Diary of a Parish Priest

Priestly Vocations

It was exciting to see our bishop encourage vocations during his Confirmation visit a few days ago. Not only did he ask each of the boys serving the Confirmation ceremony about priesthood, but distributed a prayer card from the Office of Vocations and a Miraculous Medal from his recent trip to Lourdes.

Diocesan Vocations Web Page Link

Bishop O'Connell is inviting men who are discerning a call to the priesthood to his residence in Princeton for a day of prayer and reflection.

June 16th - 11 AM        Young men of high school age

June 23rd - 11 AM        Men between the ages of 18 - 40

 

Warm Response to Bishop's Annual Appeal Video

 
Bishop O'Connell and Catholic Elementary School Students

 

Thank you for your warm response to the Bishop O'Connell's appeal to us through the video shown at all the masses today. In case you missed the message you can click here, or watch on the Bishop's Annual Appeal website.

Bishop's Annual Appeal 2011 from Trenton Diocese on Vimeo.

 

Good Shepherd Sunday, World Day of Prayer for Vocations

Witness Awakens Vocations

message of Pope Benedict XVI on World Day of Prayer for Vocations

The fruitfulness of our efforts to promote vocations depends primarily on God’s free action, yet, as pastoral experience confirms, it is also helped by the quality and depth of the personal and communal witness of those who have already answered the Lord’s call to the ministerial priesthood and to the consecrated life, for their witness is then able to awaken in others a desire to respond generously to Christ’s call.

The pope enumerated three characteristics of the witness of a priest:

1.      Friendship with Christ

2.      Complete gift of self to God

3.      A man of communion with God, the Church, the people.

 

 …the Lord makes use of the witness of priests who are faithful to their mission in order to awaken new priestly and religious vocations for the service of the People of God.

New Webpage to Promote Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life in US

This coming Sunday is Good Shepherd Sunday and also World Day of Prayer for Vocations. To commemorate this day, the USCCB will launce a new website designed to promote vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

Check it out on Sunday when it goes live and spread the link!

Remember to encourage and pray for vocations.

USCCB's Webpage for Priestly and Religious Vocations

On a similar note, check out some of the characteristics of the Priestly Ordination Class 0f 2010 measured by a survey completed by the ordinandi (soon to be ordained).

Survey of Priestly Ordination Class of 2010

Monastic Hermitages - Small Is Enough

The next time you're convinced that you absolutely must have more space for whatever reason, think of the Carmelite Monks in Wyoming.

Their monastery is literally bursting at the seams, but not because each monk has a personal, luxurious space. They are presented with the pleasant problem of young vocations to the point that the monastery needs to expand.

Take a look though at the personal living spaces of the monks, who are being accomodated temporarily in portable monastic cells. It struck me that the enclosures are not much bigger than some lawn storage sheds.

Sometimes enough is enough.

Sisters on Oprah

Not what you might be thinking....the Sisters of Mary, the Mother of the Eucharist!

Check out highlights of their appearance here.

Speaking of Women Religious...

A propos of Sunday's homily on women religious communities, one of the vital groups of sisters will be featured on Oprah tomorrow.

The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist will be featured on Tuesday's show and promotional teasers already tip Oprah's incredulity that the sisters can do without sex and live happily. Hopefully, there will be a serious look at their lives and the happiness that completely giving yourself to God can bring.

Curiously, the show will also feature a close-up of the women who work in the "only Western Geisha," apparently sticking with the theme of women living together in hidden communities? We can pray that the media attention to the sister will bring positive results for vocations in the Church.

Visit the sisters webpage here.