By David Myers

Southwest Kansas Register

With a century-old railway "Tickets" sign perched above him and a train whistling by 20 or so yards behind him, Bishop Ronald Gilmore held high the holy Eucharist while 33 young adults sat in rapt attention, having just spent the weekend discerning their gifts of the Holy Spirit.

It was the concluding Mass for the "Called & Gifted" weekend especially geared for young adults, a quick stop along their journey that was designed to help them uncover gifts – or "charisms" — that the Holy Spirit has given them.

The weekend was facilitated by Sherry Weddell and Ed Hopfner of the international St. Catherine of Siena Institute, and held at the historic Santa Fe Depot in Dodge City, once home to the Harvey Girls, and now a completely refurbished dinner theater with meeting space.

Gifts of the Holy Spirit, the participants learned – those extraordinary, supernatural gifts created by God for a specific individual — are not the kind of gifts that you sit on a shelf, store in a box in the closet, or return because they didn’t fit. They are the kind that you can’t help but share with others, because that’s exactly what they’re designed to do.

On the second day of the gathering, after the participants had discerned what their gifts just might be, participant Marivel Chavez made a discovery.

"A lot of times I’ve felt that God was in need of me to pray for no reason," she said. "I could be asleep and wake up and have the urge to pray. I could be in the shower or at work."

This wasn’t just happenstance, she learned. Chavez may have the gift of "intercessory prayer."

"God uses me in a way to send a message to someone having a rough time."

Chavez told the story of a friend who recently was going through a difficult period. Chavez awoke one morning with a compulsion to pray for that person, before Chavez even knew her friend was having problems.

The Called & Gifted weekend "helped me realize that there are some gifts I have that I didn’t know I had," Chavez said. "Now that I know, I’m willing to pursue them."

Weddell made clear that the gifts, of which a person can have more than one, don’t require a soapbox. In fact, they may not have the outward appearance of a charism at all.

J.R.R. Tolkein, author of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, was deeply Catholic, she said.

Yet, she added, "God is never mentioned in his books. But people are converted by that book. It wakes you up to read it. It takes you places that a sermon never will."

If a person has the charism of writing, "it doesn’t have to be religious writing to give glory to God, as long as it [enhances] the human being."

A charism, she said, "will be directly related to your relationship with God."

Unlike natural talents, charisms are not inherited from parents, but instead are actual supernatural gifts handed you by the Holy Spirit. According to Weddell, charisms focus outward and "enable Christians to bear results for the Kingdom of God above and beyond our normal human abilities."

Midway through the weekend, Jeff Schawe – like most of those gathered – was still discerning what his charisms might be. The youngest brother of Father Wesley Schawe, he is currently attending Wichita State University with the idea of becoming a state trooper.

"This has given me a good foundation to work from," he said. "And I’ve made a lot of friends."

Most Called & Gifted weekends, including several that have been presented in the Diocese of Dodge City, are designed for adults of all ages. This one was specifically geared toward young adults, whose lives often are in a transitional state.

Vocations Director Becky Hessman, who organized the event, said that while the event was designed for young adults, the "vocational talk was pertinent for all people. God doesn’t call just once, but throughout our lives. We have to be open to God’s call all our lives. Vocation isn’t just a one time thing."

While some charisms seem extraordinary, such as healing or prophesy, others are more ordinary, such as administration, service, or hospitality. Discovering such charisms could lead to a vocation.

There are pastoral charisms, such as "helps" ("Are you the one people always come to for advice?" Hopfner asked.) and "pastoring." There are communication charisms, such as "evangelism," "prophecy" and "teaching." And there are approximately 19 others, from lifestyle charisms, such as "celibacy" and "missionary," to creative charisms, such as "craftsmanship," and "music."

"All we can do is offer our gifts and see what God does," Weddell said. "If you are gifted, you have been called, and if you have been called, you are gifted."