Florida Catholic | One Day in the Life Series

Father Len Plazewski, vocations director

CARLOS BRICENO | FLORIDA CATHOLIC ST. PETERSBURG BUREAU EDITOR

Published: 12.21.07

Weekends normally find Father Len Plazewski at a different diocesan parish where he delivers homilies that encourage vocation awareness.
ED FOSTER JR. | FC FILE 2007

HOLIDAY | Twenty-five thousand miles — or the approximate circumference of the earth. That’s how far Father Len Plazewski estimates he drives around the diocese during the course of a year.

As the diocesan vocation director, Father Plazewski makes it his business to travel to as many parishes as he can every year to promote vocations: a passion of his, and of his boss, Bishop Robert N. Lynch. And when he travels to a parish away from his home base, the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle in St. Petersburg, he usually stays the weekend to be able to talk at all the Masses.

That was the case recently during a visit to St. Vincent de Paul Parish here, where he told parishioners during his homilies that this was his third trip to the parish in the past nine and a half years that he’s been the vocation director.

“Let’s hope the third time is a charm,” he said with a smile.

Father Plazewski, 42, is usually quick with a smile or a joke. He sprinkled his recent vocation homily — which he called his “stump speech” in an interview — with several one-liners that got the people in the pews to smile and laugh at various points.

But he is also deadly serious about his work. He has to be, because he’s got some major obstacles to overcome.

For one thing, there is the “negative or false” image of the priesthood, he said.

“I think that’s why parents sometimes are so reluctant to mention it or encourage their kids to consider the priesthood or religious life,” he said during the interview between Masses. “Or if they mention it, they discourage it, which happens a lot.”

He said that, oftentimes, parents discourage their kids because they want grandchildren. Or they don’t think their sons would be happy being priests. Or they want their kids to make a lot of money.

During his homily, he cited a recent youth gathering he attended. He said he asked the youths to stand up. Then he asked them to raise their hands if someone in their families had talked to them about college or a future career. They all raised their hands. Then he asked them to remaining standing if their parents had ever talked to them about becoming a priest. They all sat down immediately, he said.

“That may surprise you,” Father Plazewski said during his homily. “But it doesn’t surprise me. Ninety percent of youths and young adults say one of the main reasons why they never seriously considered a vocation to the priesthood or the religious life is because they believe their parents wouldn’t support them, or they would disappoint their parents. That may or may not be the case, but if you never have that conversation with your children or grandchildren, then they’re going to be left to fill in the gaps with their imaginations.”

He gave the parishioners several tips to build “a vocations culture.” He said prayer is vital to the success of vocations. He not only repeatedly asked people to pray more for vocations, but during his visit, he also placed prayer cards around the church.

He also said people should encourage others to think about a possible vocation. He had cards available so that people could write someone’s name down if they thought that person might be a good candidate to receive a friendly call from him. And he also encouraged people to involve God more in their decision-making so that they could discern better, he said.

Throughout the year, some of his other responsibilities include holding informational and discernment retreats; answering questions from those interested in the priesthood; acting as a liaison between the seminarians and the seminary administration; coordinating the selection committee that picks the seminarians; and speaking to youth groups and faith formation classes. He also has national responsibilities: He was recently re-elected to his second consecutive term as president of the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors.

Meanwhile, his hard work is paying off. The diocese accepted 11 new seminarians in the fall, the second-largest number in the 39-year history of the diocese, bringing the total studying to become priests for the diocese to 26.

He attributes those solid numbers to the power of prayer. In fact, after one of the recent Masses at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, as he greeted those leaving after Mass, several parishioners commented on how much they loved his homily — especially the humor in it.

He smiled and reminded them to pray.

Growing up in San Antonio, which is part of the diocese, he learned about prayer from his parents and from attending Catholic schools. His family prayed the rosary together and he was an altar server, but it wasn’t until his junior year at Jesuit High School in Tampa that he felt the call to become a priest, he said.

The motto of the all-boys school, he said, was that students should be “a man for others.” One day, while he was praying in the chapel, he glanced up at the crucifix and the following words came to his mind, regarding Christ on the cross: “That’s the real man for others.”

“Once that thought came to me, after that, every time I heard that expression, it had a different meaning to me — different from my peers and friends,” he said. “And that’s when I really started to think about the priesthood.”

He talked to his parents, then his pastor, then the diocesan vocation director about it. Then he visited the seminary. And now, 16½ years after being ordained a priest, he said he doesn’t regret his decision.

“I love being a priest,” he said. “It’s a joyful life. Sometimes, people have false perceptions that it’s a sad, lonely, terrible life. I haven’t had that happen yet.”

He said he’s able to achieve such happiness because he tries to lead a “balanced” life, one that includes prayer, work, having hobbies and interests — such as his passion for hockey — and having plenty of friends to whom he can relate.

But, yet, there are always the highs and lows that come as part of his job. He said one of the lows is when an excellent candidate chooses not to apply to the seminary or decides to leave the seminary. One of the highs is when a seminarian he has helped shepherd is ordained to the priesthood.

“And you have him now as not your subordinate, but as your peer, as a fellow priest,” he said. “That is awesome. I’m moved to tears when that happens.”

The importance of ordination is not lost on him because, as he likes to remind people, when vocations to the priesthood dwindle in an area, the availability of the Eucharist also dwindles there, too. And in the end, that means that parishes have to pray more and encourage more boys and men to consider the priesthood.

“There are all sorts of important priorities in the parish, but if vocations isn’t one of them, then we’re shooting ourselves in the foot,” he said.

For more information on vocations, contact Father Plazewski at 727-345-3452 or by e-mail at spvocation@aol.com. The vocation Web site is www.spvocation.org.

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Father Len Plazewski, vocations director

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