All in God’s time: Older men embrace call to priesthood later in life

One had a long career at General Motors. Another had a wife and kids. A third was a combat veteran and a military judge.
All three heard God’s voice loud and clear: They were to become priests, serving God’s people in the Catholic Church.
The call to a vocation can happen at any point in a man’s life, and there’s no such thing as “too late.” Detroit Catholic interviewed three men in their 60s, Fr. Robert Voiland, Fr. John Maksym, and Deacon Patrick Bruen - who will be ordained in the spring - about their journey to the seminary and beyond.

[@JuliusCaesar888]

I have plans to become a deacon. Pray for me.

[@DanielPaul-dw2lh]

Older men have more experiences, knowledge, wisdom and their settled. It makes clear sense to recruit these men to serve in the Christian Priesthood.

[@splinterbyrd]

Absolutely agree. We need mature men coming into the priesthood who've lived in the real world, not schoolboys who've come straight from school into seminary and who've never experienced, well...anything

[@pauljordan4452]

@@splinterbyrd A buddy of mine went to the seminary from high school, knowing he was called. He's a tall 32 year old assistant priest who speaks slowly, preaches educationally and sounds like Ringo Starr. Another priest friend of 34 years has been Vicar General and has a doctorate about entrepreneurs. He said you can only experience with time, quite rightly.

[@pauljordan4452]

@@splinterbyrd Rarely do we have widowers become priests. A dad of six and a grandfather gives a different life experience and it's good to receive all the Sacraments.

[@splinterbyrd]

@@pauljordan4452 We need married men as priests

[@splinterbyrd]

@@pauljordan4452 We need married men as priests

[@MariaNZ1961]

It's wonderful that these men are welcomed into the priesthood, we need more priests and religious.

[@pauljordan4452]

Widowers who become priests are blessed guys.

[@AdCab77]

I’m glad these men listened to God. God’s time is not our time.

[@pauljordan4452]

@@AdCab77 Aquinas taught that who we call God the Father is time. Eternity.

[@NeoTradCMFan]

These men are Precious to the entire Church!

[@Sunshine-Light]

Please pray for me as I consider this life ❤

[@frankmaguire8258]

Go for it

[@claesvanoldenphatt9972]

Right on!

[@marcihf217]

Praying

[@minininja2020]

Thank you, thank you Fr. Bob for being a priest; you really are a beacon of God's love in this world

[@vincentizzo8408]

God bless anyone who is called to the priesthood

[@superdavidss]

I'm 43 yo. Single. No kids. Been in academic Physics from my early 20s. Spent all my 30s taking care of my mother, until she passed. I pray the Rosary every day. I made the 9 month devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Read at least one article of Summa Theologica per week, in order to mediate after the daily Rosary. I guess the Lord is calling to His service. Pray for me, brothers and sister. God bless you.

[@garyt7232]

God bless these men for their calling. What makes them special is they bring their experience of being married, raising a family, and working a job to their pastoral work.

[@ClarkKasheta]

This is very refreshing. Sometimes when people think someone has a call to the priesthood, they can put undue pressure on him, judge him or make him think he's wasting God's time by not acting as fast as they would like him to. But it's God's time, not ours. Never rush God!

[@pauljordan4452]

@@ClarkKasheta God is Eternity itself. At 25 in 2009 when I lived alone, the son and grandson of men who married at 26, I thought it's time to meet a girl or make an appointment with the bishop for an interview. Both did not work out.

[@ca147]

Thank you God for guiding these men to be your priests and servants of your Church 🕊️

[@brigidine37]

This, gives me hope for the future of our Church.

[@joeregnier8535]

Amen! Lives of these seasoned men to enter into the Priesthood!

[@simoncrawley7430]

Utterly inspirational

[@KSOLTS]

Such a beautiful video. Thank you for sharing!

[@mpat100]

Blessings and graces for all these men in their priestlhood and life.

[@edenjohnson3342]

Thanks be to God! Praise be to God! May many many more men hear your call, Dear Jesus!

[@chosen2865]

Respect to these men of God

[@matthewhartt5887]

Courage Father!

