A new candle and flame - the Light of Christ - at Easter, the green of a new Spring. Time for all Christians to renew their Faith and what it means to them. The decisive moment in the Emmaus story is when Jesus takes bread, blesses and breaks it and gives it to the two disciples. 'Their eyes were opened'. They recognized the traveller who joined them and the previous events surrounding the breaking of bread - when Christ instituted the Eucharist and the Priesthood - made sense. Their hearts burned within them, just as ours should with the discovery of God - and in God, of our own identity.
Recent reports from the Vatican and the 'Diocesan Dispositions and Parish Voices' provide a varied insight into Vocations. As Christians we attend Mass out of Love and Desire for the Sacrament. We all need the Grace of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and we need the Clergy to administer them. We need Priests, Religious and deacons to Baptise us, marry us and bury us while remaining ardent but gentle servants of the Gospel.
When a parish receives a letter from its Bishop informing parishioners that their Priest is to be moved to another parish and their Church is to be closed, inevitable questions arise. 'Why us?' 'What have we done to deserve this?' They could be forgiven for feeling let down. Unfortunately this is becoming a more common experience as the number of Priests declines. Parishes have to close or be amalgamated with another parish nearby with the inevitable effect upon those communities who may have to travel longer distances.
There is no easy or immediate solution but attention must be drawn to the worrying nature of the position. It must be faced and every effort made to address this decline in numbers.
The second 'Continental Congress for Vocations to the Priesthood and Consecrated Life' held in 1997 in Rome was a singular moment of Grace and communication for the Roman Catholic Church in Europe, and its final document, 'In Verbo Tuo' called for a new understanding of the vocation we all share in our baptism - a unique vocation given by Almighty God. The sharing of the experiences and difficulties encountered in the field of Vocations within the Churches of East and West Europe constituted an event which - guided by the Holy Spirit - gave new vigour to the pastoral care and development of vocations in Europe.There is a great deal of talk about decline in Mass attendances, the number of Priests and Religious, and new Vocations. In June 1999 the Tablet published statistics for the Catholic Church in England and Wales. Since the peak in 1964 the number of Priests has fallen from 7,714 to 5,700 of whom 10% have retired. Ordinations have fallen from 230 to 119. In the Diocese of Liverpool, for the first time, there was no ordination in 2000. Mass attendances, Baptisms, Communions and Confirmations also fell by around 50% and Marriages were down by 68% whereas the Catholic population had increased by 300,000 to 4.1 million.
The reasons for the decline in numbers of Priests and Religious are many and complex. The image of the Priest is distorted by the media as it influences public opinion. Celibacy seems strange in a sexually active society. Young people have their own pressures: single parent families, changing social values, peer pressure, the shortage of Religious in schools, the pluralistic and complex culture which tends to produce some young people possessing an incomplete and weak identity with indecision in the face of Vocational choices. But, the young people are also bearers of great values and we must hope and pray. Hope is founded above all on the certainty that in every vocation there is an absolute and effective primacy of God who is working even in difficult times. They deserve our prayers, our help, our support and encouragement. We must create a climate for Vocations.
The late Cardinal Hume said "Priests and Religious are ordinary men and women called to do an extraordinary ministry". What do we expect from our Priests in addition to the Liturgy? They are leaders and part of local Christian and Cultural life. They proclaim the Word of God and celebrate the Mass - the wonderful Eucharistic gift of Christ Himself. Priests, Deacons and Religious have a passion and commitment to Jesus Christ and our faith, like theirs is Jesus Himself - a commitment to Him in our personal life, our love and our whole being. When Peter was asked 'Who do you say I am?' he replied 'You are the Christ', and this answer is on behalf of us all, even today. There is one Priesthood - that of Jesus Christ - who invites us to join that Priesthood. This is truth and must be clearly told by us all. As the numbers of Priests declines they have to carry out many other duties within their Diocese and here the laity have a very important role to play by helping whenever they can.
Recognizing that the decline in the number of Priests and Religious was causing concern, the Catenian Vocations Initiative was launched after detailed discussions with the Bishops' Conference, its Committee for Ministerial Formation, National Vocations and Diocesan Directors of Vocations and within the Catenian Association of which it is a constituent group.
The Catenian Vocations Initiative meets one of the aims of the Association: to help young people in a choice of career; and assisting in the promotion of a Vocation is a most rewarding way, especially for the future of our church and the Faith. Faith given to us all, through Baptism by the High Priest, Jesus Christ. The disciples did not express the wish to follow Jesus, 'You did not choose me, but I chose you'. (John 15.16)
The Objectives of the Initiative are:People need to know what a priest, a deacon, a sister or a brother is, what he or she does; and what it is like to be a priest, deacon or religious. The need for well produced literature was paramount and a National appeal raised over £20,000. An introductory pamphlet, two booklets on Men and Women religious and two more on Diocesan Priesthood, have been published, all in the name of the Catenian Association. All have been reprinted and a leaflet aimed at schools and colleges has also been issued and reprinted.
