{"id":514,"date":"2022-09-22T11:37:33","date_gmt":"2022-09-22T15:37:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.archbalt.org\/vocations\/?page_id=514"},"modified":"2022-11-16T17:01:31","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T22:01:31","slug":"sons-to-fathers-moms-perspective-on-vocations","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.archbalt.org\/vocations\/support\/information-for-parents\/sons-to-fathers-moms-perspective-on-vocations\/","title":{"rendered":"Sons to Fathers: Mom&#8217;s Perspective on Vocations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-columns stk-block-columns stk-block stk-1174a39\" data-block-id=\"1174a39\"><style>.stk-1174a39{max-width:1280px !important;min-width:auto !important;padding-right:30px !important;padding-left:30px !important;margin-right:auto !important;margin-left:auto !important}<\/style><div class=\"stk-row stk-inner-blocks stk-block-content stk-content-align stk-1174a39-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-column stk-block-column stk-column stk-block stk-75c9add\" data-block-id=\"75c9add\"><div class=\"stk-column-wrapper stk-block-column__content stk-container stk-75c9add-container stk--no-background stk--no-padding\"><div class=\"stk-block-content stk-inner-blocks\">\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sons to Fathers: Mom&#8217;s Perspective on Vocations<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>BY ERIK ZYGMONT<br><em>(Shared with permission from the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.catholicreview.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Catholic Review<\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-columns stk-block-columns stk-block stk-0103545\" data-block-id=\"0103545\"><div class=\"stk-row stk-inner-blocks stk-block-content stk-content-align stk-0103545-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-column stk-block-column stk-column stk-block stk-e582d23\" data-block-id=\"e582d23\"><style>@media screen and (min-width:768px){.stk-e582d23{flex:1 1 66.7% !important}}<\/style><div class=\"stk-column-wrapper stk-block-column__content stk-container stk-e582d23-container stk--no-background stk--no-padding\"><div class=\"stk-block-content stk-inner-blocks\">\n<p>Legend has it that after Margarita Sanson, mother to St. Pius X, kissed her newly-installed son\u2019s papal ring, she then gently prompted the new pope to kiss her own wedding ring, because the commitment behind it had helped him rise to the papacy.<br><br>It\u2019s an extreme example of the critical roles played by mothers in religious vocations. Stephanie Rubeling of Frederick, who has two sons pursuing the priesthood, is a contemporary, local example.<br><br>Michael Rubeling, 26, will be ordained a transitional deacon at the end of May, and, \u201cGod-willing,\u201d his mother said, will be ordained to the priesthood next year. Peter Rubeling, 20, is in his third year studying at The Catholic University of America and St. John Paul II Seminary, both in Washington, D.C., and hopes to enter major seminary after he obtains his bachelor\u2019s degree.<br><br>Both young men \u2013 who are two of Gary and Stephanie Rubeling\u2019s 10 children \u2013 plan to serve as priests in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.<br><br>\u201cWe\u2019ve always been open to our children discerning a religious vocation,\u201d Rubeling said, \u201cand I\u2019ve always prayed that they at least would be open to it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-column stk-block-column stk-column stk-block stk-68a2619\" data-block-id=\"68a2619\"><style>.stk-68a2619{padding-top:5px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.stk-68a2619{flex:1 1 33.3% !important}}<\/style><div class=\"stk-column-wrapper stk-block-column__content stk-container stk-68a2619-container stk--no-background stk--no-padding\"><div class=\"stk-block-content stk-inner-blocks\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"320\" height=\"186\" src=\"https:\/\/www.archbalt.org\/vocations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/09\/rubeling-family.jpg\" alt=\"Rubeling Family\" class=\"wp-image-515\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.archbalt.org\/vocations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/09\/rubeling-family.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.archbalt.org\/vocations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/09\/rubeling-family-300x174.