TAMPA, Fla.–Three young Florida men studying to become Catholic priests were surrounded by more than a million reasons last week showing why there’s hope for their ministry, despite what they see as an ongoing push against religion.
Tyler Gates, 26, Caleb Malec, 23, and Ricardo David Velasco, 18, attend seminary—college to train priests—in the Tampa area.
That revelation occurred as part of their journey to Lisbon, Portugal, with 17 other future priests and more than 95 young Catholic men and women from the Diocese of St. Petersburg to attend World Youth Day 2023 (WYD), celebrated from Aug. 1–6.
At the end of their trip, they were part of a crowd of 1.5 million young people from around the world celebrating mass with Pope Francis.
“In a world where religion is decreasing, pursuing the priesthood is no small feat,” Mr. Malec told The Epoch Times. “It is daunting and easy to focus on the negative side of reality, that being a lack of faith.
Young and Faith-Filled
Since 1986, WYD has been a global week-long celebration and pilgrimage intended to connect Catholics ages 16–35 from around the world with the head of their religion, the Pope.Usually held every 2-3 years, this was the first event since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
People from every nation around the world, with the exception of The Maldives, traveled to be part of the festivities, WYD spokeswoman Jamie Lynn Black told The Epoch Times.
More than 350,000 pilgrims officially registered for the event. It wasn’t surprising that the number quadrupled for the final service, she said. Typically, that event attracts 2–3 more people for every person registered.
The Sunday service on Aug. 6 attracted about 1.5 million to worship as the temperature climbed to 100 degrees. Attendance at the vigil service the night before drew the same number of participants.
Pope Francis celebrated the mass along with 700 bishops and 10,000 priests from all over the globe who helped distribute communion.
Mass was held at a large park along the Tagus River, and many of the pilgrims camped there in order to secure their spots for the final mass.
An army of 25,000 volunteers helped created seating and standing-room-only sections. Massive screens and speakers were spread through the area to help ensure all could see and hear the 86-year-old pope.
About 400 water faucets had been installed across the open area where the crowd was to gather in the blistering heat.
More than 5,000 pilgrims traveled from the United States to attend a service with believers from other nations.
Seeing so many faithful together “has certainly driven hope for the Catholic Church,” Mr. Gates told The Epoch Times.
Mr. Velasco said he felt called to join the priesthood immediately after high school. Mr. Malec first spent two years as a missionary before making his decision.
Up for the Challenge
The Diocese of St. Petersburg is a jurisdictional division of the Catholic Church. It’s one of seven throughout Florida.It’s led by Bishop Gregory Parkes and includes Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus counties. It tends to the more than 500,000 Catholics in 75 parishes, including Mr. Gates’ home parish of Christ the King Catholic Church in Tampa, Florida, and Mr. Malec’s home parish of St. Stephen Catholic Church in Riverview, Florida.
The Bishop ordains new priests from late April to late May each year. In 2023, only one man from the diocese was ordained to—or officially made part of—the priesthood.
The three seminarians are taking part in a rigorous education period that can last 7-10 years.
Mr. Gates is enrolled in the St. Vincent De Paul Regional Seminary in Boyton Beach, Florida. He was one of six from the Florida seminary to attend WYD. He has five years of training remaining before he can be ordained a priest.
Mr. Malec, who has six years to go, is enrolled at Saint Joseph Seminary College in Saint Benedict, Louisiana. Mr. Velasco–who just began the process–is at the same college and has 10 years to go in his schooling.
The diocese pays for their studies, and they'll be assigned to parishes there after ordination.
The church is in need of more priests, Mr. Velasco said.
“I feel like the possibility of becoming a priest now is difficult due to how many people ridicule and dislike the church,” he said. “But I like that challenge, and I know the Lord will provide.”
Mr. Gates said, “I am aware of the challenges. Our culture is very much anti-Catholicism, and the church’s teachings are looked at as old or not modern.”
But, he said, he is “still very excited for this next step and to be a priest in our society.”
“The truth is that the young people are the future of the church, and it’s great to see a lot of young people here at WYD,” Mr. Velasco told The Epoch Times while still in Portugal.
“It is the cause of a greater desire to persevere on such a journey,” Mr. Malec said.
“It’s worth it,” he said, to be able to help people “come to experience God’s love and mercy.”
WYD was founded by Pope St. John Paul II and has been held 16 times in 15 different cities on five continents. Rome has hosted it twice—in 1986 and 2000.
The 1995 celebration in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, drew the largest crowd, with five million. The next WYD is scheduled to be held in Seoul, South Korea, in 2027.
