Fostering vocations close to Fr. Gilbreath's heart

By ROB HERBST
The Catholic Week
MOBILE — Fr. Patrick Gilbreath will soon begin a ministry that’s close to his heart. 
He also understands the responsibility that comes with being the Archdiocese of Mobile’s new vocation director.
“It’s sobering to know that for the next however many years I’ll help form the presbyterate, help form the future priests of our archdiocese. It’s not overwhelming, but sobering is the best word I can think of,” said Fr. Gilbreath.
Fr. Gilbreath has been appointed to the role effective June 24. He will succeed Fr. Victor Ingalls, who has served in that role since 2016 and was appointed the archdiocese’s first executive director for Multicultural Ministry. 
Since his ordination to the priesthood in 2019, the 29-year-old Fr. Gilbreath has served as parochial vicar at Holy Spirit Parish in Montgomery.
While Fr. Gilbreath won’t take over the position until June, he’s already had some unofficial experience with cultivating vocations. His ministry at Holy Spirit Parish allowed him to work with students at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School. Fr. Gilbreath also assisted Fr. Ingalls with seminary trips for young men discerning a call to priesthood.
“Discerning vocations and helping young men is something I’ve taken an interest in,” Fr. Gilbreath said. “There are a few seminarians I’ve worked with or talked to before entering seminary and that’s pretty exciting.”
Before entering seminary himself, Fr. Gilbreath graduated from McGill-Toolen Catholic High School and was a parishioner at Christ the King Parish in Daphne. While at Christ the King, Fr. Gilbreath said he had an initial talk with then-Christ the King Parish Parochial Vicar Fr. Travis Burnett about entering seminary.
Ironically, Fr. Burnett was later appointed archdiocesan vocation director. Current St. Bede the Venerable Pastor Fr. Alex Valladares was Fr. Gilbreath’s first vocation director, followed by Fr. Burnett and Fr. Ingalls.
“All of them have had a role in my life,” Fr. Gilbreath said.
However, Fr. Ingalls was the archdiocese’s first full-time vocation director. Along with helping young men considering the priesthood, Fr. Ingalls has strived to build a “culture of vocations” in the archdiocese.
That’s something Fr. Gilbreath aims to continue.
“We are called by the Lord to something. God doesn’t leave us just floundering in life,” Fr. Gilbreath said. “I want to be able to help young men and young women and couples too.”
The first way to help build up vocations, Fr. Gilbreath said, is to focus on being a good example for others.
“Right now in my position, being a good example of holiness to the best that I can and to make sure my own personal prayer life and pursuit of virtue and holiness are evident is the goal,” he said. “Let myself be a good example, to young men in particular, of what a priest is. I don’t say it in a selfish way, but be a good priest and let that shine.”
He also added the importance of discussing vocations.
“The biggest thing is ‘normalizing’ the idea of priesthood and religious life and faithful holy marriages,” he said.  In today’s world, in a secular society, it’s kind of hard to understand that - normalizing priesthood, normalizing religious life. I think there’s this big aura of mystery around it in a lot of ways and there’s a misconception.”