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Gary and Stephanie Rubeling, second from left in the back row and third from right in the middle row, respectively, have seen two of their 10 children, Michael and Peter, from the left in the middle row, enter the path to the priesthood. (Susan Nelson | Courtesy Rubeling Family)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>That is not to say that she pushed the idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe tried to be intentional about it \u2013 at least making it an option \u2013 and, after that, kind of backed off,\u201d Rubeling explained. \u201cI tell people that a vocation, when it\u2019s developing, is like a delicate flower. Give it too much water, and it dies. But if you do nothing, it dies, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Rubeling\u2019s family, the \u201cjust right\u201d nourishment was eucharistic adoration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was a requirement,\u201d she said, \u201cjust to spend time with our Lord and develop that relationship and prayer life. \u2026 I feel like that\u2019s been huge in helping them sort out all the loud voices in our world today to hear what God wants them to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The world\u2019s \u201cloud voices,\u201d she said, are those that highlight medicine or law as aspirational fields for children, while leaving out the priesthood. Or those voices that \u201cjust assume that you\u2019re going to be on the road to marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve always taught that marriage is not a given thing,\u201d Rubeling said. \u201cIt\u2019s not what you have to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many parents, she speculated, may not actively encourage vocations because they imagine priests to lead lonely lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a real sacrificial life,\u201d Rubeling said, \u201cbut it\u2019s a joyful life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some parents fear a lack of grandchildren, she added, acknowledging that, with 10 children of her own, it\u2019s a fear she can\u2019t fully comprehend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cParents need to know that they\u2019re going to receive so many blessings they never expected (if a son becomes a priest),\u201d Rubeling said. \u201cThe Lord always gives back more than we give him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She has seen it in her own life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not like I got married and thought, \u2018I can\u2019t wait to have 10 children,\u2019 \u201d she said, adding that her large family is a result of being \u201copen to life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBut it didn\u2019t just bring us more children,\u201d she said. \u201cIt also gave us a God-given generosity, which didn\u2019t come from us. I\u2019m not the same person I would\u2019ve been if I had only two children; I had to be stretched so much to be open to the 10 he gave me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For her two sons working toward the priesthood, Rubeling hopes that they will be be happy as priests \u201cand ultimately glorify God.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019re all called to do,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sons to Fathers: Mom&#8217;s Perspective on Vocations BY ERIK ZYGMONT(Shared with permission from the Catholic Review.) Legend has it that after Margarita Sanson, mother to St. Pius X, kissed her newly-installed son\u2019s papal ring, she then gently prompted the new pope to kiss her own wedding ring, because the commitment behind it had helped him [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":270,"featured_media":0,"parent":36,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"featured_image_urls":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":""},"post_excerpt_stackable":"<p>Sons to Fathers: Mom&#8217;s Perspective on Vocations BY ERIK ZYGMONT(Shared with permission from the Catholic Review.) Legend has it that after Margarita Sanson, mother to St. Pius X, kissed her newly-installed son\u2019s papal ring, she then gently prompted the new pope to kiss her own wedding ring, because the commitment behind it had helped him rise to the papacy.It\u2019s an extreme example of the critical roles played by mothers in religious vocations. Stephanie Rubeling of Frederick, who has two sons pursuing the priesthood, is a contemporary, local example.Michael Rubeling, 26, will be ordained a transitional deacon at the end of&hellip;<\/p>\n","category_list":"","author_info":{"name":"support@valet.io","url":"https:\/\/www.archbalt.org\/vocations\/author\/supportvalet-io\/"},"comments_num":"0 comments","yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Sons to Fathers: Mom&#039;s Perspective on Vocations - Vocations<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.archbalt.org\/vocations\/support\/information-for-parents\/sons-to-fathers-moms-perspective-on-vocations\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sons to Fathers: Mom&#039;s Perspective on Vocations - Vocations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sons to Fathers: Mom&#8217;s Perspective on Vocations BY ERIK ZYGMONT(Shared with permission from the Catholic Review.) 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