Year of prayer for vocations

 

Pastoral Message aired on KNXT-TV during May 2006

By Bishop John T. Steinbock

My Dear People of God,

 

In 1963 Pope Paul VI designated the feast of the Good Shepherd, as World Day of Prayer for Vocations, which falls this year on May seventh.

 

In our Diocese we have been blessed over the years with hundreds of good and holy priests.  Through their ministry, you, God’s people, have been blessed with the Eucharist and their priestly service in so many different ways.  In them you have found the comfort, strength, guidance, and love of the Lord Jesus Himself.

 

Our diocese is growing in Catholic population every year.  Right now we could begin ten new parishes and double the size of many of our existing parish churches.  Sad to say, in the not too distant future, we may not have enough priests for all of our parishes that now exist.  A shortage of priests is not something new.  St. Matthew in his Gospel has Jesus Himself speaking of the shortage of priests in his day:  “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”

 

God’s grace alone can lead a person to respond to God’s call to a vocation, and so prayer is essential.  With the need of many more priests in our diocese, and I want to emphasize also, the need of good dedicated Religious women as well, I am designating a Year of Prayer for Vocations to the Priesthood and to the Religious Life, beginning on May 7^th, Good Shepherd Sunday.

 

The Vocations Office will be providing parishes and Catholic organizations with materials and programs to help with this.  All of God’s people have a responsibility to pray for and encourage vocations.  Have you ever thought of suggesting to a young man or woman in your family or in your parish, that he or she might have a vocation to the Priesthood or Religious Life?  As we begin this special year of Prayer for Vocations, I encourage all of you to begin to pray within your families for this intention.  One way of doing this is by adding a prayer at dinnertime for vocations, with the grace before meals, or by praying as a family the rosary for this intention.

 

The life of a Priest or a Religious woman is a life of sacrifice but also a life of joy as one is filled with that life giving love of Jesus Himself in serving and helping people in the greatest need of all, to know fullness of the love and truth of Christ, who alone can lead to eternal life.  God bless you all, very, very much.