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April 2007 Issue
You can make the difference
During
the past few months, when I find myself with a group
of people who know I am the director of priestly vocations,
the question inevitably is asked: “What are you
doing to get more priests?” I know this question
reflects their concerns and realization that priests
are in short supply and soon there may not be enough
of us to go around. However, I also sense at times that
these people see the task of recruiting as mine alone.
My answer is always the same: “The work of recruiting
men for the priesthood isn’t the work of one,
but the work of us all.” The following tale will
help illustrate my answer.
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Once, there was a king who invited his subjects
to a banquet. He told each guest to bring a flask of wine
and informed each that the wine would be poured into a large
wine vat. Each one thought “What will my small fl ask
of wine mean? I will bring a small fl ask of water and no
one will know the difference.”
In order for my efforts in recruiting to become
fruitful for our diocese, it will be necessary for each of
us to do our part. And what is it that each of us can do to
encourage vocations to the priesthood and religious life?
Talk about vocations. We need to talk about
vocations with all age levels and frequently in our religious
education programs, in our schools, in our homilies and in
our families.
Pray unceasingly. Prayers for vocations and
for young people to be open to God’s call should be
included in the general intercessions each Sunday, during
school and religious education prayer opportunities and as
part of each family’s daily prayer time.
Invite someone to think about priesthood or
religious life. When was the last time that you told someone
they would make a great priest or member of a religious community?
Without your initiative to promote church vocations, you can
assume that most young adults in your parish or your family
will never even be asked to consider this high level of commitment
to their faith and community.
To foster, awaken and encourage vocations
is the work of every Catholic. It cannot be the work of one
person or one office. What will your efforts mean to the task
of encouraging vocations? They will make the difference!
Father Ron Hutchinson is director
of priestly vocations for the Diocese of Grand Rapids.
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