December 10, 2010
Personal Reflection
Celebrating the gift of a vocation to the priesthood
Father Chris Forler is seated with his goddaughter, Grace Dauby, on his lap. Click for a larger version.
By ZOE CANNON (Sacred Heart Church, Vincennes)
Part three of a series
A priest will tell you the best way to get everyone’s attention in a noisy room is to say, “The Lord be with you — and the response would immediately be, “and also with you.” As a part of the revised translation of the Roman Missal the translation of this dialogue has been revised and will read: “The Lord be with you. And with your spirit.”
When the priest greets people with these words, he is expressing his desire for the dynamic spirit of God to be given to the people, enabling them to help transform the world that has been entrusted to them. Our response to the priest assures the same divine assistance of God’s spirit and, more specifically, it helps the priest to use the charismatic gifts given to him in ordination, fulfilling a prophetic function in the Church with a slight, yet powerful change, of just a few words.
This third series on the vocation of priesthood focuses on Father Chris Forler, the associate pastor at Christ the King Church in Evansville, who was ordained on May 31, 2008. I wanted to begin this reflection with one of the changes in the Roman Missal, because this particular exchange is so very important to the relationship we have with our priest. The Church remains strong because we understand it is God’s Spirit that connects us to one another. New words — deeper meaning — same celebration of Mass.
Father Chris is from the small town of Chrisney. His parents, Gene and Leona Forler, nurtured their home with the Catholic faith. The youngest of three children, he has one brother and one sister, who he said loves to tell people that her brother is a Catholic priest. He graduated from Heritage Hills High School before heading off to UE for college. In his sophomore year at UE he traveled with the Newman Club to participate in Christian Appa-lachian Project’s Spring Break Workfest. He recalls the words of a priest from Kentucky, who started the charitable organization, “Someone is going to have to step up and take my place, because I’m getting old and priests are needed to continue the work of Christ.” In the middle of Chris’s college career a seed was planted about priesthood with that one comment.
In 2002, Chris Forler graduated from the University of Evansville as a mechanical engineer. Earning a degree in this difficult program was no small feat. After working as an engineer at Crane Naval Base for 13 months, he decided to make a change in his life. He entered Mundelein Seminary near Chicago. Preaching and teaching were never on his list of desired career responsibilities, but in following God’s call, he is doing both. New choices — deeper meaning — same intelligent person. His passion to serve is now accompanied by a surplus of college coursework, as he steps up to minister as a young Catholic priest. His greatest joy: “I enjoy working with families and kids.” He loves being at a parish with a school. He appreciates the support he receives in the invitations to join families in their homes and activities. He shared that the qualities for a great priest are the same virtues required of a great husband. He believes being exposed to family life and witnessing the influence parents have on their children strengthens his vocation. Whe-ther counseling married couples or preparing young couples for marriage, he feels this interaction makes him a better priest. He thinks there is no substitute for a faith-filled family environment and recognizes the need for strong catechesis in the schools. The friendships in his brother priests are his greatest support. Father Chris said, “In every vocation, the goal is helping one another get to heaven.”
His greatest concern: “Our salvation — the disordered infatuation people have with sports and their lackadaisical attitude toward their faith. They are missing out on so much.” The gift the priest has to offer in Reconciliation, in his words, “is HUGE.” He believes this is one of his most important roles in providing that opportunity for God’s mercy. He too, is challenged in finding the right balance for his religious duties without distractions, and finding time to enjoy everyday activities. Time spent in the “Adoration Chapel with the Lord” gives him that balance in his life. When asked how he felt about someday being a pastor of his own parish his answer is ”anxious!” But as you can read, Father Chris has the necessary gifts to provide any parish with great leadership. He stated that God is revealed most to him each time he acts as a spiritual director. “People will come for insight and without anything I have particularly said, God’s love is revealed and it actually has little to do with me.” This humble awareness is what makes Father Chris a good shepherd. In answering the “call” to priesthood he is fulfilling the prophetic function of the Church and not with just a slight change of a few words, but with a powerful witness of God’s love for all of us. Thank you Father Chris!