Good morning everyone, my name is Father Mario DiCicco, and I’m a Francisco priest.  I’ve been a Franciscan for 58 years.  In other words, I’ve been in the hood for 58 years.  Also, since this past June I have been a priest for 50 years, that makes me 77 years old.  I’m a little older than Father Declan, a little older than Father Brian.  But still, I don’t have any mechanical parts, and I still take two stairs at a time.

I’m in my sixth year as President and Rector of the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley.  I’m president because it’s a graduate school where we train our lay men and lay women for professional, qualified ministry in the Catholic Church.  It takes 2 to 4 years of graduate training in order to send our graduates out to do what the Church calls them to do.  I’m also a rector because it’s a seminary where we train our Franciscans and men from other religious orders for the Catholic priesthood.  So, I’m happy to be here and after my next year – I have one more year to go – then I will become a chaplain on a cruise line, at 78.  I need a little joy in life.

But before we get into why I’m here, let’s talk about the Gospel.  You might wonder why, in the middle of Lent when we are supposed to be meditating on the passion and death of Jesus and the Cross, why we suddenly have this gospel of the Transfiguration.  This is a resurrection narrative.  Did you ever wonder why?  Well, we have to go back to the catechumens.  Lent is made specifically for the catechumens, one last deep formation in the Faith before the Easter sacraments.  And so, last Sunday, the Church tells the catechumens that when you come to this way of life you are going to have obstacles.  You are going to have temptations, just like Jesus had when he was tempted by the devil.  Remember last Sunday?  Because every temptation, as the devil presents it to Jesus and presents it to us, every temptation is calculated by Satan to set God aside, to make God irrelevant in our lives, to make him annoying and irritating to our way of living.  That’s what every temptation is, and Jesus tells that devil – 3 times he quotes from the Book of Deuteronomy, which is the great law book of the Jews – that I am the Lord your God; there is no other.  There is no other.  And that’s what the Church is telling the catechumens:  “You are joining us; you believe that Jesus is the Son of God; you follow this Jesus.”  And to emphasize that the catechumens are given this story of transfiguration, that if you follow this way of life faithfully, you will be transfigured like Jesus.

Did you hear what Paul said in the first reading?  We had the long version.  He said, “He will transform our lowly bodies to conform to his glorified body.”  That’s the hope that is given to the catechumens and to all of us.  And to put the stamp of approval on it, this voice comes from Heaven – I just love that scene there – and the voice points to Jesus as the Church points to Jesus, to the catechumens, “Look, this is my chosen Son.  Now, you listen to him.”  Did you hear that? God speaking?  “Listen to him," no other voice, no other sound bite that should be in our lives.  "I am the Lord your God; there is no other.”  And I think that the catechumens are just enthralled and encouraged by this message, as we all should be in our Catholic faith.  We listen to Jesus because he has the words of eternal life.  If somebody, by the way, said to you, “I have the words of eternal beauty or eternal wealth” you are going to listen to them, aren’t you?  Sadly.  But when somebody says to you, “I have the words of eternal life” are you going to turn down that offer?  I would be foolish and stupid to do that.  Do I make any sense when I’m saying this?  Say “Amen brother.”   That’s right.  You’ve got to say “Amen” to this message because it is so powerful that it gives me goose bumps when I talk about these things.  “This right here is my beloved Son.  Now you listen.”  Don’t you parents tell that to your children?  “You listen to me.”  You listen to Him, to Jesus.

Now, if I may make a transition to why I’m here, who do you think is going to be preaching these words in the future?  Do you think Father Declan is?  Do you think I am? Father Brian?  We are on the endangered species list, as priests.  Discovery Channel should make a movie on us.  And who is going to do it is you.  You are going to do this.  This is not an invitation; this is your responsibility and dignity by reason of your baptism. There is no getting away from this; you are proclaimers of the Gospel, of the message of Jesus by the way you live and by the way you talk.

