Building ‘culture of vocations’ can help curb decline in vocations

This week, 50 priests in the Paterson Diocese heard encouraging news about vocations to priestly and religious life in the United States, which has declined sharply. These priests were reminded they could help their dioceses — and parishes — reverse this trend by creating and growing a fun, engaging, and faith-based “culture of vocations.”

Rhonda Gruenewald, founder of Vocation Ministry, delivered that hopeful news to diocesan and religious priests at Hundredfold, a vocations workshop, on March 5 at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison. Efforts to grow a vocations culture should involve developing dynamic approaches to invite men and women to consider vocations to priestly, religious life, married, or single life, said Gruenewald, author of Hundredfold: a Guide to Parish Vocation Ministry.

“You and your parishioners are the gardeners called by God to tend the fertile soil to produce fruit. You have the potential to make a change,” Gruenewald told priests at the workshop, sponsored by the Vocations Office of the Paterson Diocese. She gave them more good news: 75 percent of priests heard God’s call by 18. “You have kids who are altar servers or are in CCD, youth ministry, or the choir in front of you asking, ‘What is God calling me to do?’ Give them the message about vocations so they don’t feel alone.”

Approaches to boost vocations awareness could include holding a holy hour, a shorter “holy half-hour” for children, or Eucharistic adoration to pray for vocations. Young men in their teens or older can learn more about the priesthood by having dinner with their bishop. Small children can learn to become more aware of the priesthood by playing Pin the Miter on the Bishop at the parish picnic. Most of all, priests can inspire people to priestly or religious life “by living out their ministries radiating joy,” Gruenewald said.

The Church in the U.S. has much work to do in light of sobering statistics about vocations. About 20 percent of parishes lack a resident priest. In Paterson, the numbers are better, with 163 active priests for 107 parishes. Paterson’s ordination rate is healthy, but the diocese needs four yearly ordinations to maintain 150 priests through 2039. Nevertheless, the workshop showed that the diocese and many of its parishes have implemented dynamic approaches to vocations awareness. See lead story on page 1.

On Saturday, April 20, Gruenewald will return to St. Paul’s for a Hundredfold vocations workshop for parishioners from 8 a.m.–3 p.m. It will begin with Mass with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney. Gruenewald will present the workshop in English, while Leticia Ramirez, also of Vocation Minis­try and the mother of two priests, will give it in Spanish.

Bishop Sweeney told the priests, “There’s a lot of good things happening in the diocese” in vocations awareness.

“We pray for vocations and invite people to work for the harvest to help others hear God’s call to ‘Follow me’ — part of our universal call to sainthood,” Bishop Sweeney said.

For more information, call Father Ed Rama, vocations director, at 973-777-8818 ext. 715; email [email protected]; or visit www.PatersonVocations.org