YONKERS — They’re answering God’s call, but they’re not taking any others.  

As part of their formation, first-year seminarians in the Diocese of Brooklyn must give up their cell phones five days a week — meaning that they can’t make or receive calls, text friends, or visit Instagram, TikTok, and other social media sites. 

The cell phones are taken away from the seminarians on Sunday evening and are not given back to them until the following Saturday morning. 

The rule, which has been in place since September 2023, is designed to help seminarians avoid distractions so that they can concentrate on prayer, contemplation, and their studies, said Father Christopher Bethge, director of vocations for the diocese. 

And by not scrolling through an Instagram feed several times a day, a seminarian can truly discern whether he is destined for the priesthood, explained Father Bethge, who added that Pope Francis inspired the technology moratorium adhered to by the diocese.  

Two years ago, the late pontiff called for seminarians to undergo a period of time, known as a propaedeutic year, at the start of their formation for intense vocational discernment. As a result, many seminaries now ban the use of cell phones on weekdays, including St. Joseph’s Seminary and College in Yonkers, which trains priests for the Diocese of Brooklyn. 

“In a world where we are so hyper, sometimes we’re addicted to our cell phones,” Father Bethge explained. “I think the ban is trying to get them in the mindset that people need a priest who sees them, who is focused on them, and who isn’t distracted by what’s going on the internet.”  

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Kevin-Michael Kamel, 23, who is entering his third year at St. Joseph’s, was a member of the first class to live under the technology ban. He entered the seminary in 2023. 

“It was a bit of a shock at first,” Kamel said, recalling how he had to make do during the week without his ever-present cell phone. 

He felt the technology drought immediately.  

“One thing I definitely missed at first was not being able to play video games,” said Kamel, who grew up in Astoria and went to Mass at Immaculate Conception Church. 

Other things he had to do without: texting, listening to music, watching videos, and researching topics discussed in class. But a funny thing happened about three months into his technology fast. Kamel said he started to feel an inner sense of calm and came to realize that there was a lot about the cell phone that he did not miss. 

“I definitely had some of the best spiritual growth in my life,” he said. “I’ve had some fantastic amounts of learning. And just having a struggle, I’ve gotten such a great sense of praying to God and understanding his will.”  

According to Father Willie Purcell, national vocations director for Ireland, many young adults find social media connections superficial and have developed a desire for deeper interpersonal connections.  

“I think the online generation of today are now questioning things on a deeper level in order to find their own place in the world,” he recently told the Times of London, adding that the desire for something real has led many young men to consider joining the priesthood.  

For Father Bethge, social media has its good and bad points.  

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“I think it’s always a gift and a challenge,” he said. “I studied in Costa Rica, and I’ve remained friends with many of the people I met there through social media. There’s a gift there, in that it allows communication to occur.  

“But there’s a danger of worrying too much about the externals,”  

He said there is an increased interest in the priesthood that might be tied to social media. 

“They’re noticing kind of a revived sense of vocation in Ireland. And I would say that’s true here. The election of a new pope has brought about a lot of excitement,” Father Bethge said. “I think the way that social media covered the conclave was a big help because it really caught people’s interest.”  

Meanwhile, first-year seminarians continue to endure the week without the ability to look at videos trending on TikTok.  

Jason Kim, entering his third year at Our Lady of Providence Seminary in Providence, Rhode Island, said it was initially difficult, but he is now grateful for the experience. 

“When I got the phone back, I overindulged myself by looking to catch up with everybody all at once and check on what’s going on with the news. But eventually, I felt better without it because I was able to focus on my prayer life,” said Kim, 23, who grew up in Bayside and attended St. Robert Bellarmine Church. 

At the end of his propaedeutic year, Kim deleted his social media accounts.  

“I felt that I really didn’t need it,” he said. “It’s more important to have human interaction.”