The recent priest scandal has caused many Catholics to ask what it is that attracts men to the priesthood. While most priests say that they feel "called," there is currently some debate among the laity over whether or not such a lifestyle is actually a personal choice.

In this edition of Vestments, we look at vocations and those who dare to be Catholic priests in a time when that name has been deeply blemished.

"Redial," said Fr. Tom Walker of Blessed Sorrows, Burton. "That's what I said to God when he started calling me. I didn't want to be a priest. I mean, if someone told you that you would have to live alone, never have a date, and wear black all the time, would you take them up on it? Sounds crazy. I guess maybe I am a bit crazy."

Despite his plea of insanity, Fr. Walker believes that he wouldn't be a priest if it weren't for God's guidance.

"I was at an awkward time in my life," says Fr. Walker. "I hadn't been to church in quite awhile -- I had made a fool of myself at a friend's wedding, and I didn't know what I was going to do with my life. I wasn't making a whole lot of money so I was driving my grandmother's car."

Walker noticed the plastic Jesus his devout grandmother had placed on the dashboard and decided to ask Jesus for a little help regarding what direction to take in life. The rest, as they say, is history.

"All of a sudden, I saw the sign," he said. "It sprang up out of the fields. It was a picture of Jesus and it said 'Are you on the right road?'"

While Walker admits that this sign has been up for years, it took on special significance to him that night.

"But I still wasn't in the mood for God just to call me like that," said Walker. "So I asked God for another sign. If he really wanted me that bad, he was going to have to call back. I decided to get off the expressway and head into to town for some snacks. You wouldn't believe what place happened to come up on my left. The sign read 'Bethlehem Party Store and Check Cashing'. I started going to church again after that -- and now I'm a priest. I had never felt whole and complete until I acknowledged that the priesthood was the best thing for me."

Other priests interviewed didn't have such a drastic call, yet seemed to always now what their lifestyle was going to entail.

"I just am who I am," said Fr. Jerry Blanchard, a priest for over 30 years. "I couldn't see myself as being anything but a priest. Asking me to be anything else would be like asking me to run around on all fours."

Blanchard's mother said that she always knew her son was meant to be a priest, but tried to persuade him to just get married and have a family like everyone else.

"I just couldn't understand why he would want to be a priest," said Jeannie Blanchard, Fr. Jerry's mother. "I thought maybe he hadn't met the right girl yet."

Gerald's sister Josephine said that she too knew Jerry was going to be a priest ever since his childhood, but unlike their mother, Josephine has always been proud of him for it.

"I can remember one time when our parents were out of town -- Jerry put on my mother's nightgown, took down some silver wedding goblets, and had a mass for all of his stuffed animals," his sister recalls.

Josephine does admit that it hasn't always been easy having a priest in the family.

"Sometimes I'd bring home dates, and if he was over, I would have to explain to my friends that my brother was a priest," she said. "I went through a period when I tried to deny it. I just told my friends that he was moody and liked black, but I eventually got over that. He has really been a good brother and shows me all the love and support that I wish my husband would."

It seems that whatever the case -- whether it is something they have been meant to do from birth, or if it is a later calling from God -- we should treat our priests as we would want to be treated. After all, these men "put on Christ" while many of us simply sleep in.