocations.

The two women hope that the booklet will be read in Catholic grade schools and homes across the country.

"We would like to see our book used by schools, religious education programs, teachers, parents and children to provide information and support for Catholic vocations to the priesthood," Mrs. Berkery concluded.

("How I Grew Up to Be a Priest" is available for $3 from O'Connor's Church Goods in Latham. Call 785-7750.)

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