The Upriest apostolate is aimed at reaching the youth in creative, new ways.

October 1, 2010. Lafayette, Indiana. When one of her Legionary sons sent her his vocation story in a video, Sharon Antonio, a mother of 9, decided to post it for the world to see.

That video, called “The Road” is now posted on the UPriest YouTube channel, which aims to provide creative, fun videos that spark reflection on the priesthood.

“This apostolate is a response to Pope Benedict’s encouraging us to use the Internet,” said Sharon. “YouTube has over 2 billion views a day, nearly double the primetime audience of all three major US broadcast networks combined. With 3.5 million people visiting the site every day, the types of videos our young people watch will have an impact on the world.”

“I want to help make a positive impact on how they view the priesthood,” she said.

So far, the UPriest channel has only two videos, both featuring her son, who is Legionary seminarian.

But Sharon wants the apostolate to grow into a much wider seedbed of creativity that will help encourage youth to give God the first chance in their lives in whatever vocation to which he might call them.

And for that, she says, she needs a video editor who can help create and edit videos that will reach the youth.

“We need to be creative, unconventional, and perhaps a little sensational,” she said, adding that she hopes to put up two videos a month and gather support from others who are interested in the apostolate and would be able to contribute their talents to the cause.

“My hope is to have many creative testimonies of religious life, unveiling the beauty of the vocation.”

Why “UPriest”?  The answer is threefold.

“I thought of the name ‘UPriest’ because the videos are to reach three different people: priests, to encourage them; our future priests, by finding vocations; and you and I, so we can promote vocations and gain a deeper appreciation for the priesthood.”

Visit the UPriest YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/upriest.

If you are interested in supporting this new apostolate, please e-mail Sharon Antonio at sharon.antonio@gmail.com