2. To Encourage:
Without being forceful or manipulative but by speaking with ease and encouraging vocations. Parents especially can speak to their children with the same ease as they might speak about teaching, catering or other professions. Teachers, Governors of Catholic schools and Catechists together with parents, have a special responsibility for educating young people. These matters should be raised to encourage young people to consider such a call from God, Priests should preach about the need for and nature of Vocations, about their own journey in Faith. To this end and at the request of the Bishops' Conference, the Catenian Vocations Initiative aims to give practical help to Diocese whenever it is identified. Such help is arranged in conjunction with the Diocesan Director or Promoter, who will often be a Parish Priest or have other Diocesan duties.3. To Pray:Pray to the Lord of the Harvest that He will send labourers to the vineyard. This is Christ's command to His Church - to all of us - to encourage vocations to the Priesthood, the religious Life and to the Diaconate. We must rekindle the spark of Prayer and our children must be taught to pray. Christ also promised 'Anything you ask the Father in my name He will grant you'. It is time we started asking. We must pray and pray earnestly, as individuals and as communities. We should not leave it to someone else.The 'Initiative' included a Bidding Prayer for Vocations into the opening procedure of Circle meetings and every Circle has an annual Mass for Vocations. Other prayer initiatives have been introduced, a typical example of which is evidenced in the Plymouth Diocese and its Deaneries where a Vocations Candle spends several weeks at each Parish during which time special prayers and services for Vocations are held. Catenians are involved in the arrangements and transport the candle and its display board from Parish to Parish. Many Parish Vocations Prayer Groups have been formed.
Is it too much to ask every Catholic to say one prayer every day for Vocations? It costs nothing but the rewards are immeasurable. God will answer our prayers. Enclosed Religious Orders have long been regarded as the 'Powerhouse of Prayer' but their numbers are declining and we, in our families and Parish Communities must now become these 'Powerhouses of Prayer'.
Every year, the fourth Sunday of Easter is World Day of Prayer for Vocations. A prayer pack is issued to every Parish and contains suggestions for Liturgy, Intercessions and Prayer together with a message from the Cardinal. This is an ideal opportunity for Parishes to be connected with this important Day of Devotions - arranging Intercessions, Holy Hours, Exposition, the Rosary, etc. ....Provinces within the Catenian Association in England and Wales have a Vocations Liaison Officer who is a point of contact between the Diocesan Vocations Directors and all the Circles within the Province, encouraging Members of each Circle to be involved in Deanery and Parish vocations matters at all levels. These Liaison Officers make up the Catenian Vocations Group who meet twice yearly in different parts of the country. Fr. John Danson, the Administrator of the Diocesan Vocations Service in England and Wales is a member of the Group, giving much valuable information and guidance, as well as practical support. The Group also invites the Bishop and Vocations Director of the Diocese in which the meetings are held. Without exception, all have given their unqualified support for the work of the Vocations Group as have many parishes throughout the country.
The Catenian association is well placed, with its wealth of professional, business and other expertise, with members in every Diocese, Deanery and most Parishes, to promote or be directly involved in the Vocations initiative. Its work is ongoing and there is much still to do. The Initiative is not exclusive and is working closely with other groups within the Church who have similar aims.
We must remember Mary, Mother and model of every vocation, Queen of the Apostles, who accompanies us on our path of faith to discover Jesus - the only Saviour of the World. She is in the heart of young generations and will help them experience the beauty and joy of a life spent in the service of God and His Kingdom.Of course the Church is not just about statistics. It is about Faith, Hope and Love. We are asked to serve one another and we must take heart that God works in mysterious ways. 28% of the world's population is Christian and the Catholic Church is the largest single denomination with rapid growth in Africa and Asia. This is no excuse for not facing facts and we should be prepared to do all we can - as individuals, as families and as Parish Communities - to encourage an awareness of the need for Vocations to the Religious Life, to encourage prayers and help in creating a new culture for Vocations.
The inevitable questions are, "What is to be done?" - "Has the hierarchy realized what is happening?" and "What are they doing about it?" We must all accept that a Religious Vocation is a great gift and also brings great gifts. We should not dismiss it out of hand. Before saying "No", parents should consider their answer carefully. The future of our Church and of the Faith should be a matter of concern for all of us. We have a duty to pass onto our children, grandchildren and future generations a living faith and the many options have to be addressed.
The time is long overdue when the Hierarchy and the Laity should discuss the many questions and act together, draw up proposals that will embrace all aspects of these difficulties and problems, create and foster a new climate for vocations. We must look to the future, but understand that now is the time to talk and to act. If only we could wake up and see how many people the Lord is actually calling but who cannot hear or are unaware of His voice. A renewal of hope for the Church is impossible without a renewal of the priestly ministry and the Consecrated life.