World Day of Prayer for Vocations

The purpose of World Day of Prayer for Vocations is to publicly fulfill the Lord’s instruction to, “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest” (Mt 9:38; Lk 10:2)… While appreciating all vocations, the Church concentrates its attention this day on vocations to the ordained ministries (priesthood and diaconate), consecrated life in all its forms (male and female religious life, societies of apostolic life, consecrated virginity), secular institutes in their diversity of services and membership, and to the missionary life.

2023 marks the 60th Anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations.

World Day of Prayer for Vocations, April 30, 2023
 

BISHOP
KEVIN J.
SWEENEY

One of my prayer intentions on “World Day of Prayer for Vocations” in 2023 is that, as we continue to “emerge” from the pandemic, some of what we have all experienced during these past three years will lead women and men who are being called to follow Jesus as consecrated religious or priests. We should all be praying that those who are being called will be able to “hear” that call and respond with a generous, courageous, and faith-filled “Yes.”

The pandemic and all that “went with it” has affected us individually and collectively, as a society and as the Church. Within the Church and her ministry, some areas were impacted more so than others. Youth ministry, High School and College Campus Ministry, and “Vocation Ministry” are areas in the life of the Church that were severely impacted and restricted, especially in the first two years of the pandemic. Having said that, I also believe that there are less “obvious” ways that we have been impacted by the pandemic (and all that went with it) that could very possibly have a much more “positive” impact on young and not-so-young women and men who are being called by the Lord.

Especially in the early weeks and months of the pandemic, we witnessed the inspiring courage, generosity, and sacrifices of healthcare workers and first responders caring for the sick. In the Church, we benefited from the selfless service of priests and religious, deacons, catechists, ministers, and lay leaders who found creative ways to reach out to parishioners and those in need when we were unable to be physically gathered together in Church. We found encouragement in Catholic School leaders and administrators, faculty and staff, heroically doing everything possible to re-open our schools and get students safely back into the classrooms and “in-person” learning as soon as possible. I also believe that on a deeper spiritual level, the pandemic challenged all of us to remember that life is fragile and is truly a gift from God, given to each of us for a reason and purpose. Hopefully, we have all been reminded that each of us has a “vocation”; that each of us is called to holiness, called to be a saint.

Who are the people in your life who have inspired you to be a saint or, at least, to take your faith seriously? For many of us, our parents or grandparents were the first to inspire us by their faith. Yet, how many of us can think back to a religious sister or brother or a priest who inspired us? Whether they taught us in the classroom, were there for us at a difficult moment, encouraged us to recognize and use our gifts and talents, or in so many other and varied ways, those who serve the Church in the vocations of priesthood and consecrated life have inspired countless others to strive to live lives of faith and holiness.

As Bishop, each year I have the wonderful and very humbling privilege of celebrating Mass for our “Jubilarians,” priests and religious sisters and brothers who are celebrating 25, 40, 50, 60, and 75 years of living their vocations! This past Saturday, I celebrated a “Jubilee Mass” with women and men in consecrated life. There were 30 religious sisters, brothers, and priests celebrating their anniversaries. It was inspiring to be with them and pray with them. It was especially inspiring to meet those who were celebrating 70 and 75 years! It is true that “only God knows” the number of lives that these women and men have positively impacted by saying “Yes” to their vocation and giving their lives to God. I look forward to a “Jubilee” Mass on June 6, when the priests of our Diocese will gather to celebrate our brothers, who will be celebrating significant anniversaries on ordination this year.

Where will we be as individuals, families, society, and as the Church 50, 60, and 70 years from now? Will there be priests and consecrated religious celebrating their Jubilees in 2073 or 2093? None of us knows the future for sure, but we know that Jesus promised that His Church would prevail and that he would be with us “… always, until the end of the age.” (Mt 28:20)

For the moment, most importantly, we must each strive to “do our part” and embrace the vocation that we share from Baptism as a responsibility to encourage one another, as our Blessed Mother told us at the Wedding at Cana, to “… do whatever he tells you.” (Jn 2:5) On “World Day of Prayer for Vocations,” we are reminded that one of the things that Jesus tells us to do is to pray for vocations, as cited above: “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest.” (Mt 9:38; Lk 10:2) As we pray, we also need to “work” in the Lord’s vineyard, surely through works of charity and in many varied ways, including the “work” of vocations. In our Diocese, we are blessed by the work of Father Ed Rama and many others who share in vocations ministry, encouraging our youth and young adults to be open to God’s call in their lives. One way that each of us can share in that work is by asking the young (and not so young) people we know whether they ever thought that God could be calling them to priesthood or religious life and be ready if they say “Yes, I have” or “I’m not sure.” A great way you can be ready for those answers and be inspired to ask the question is by going to two websites.

First, I ask and encourage you to go to our Diocesan Vocations website. There you will see a great deal of helpful information, but please pay special attention to the information about the Quo Vadis Retreat on June 29 and think about inviting your son, grandson, nephew, or a faithful young man you know to attend the Quo Vadis Retreat.

I also encourage you to visit the “World Day of Prayer for Vocations” website. On that website, in addition to a tremendous amount of wonderful information and material, you will also see this invitation and request from our Holy Father:

“Dear Friends, on this day in particular, but also in the ordinary pastoral life of our communities, I ask the Church to continue to promote vocations. May she touch the hearts of the faithful and enable them to discover with gratitude God’s call in their lives, to find courage to say ‘yes’ to God.”

— Pope Francis