On this World Day of Prayer Vocations–called Good Shepherd Sunday–the Church has requested the faithful to pray for an increase in vocations. And so, let us ask the Lord, our Gentle Shepherd, to send quality young men and women from among our ranks to become workers in the vineyard.

Gentle Shepherd

Loving God,

You speak to us and nourish us
through the life of this Church
community.

In the name of Jesus, we ask you to
send your Spirit to us so that men and
women among us, young and old, will
respond to your call to service and
leadership in the Church. We pray
especially, in our day, for those who
hear your invitation to be a priest,
sister, or brother.

May those who are opening their
hearts and minds to your call be
encouraged and strengthened
through our enthusiasm in your service.
Amen.

And for those of us who are currently discerning where the Lord may be calling us to serve the Church, a personal prayer:

Another Vocations Awareness Weekend has come and gone and this time around the bar was definitely raised by the guests. Out of the 70 young men who attended the weekend, all of them gave their hearts to really consider the discernment of the priesthood of Jesus Christ.

On Friday evening, the guests arrived to the seminary. At about 11:00 p.m. we all gathered in the main chapel for a welcoming/blessing ceremony with a modified version of Night Prayer. Saturday was packed with all kinds of different activities. On Saturday morning, the guests watched a very…interesting movie created by the Dean of Students/Vice Rector of the seminary. Following the movie presentation, the guests listened to several seminarians describe the four pillars of formation as prescribed by the Program of Priestly Formation (PPF). The seminarians added a personal touch to the pillars to make them more real for the guests.

On Saturday evening, several seminarians were asked to lead small group sessions where the guests could ask any questions about seminary life, the process of discernment in our own lives, etc. During the small group sessions, I experienced the willingness of these young men to open their hearts. Compared to the last VAW in November, the conversation that took place in these small groups was much deeper and more geared towards discernment.

A post I did for Whispers of the Spirit:

This week the Church in the United States celebrates National Vocation Awareness Week; a week that the Bishops have set aside in which all Catholics are asked to pray for an increase in vocations. Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston who is the current chairman of the Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations said that, as Catholics, “it is our responsibility to encourage young people to be generous in their response as they discern the possibility of a call to service in the Church.”

As we begin this week, it is fitting that the Gospel reading from Mass this morning was on the call of the Apostles: Simon, Andrew, James, and John. Jesus asked all of them to leave everything they possessed behind to “Come after me.” Sometimes we don’t understand or we can’t clearly see where the Lord is calling us. In these instances, we must put all of our trust and hope in the Lord , asking Him to show us the path He wants us to follow that will best serve the church.

On other occasions, we clearly hear where the Lord wants us to go and we are fearful to respond to his call. In these times, it is important to remember the life of Mary, who, though filled with fear at the message of the angel declaring her to be to virgin Mother of God, answered with a yes. Let us not forget that, in Mary’s time, women who were not married and became pregnant were literally stoned to death. However, despite all of this uncertainty, Mary trusted that God would take care of her.

Sorry for the absence over the past couple of weeks. I took the opportunity over the Christmas Recess to really rest, relax and gear up for the new academic semester that began bright and early Monday morning. We woke up to a very chilly 41 degrees , which is down right freezing cold by Florida standards. Before I get into the experiences of the upcoming semester, I wanted to wish all of you a very happy and blessed New Year. But, this is not just a new year, it is also the start of a new decade. So Happy New Decade as well!!

This semester is going to be a little different from the Fall semester, mainly because we do not have any major events planned, except our bi-annual Vocations Awareness Weekend in March–I am already expecting to have another well attended weekend. I always look forward to hosting the countless young men who come to the seminary to discern God’s will for their lives for that brief period of two days. I never took the opportunity to come on one of the weekends even though I had been invited numerous times by people in my parish. So, if there is a young man out there from the Diocese of Orlando who is thinking about serving the church as a priest, please seriously consider contacting Fr. Miguel at the Vocations Office about coming down March 12-14, 2010.

Hello all!! On Friday evening, my time in Orlando for mid-semester break came to a close as I returned to the seminary to begin the second quarter. The break was not as restful as I had hoped it would be, but it was a good break nonetheless. It included volunteering at the parish office for a brief amount of time, vocations talks, and visits to old friends and family.

The first day I was home, I traveled up to St. Augustine to join in on the festivities for Sr. Kathleen Power’s 50th Anniversary as a Sister of St. Joseph. (For the last couple of years, Sr. Kathleen has been serving as Assistant Vocations Director for the Diocese of Orlando.) During the Jubilee Mass, I was given the opportunity to serve with two seminarians from the Diocese of St. Augustine as well as two other seminarians from the Diocese of Orlando. What a beautiful Mass it was!! Fr. Miguel, our Vocations Director, concelebrated at the Mass and gave the homily, recalling how the Sisters of St. Joseph have a played a pivotal role in the formation of countless young Catholics throughout the State of Florida–myself included.

On Monday of the break, I spent the majority of the day at St. Charles, helping around the office. Every chance I get, I try to do as much as I can for the parish that raised me; it is my way of saying thank you. While I was there, I got to spend some time with the parish staff and share with them a little bit of my journey this year at St. John Vianney.