The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-08-16
HIS PRIESTLY son

The Reverend Nicholas Murphy
was evidently disturbed. 1t was near
bedtime. His faithful housekeeper
brought in the little pitcher Of
cool water and placed it on his
desk, but he did not bid her his usual
CHEEKY goodnight. He simply mum
bled.
And she-well, we are not con-
cerned, but the angels heard her say,
as she left the room, He might as
well have kept quiet. | wonder what's
got into him anyway"
Father Nicholas was holy priest,
a Watchful shepherd who gave all his
time and all his income, slender
though it was, to his flock. He loved
them all, even the straying ones, and
they all loved him.
He had a hobby it was a
blessed one-the ambition to rear
priests. Already in the fifteen years
of his charge at Avondale, a parish of
some two hundred families, he had
managed to add to the diocesan list
no fewer than ten names and this
from a district in which the flower of
priesthood had not blossomed for al
most quarter of century.
His fellow-priests were filed with
admiration at his good work, and
whenever he visited the Archbishop
or met him on the occasion of some
Confirmation ceremony, His Grace in
variably referred to the splendid rec
ord he had made.
But Father Nicholas had not always
been so enthusiastic on this subject.
In the first years of his priesthood he
had given it little thought. When
some young student announced to
him, in the confessional or outside,
that he intended to go to the semi
nary, he was always glad, but never
concerned himself as to how the idea
was suggested or as to who fostered
it. He did not recall much about his
own vocation only that as long as he
could remember anything, he had
thought of the priesthood and moth
ing else. So he felt that the idea
would come to others in the same mys-
terious way, and that the supply would
regulate itself without any active in
terest on his part-that if God wanted
priests, He would find them.
Once or twice it occurred to him
to suggest such vocation to likely
boys, but he always hesitated. He
knew of bitter disappointment which
had come to one of his fellow-priests
who had taken the initiative in en-
couraging what he believed to be a
vocation, and mindful of this example,
he had continued his hands off" pol
icy for the first ten years of his priest
hood. Leave it all to God" he said
to himself. LET Him choose His
servants"
But one day a Bishop from the
West visited the parish in which he
was stationed as curate. The Bishop
was a man of strong character, whose
words, bearing the seal of personal
experience, made a deep impression
on the young priest. He spoke partic-
ularly of his conviction that in all
parts of the country, and especially
in the more populous Catholic cen
tres, vocations were going to seed
because priests were afraid to foster
them.
God calls through men," said the
Bishop emphatically, land every one
of Gods ministers ought to be as
anxious to reproduce good priests to
follow in his footsteps, as Catholic
father is to bring into the world chill
dren to perpetuate his name"
The idea struck home. 1t sank deer
into the heart of Father Nicholas, and
before that year had closed, some OF
his meagre income was defraying the
expense of educating a boy for the
priesthood. The second year too were
on the way, and then came his appoint
ment as pastor of Avondale.
There was much to do in the new
parish, and thousand details pre-
occupied him; but Father Nicholas
kept his eyes open for "priestly sons,
and soon Avondale began to echo witt
the whisperings of sacred ambition.
The good pastor was hard pressed
at times, but he never refused the
needed help. His cassock did no