I say this why you are needed, not because of any default of priests, but it was always this way by reason of your baptism.  I say this because in 15 years there will be 5 million new Catholics in this state alone.  Now, who do you think is going to minister to those people?  I don’t know how it’s going to happen.  I’m going to give you a statistic that came out 3 months ago from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, called CARA.  They found out that 75% of the priests in this country are 60 years or older.  Can you believe that?  And the rest, 25%, are hovering around 50.

That’s why I need you young men here – I’m going to put a hex on all these men here – to become priests.  How do you think I became a priest?  Do you think a voice came from Heaven, or like St. Paul?  No, it’s because of God’s grace.  That’s simply it – God’s grace.  And here I am 50 years later talking to you.  And you’re going to take my place.  That’s a prophecy.  I’ve had young men say “no, no, no.”  I said, “But God sometimes says yes, yes, yes.”  So, you can’t overcome that “yes.”

But do you realize, my dear people, there are 18,200 Catholic parishes in this country?  Do you know how many are without a Catholic priest on Sunday?  3500 of them are without a priest on Sunday, no priest in the parishes.  So, what does that tell you?  In 1965 there were 45 million Catholics and 55,000 priests in good health.  Today, there are 67 million Catholics and only 40,000 priests, most of whom are over 60, as I just got through telling you.  Now what does that tell you?  It tells you we need you as professionally qualified ministers of the Gospel, and you can do anything you want to do with that degree and you can take over a parish.  And as a pastoral administrator you will be responsible for the spiritual life of your community.  What a dignity that is – to be in charge of a community of faithful people who are yearning for God.  And you are to lead them, not only by what you say, but also by what you do.

Now, does that make sense?  Say “Amen, Brother.”  And, so everyone who said “Amen” will have to help me at the collection.  That’s my trap for all of you.

In your pews are envelopes and I really appreciate any help you can give me.  I lost 14 students from last semester to this semester because they had no money to pay the tuition and I didn’t have any more money to give them.  I think it’s important for the Latino and the Asian and the African-American community to be supported in their ministers because without ministers coming back to their communities we are going to lose them.  Believe me, we are going to lose them.  I’m asking for your help so that we can prepare these men and women for professional ministry in the Catholic Church.

To my mind, I don’t think there is a cause – that’s why I came all the way from Chicago, where I was for 33 years, out to California, not for the weather (although it’s been pleasant) – but I came because I don’t think there is a cause more worthy than to prepare men and women who will be professionally preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ any place in the world.

Anyway, I ask for your help.  You know, my tuition each year is only $12,000, which is cheaper than a high school – De La Salle, right?  You must pay about $17,000 or $20,000 to go to De La Salle, and $12,000 for a graduate school.  So there will be a second collection after Communion.  Now, those of you who will leave early, please take one home.  I’m realistic too; I’m a realist.

Let me end with this story.  One of our graduates was a diocesan seminarian from Monterey and he graduated two years ago, and he was ordained a deacon by Bishop Garcia and then right after that he discovered he had stage 4 colon cancer.  He was going to die.  I called him the night before the operation, and I said, “Tom, the whole community is praying for you.”  You know the only question he asked me was this:  “Father, do you think the Bishop will ordain me a priest?”  I said, “Sure Tom, why not?”  I didn’t know what I was saying; I didn’t know what the Bishop would do.  But my dear people, lo and behold Bishop Garcia ordained Tom a priest.  Not in a church, not in a cathedral, but he ordained him in the waiting room of the intensive care unit of Monterey Community Hospital with these tubes coming out of Tom’s mouth.  He was a priest for 33 days.  His ministry compacted by suffering and sacrifice, and I know it has blessed that diocese and blessed our school.

So, these are the types of men and women, whether ordained or not ordained.  I know I point to the young men and older men to become priests, but hopefully one of these days married men will become priests also.  You cannot report me to the Bishop because I didn’t say anything.

So, God bless you.  Thanks to Father Declan and Father Brian and Father Tom for your hospitality and your generosity.  I really appreciate this opportunity to break open the gospel, but also to break open my ministry as rector and president to prepare these men and women.  They are going to carry on the work that I have been doing for 50 years and Father Declan’s work.  We need you and I want you.  Come and visit us.  Attend a class and you’ll see how theology will blow your mind.

God bless you.  Thank you very much.