[@n057828]

Respect from down under guys ❤🙏😇🇺🇸🇦🇺

[@savannahfan]

Love this

[@allansantos1717]

Personally found this video very very enlightening and inspiring.

[@claesvanoldenphatt9972]

It makes me so glad to see these gentlemen consider and choose the priesthood out of their personal maturity and depth rather than youthful zeal. Vocations to priesthood come in all shapes and sizes and youth doesn’t count for all that much in it.

[@vivianspence4987]

God Bless You

[@arizzzzy]

I love Father Bob! He has been such a gift to us at Our Lady of the Lakes.

[@georgeperson5822]

Didn't know you could start so late in life....

[@pauljordan4452]

@@georgeperson5822 Seminaries will accept guys over 40. It is great though when a man has seven sacraments.

[@sabygeorge5615]

God bless all of you and we can't be happier Pray for us

[@alwaysaperdue1]

We love Fr Bob!!!❤

[@eliasnganira7661]

Amazing!

[@NicoleYoshihara]

😊❤amazing

[@MundyPerez]

These older men who lived in the world and later in life become priests have better advice to their flocks than a young kid who just goes by the books and movies he's watched.

[@user-ks3qr5fk6m]

Not necessarily. No spouses nor parents are equal. Throw culture and family dynamics into it. I think that priests learn most through administrating the sacrament of confession. It’s like when other parents give you advise but you know it won’t work for your kid because your kid is drastically different from theirs.

[@mare4342]

I totally support the priesthood. My comment is about age...if an older women 55 plus wants to join a monastery or convent, there is only a handful of congregations in the U.S. that will permit entrance, to try their vocation. It's a significant bias. I am a 55 plus anulled woman with a masters degree in good health. I have contacted dozens of congregations. I don't even get the opportunity to visit.

[@christopherton]

Curious to know if they have a kind of entrance exam to see at which point you are or does everybody all go through the same schooling ? I could be happy in death if I could raise the Eucharist and the Cup of Salvation just once and hear just one confession

[@johnf2023]

As long as they don't have disordered inclinations (e.g. homosexual) and are concerned about the salvation of souls, perhaps they are doing God's Will, which is what truly matters.

[@williamschneider4472]

Thanks to God for appointing judges such as yourself, to point out the likely sinfulness of older seminarians. Perhaps a small percentage of them meet your standards.

[@johnericson7086]

Video literally had nothing to do with such matters. Only a deformed, ideologically possessed soul looks at something beautiful like older, earnest men receiving the sacrament of Holy Orders (including those formerly married with kids) and besmirches it with vitriolic, politically driven concerns. And no, I'm not some "Lib Cath" and even understand and accept some of the dangers you mention, but "this ain't it." Take the plank out, my friend.

[@aloneinbangkok8534]

@@williamschneider4472 who said they were likely sinful?

[@SEANPOL203]

It doesn’t matter what their inclinations are as long as they are celibate are there to serveGod alone

[@user-ks3qr5fk6m]

@@SEANPOL203Yes, it does matter. For this reason, it is explicitly stated that men who have homosexual inclinations cannot become priests. If a person is struggling with sexual sin, they are already fighting a battle and cannot become priests. If you are struggling with this sin, how is being surrounded by only men going to help?

[@GrimmJon75]

Everywhere I look says I'm too old at 49. Missed my chance I guess.

[@kilroyjones7786]

I'm 52 am I too old?

[@AileenSerrantes]

Do you remember me?

[@Monk_Life]

Take me! I'm loyal to Pope Francis and ideology free as well!

[@mrVicknair]

Its falling the cult is evil on the other side

[@philipcollins218]

What ever for ? Ridiculous

[@johnrichardson7280]

Are they less likely to be child predators, an illness that seems to plague the faith?

[@whatthefitt]

Plague the faith? There’s more than 400,000 priests worldwide. Just because of a few black sheep, you make it sound like it’s a major and frequent occurrence. No doubt, no one can deny the incidents of a few black sheep - you forgot all humans are born sinners, priests included. This applies to all faiths. Across all organisations no matter religion, governmental, NGOs, sport, business and what not, there’s always a few black sheep. An individual who has an ulterior motive or doesn’t have a pure heart and good intentions becomes a priest, is that fault of the faith or the person?