The Columbans' national vocation director took a circuitous route to the missionary priesthood and invites you to examine your calling from Jesus Christ.
By Fr. Bill Morton

Jesus looked on the man with love and saw in him great potential for God's Kingdom. "Go, sell all you have and give the money to the poor and then, come, follow me and you will have everlasting life."

But the young man went away sad, for he had many possessions.

A little more than 30 years ago, the same Jesus of Nazareth, in the muggy town of Pensacola, Florida, looked with love on Bill Morton, U.S. Navy air-traffic controller, lapsed Catholic and evangelical Christian and said: "Yo, Bill, how about a career change? Drop what you're doing and come and serve the poor in faraway lands. Share the Good News about how your encounter with Me has made you a new person. Walk with Me, and you'll find joy and a life worth living forever!"

But Bill went away sad-for awhile, anyway-because he had many obsessions. Besides, he didn't think he could live a celibate life, spend so many years studying philosophy and theology, learn other languages and live in someone else's country, far away from his own family.

And he didn't think he was a very holy person.

Fortunately for Bill, Fr. Mike Harrison, the Columban Society's U.S. Region director of vocations at the time, kept in touch with Bill and finally said, "Look, if God has planted the seed of a vocation in your heart, you must cultivate it and give it space to grow. Come and see what our Columban life is like. If it's not for you, you'll still have one more year of college completed and be a better man for the experience."

So at age 23, Bill said, if not exactly "Yes, Lord," something positive or, at least, hopeful. It went something like, "Well, I don't even know what I'm doing, and no one ever thought I'd be a priest. I don't really like to study, and I was suspended from high school three times. But, well, your friendship has given me a new sense of freedom and peace, and I would like to help make the world a better place, so, OK, I'll give it a try."

I'm glad Bill did. I mean, I am glad I did. And, I think, some other people are glad I did, too.

Now I know what Jesus meant when he said, "I will make you fishers of men."

Fr. Mike was fishing for men for the Columbans, and he hooked me and reeled me in. The rest is history.

Today, I am the fisher for men for the Columbans. I am the U.S. Region director of vocations.

Columban Father Bill Morton has worked with the people of Lomas de Poleo, Mexico, an unincorporated area west of Ciudad Juárez along the U.S.-Mexico border. Here, he is pictured with parishioners outside their Catholic chapel.

From the inner city of Chicago's South Side to the rice paddies of Taiwan to the mesas of the dynamic world known as the U.S.-Mexico border, I'm still encountering Jesus in the people I serve and still saying "yes" to Him, but with a little more enthusiasm and certainty than I had in the beginning.

I don't think God has stopped calling young men to priesthood and mission. In fact, if you listen carefully, you might hear the same Jesus of Nazareth knocking on the door of your life, challenging you to leave behind what is familiar, what seems secure and satisfying, to move forward the work of God's Kingdom.

If you have ever sensed in your heart a hunger for service and a desire to be at the cutting edge of the Good News, then look for ways to let that inspiration grow and take root. If you sometimes sense that God is touching you, trying to get your attention, then be still and listen.

Check out our Columban website. Find a spiritual director. Get involved with other youth in your parish or community. We're praying for you already. God has amazing plans for your life, but they require taking the time to listen, search and discern.

Life is an adventure, and the benefits of working for God's Kingdom are great. Get rid of whatever keeps you from loving God and your neighbor. Give service to the poor. Walk with migrants and refugees. Care for the Earth. Be a witness to peace. Preach the Good News. Be the Good News.

Fr. Bill Morton

Columban Father Bill Morton of Philadelphia was ordained in 1985 and is the vice director of the U.S. Region for the Columban Society.

If you would like to discuss a Columban vocation with Fr. Bill Morton, e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call him toll-free at 877/299-1920.