&uot;You get what you pray for,&uot; is among the Rev. Wayne Harmon Arnold’s favorite advice. And the Natchez native believes it applies to the current shortage of Catholic priests that is affecting the Diocese of Jackson and other areas.

&uot;If we want more priests, we need to pray for that every week,&uot; Arnold said.

Arnold said Bishop J. Terry Steib of the Diocese of Memphis, where Arnold was ordained earlier this month, wrote a prayer asking God for new priests that parishioners use every week.

&uot;For young men and women saying that prayer, the idea might enter their head and their heart that God might be calling them,&uot; Arnold said.

Earlier this month, the Diocese of Jackson announced plans to step up recruitment efforts, especially among minorities, to combat the shortage. Unless the situation changes, the number of priests younger than 40 in the diocese is projected to fall to zero by 2005, while the majority of its priests will be age 60 or older.

The Rev. John Brock, pastor of Assumption Catholic Church on Morgantown Road, said he believes the decision for young people to enter the priesthood is more difficult in today’s society.

&uot;It’s tough to make that choice in a world filled with consumerism,&uot; he said. Brock said he hopes the Jackson Diocese’s efforts to recruit more young people will have a significant impact. He likened the new effort to the Marine Corps’ slogan — &uot;we’re looking for a few good men.&uot;

&uot;Perhaps we need something along those lines,&uot; he said. Brock said he does not think the shortage of priests will be solved by any major changes in the clergy — such as allowing married or female priests — anytime soon, if ever.

For Arnold, 48, who will soon begin serving at St. Louis Catholic Church in Memphis, the decision was harder. He prayed and thought about his decision for about two years from the time he first felt called by God to serve. And Arnold said that despite the shortage in the Jackson Diocese, he also feels God called him to serve in Memphis. &uot;Who am I to question him?&uot; he said.