Mothers of Priests Credited for Their Vocations

By Stefanie Gutierrez

On the weekend prior to Mother’s Day, the diocesan Mothers of Priests prayer group gathered for its second Holy Hour of the year.

Members and participants kept close to heart the awesome need for vocations, while others kept in mind that in order for great vocations, there is a great responsibility for mothers and fathers to form their children to answer God’s call.

The group, founded by Virginia Hoyns, began four years ago, when the Nassau chapter of “MOPS” asked her to organize a group for the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens. She is the foster mother of Father Cuong Phan, who is currently studying in Rome.

The participation, at first, was slow building, but four years later, they have a steady number of people who come to pray. Approximately 70 mothers, relatives and friends of priests come to the Holy Hour, held four times a year.

Stefanie Gutierrez Photo

MOTHERS OF PRIESTS Virginia Hoyns, left, and Agnes Sweeney, center, were joined by Msgr. Celsus Collini, Julio Corvi, the father of a priest, and Teresa Cunningham, a friend, at a Holy Hour to pray for priests.

“We believe in inviting anyone to come and pray. We are praying for our priests, and our sons and grandsons, that they may discover their vocation,” Hoyns said.

As people arrived at St. Thomas More Church on the campus of St. John’s University, Jamaica, this past Sunday, Hoyns welcomed and greeted. Next to her was Agnes Sweeney, mother of Father Kevin Sweeney, the director of vocations for Brooklyn and Queens.

The celebrant for the 3 p.m. Holy Hour was retired Msgr. Celsus Collini, who also conducted the group’s very first meeting. He will celebrate 60 years in the priesthood at the end of the month. His sister and brother-in-law, Constance and Jack Kaiser, from St. Ann’s parish, Flushing, were present on Sunday afternoon. Constance spoke fondly of her now-deceased mother and father, who were very instrumental in Msgr. Collini’s vocation.

“Our mother’s name was Elvira. She was very close to the Church, and I am sure she had a lot of influence on my brother. She prayed very hard for him and his interest,” Constance recalled.

Msgr. Collini later added, “My mother went to daily Mass and communion for her son.” For the past 400 years, since 1683, there has been a priest in the Collini family.

Past leaders of the Holy Hour have included Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, whose late mother was active in Mothers of Priests, and Auxiliary Bishop Frank Caggiano.

Present at this session was a contingent from The Little Sisters of the Poor.

The sacristan for the prayer group, Andrea Heller, a parishioner at Good Shepherd, Marine Park, who is studying for her master’s in theology at St. John’s, spoke to the group.

“For me, the entire reason I majored in theology was because I was exposed to a close relationship with many of the priests in my parish. I wanted to teach high school theology so that I could encourage young men and women to explore their vocations,” she explained.
“I don’t think I have ever met a mother of a priest in this diocese who didn’t have a dynamic personality,” she added.

Pat Gannon, a parishioner at St. Mary Star of the Sea, Far Rockaway, and mother of Father Josephjude Gannon, parochial vicar of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Astoria, agreed.

“I do find that most of the parents of priests that I know are very reverent in their love of God, and are very close to the Lord,” she observed.

Heller added that all the priests she knows speak of their mothers with high reverence. “When we talk about vocations, we always talk about the sacrifice that these men have chosen. We always focus on the priests, but never their parents, especially their mothers,” she said.

Some may look at it as a sacrifice, but, Gannon said, “I do not look at it as a sacrifice really; I consider myself very blessed. It was my prayer that one of my three boys would become a priest.”

Father Sweeney, when asked about his own vocation, said, “I think my vocation certainly comes from my parents, in different ways. My dad was quieter, but my mom was the more talkative one.

“I always knew I had my mom’s support in thinking about the possibility of a vocation to the priesthood. Prayer and faith were so important in her life that she did everything possible to pass it on to her kids.”
He added, “Almost always, the seminarians (of the diocese) say that their mother gave them a great example.”

Msgr. Collini’s homily focused on the importance of the Eucharist, and how without priests, there would be no Holy Communion. “We come today to pray for priests. Without priests, we don’t have the Eucharist. We don’t have Holy Communion. We don’t have Mass,” he said. “Thank God today that we are ordaining nine young men for Brooklyn and Queens this year.”

Eight will be ordained on June 2, and one on June 30.
“People often express their appreciation to the priests for being there for them in times of difficulty,” Father Kevin added. “But no priest would be a priest without his mother. We get our life from our mother, and any good that a priest does goes back to his parents, especially his mother.”

A mother led the group in the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be of the Rosary, while Julio Corvi, a parishioner at Sacred Heart, Bayside, whose son is a missionary priest, also led prayers. Father Joseph Gerard Corvi is a Missionary of Charity, the order founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

When asked what he will do for his own mother on Mother’s Day, Father Gannon replied, “I will say Mass for her… It is the greatest privilege of a priest to say Mass, and to say it for my mom. With all of her support and her love, she has pushed me through to live the Gospel in her own example and in her prayers.”