"I Will Follow" by Ascension Press

From The Digital Hairshirt:

Hat tip to the erudite Fr. David Carter for posting this.

Even if you are not Catholic, this is some mighty fine videography.  I especially like the drone shots.  Ascension Press did a great job with this and I am looking forward to checking out more of their videos.


Do me a favor - someone go tell Fr. John Moneypenny to post this to the OC Vocations page/FB wall.

Link:

• "I Will Follow" by Ascension Press 

Pope Calls on Youth to Heed the Lords Calling

Thousands Gather in St. Peters on Vocations Sunday

Vatican City, April 22, 2013 (Zenit.org) Junno Arocho Esteves 

Pope Francis reflected on the God’s calling to men and women during his address prior to the recitation of the Regina Caeli yesterday at St. Peter’s Square. The fourth Sunday of Easter, which is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday as well as Vocations Sunday, was marked by the ordination of 10 deacons to the priesthood earlier that morning.

The Holy Father reflected on the Gospel of the Good Shepherd, which he stated is the the “central nucleus” of Jesus’ Gospel in which “He Calls us to participate in His relationship with the Father.”

“Jesus wants to establish a relationship with his friends that is the reflection of the one he himself has with the Father: a relation of mutual belonging in total confidence, in intimate communion,” the Pope said.

“Jesus uses the image of the shepherd and his sheep to express this profound shared understanding, this relationship of friendship. The shepherd calls his sheep and they recognize his voice, they respond to his call and follow him. This is a beautiful parable!”

The Pope went on to say that if we learn to listen to the unique voice of Christ, then it will lead us along the path of life. A path, he continued, “that stretches even beyond death.”

Pope Francis then directed his word to the youth present in the square, exhorting them to heed God’s call.

In a moment of dialogue the Pope asked “Have you heard the Lord’s voice at some time in a desire, in upheaval, invite you to follow him more closely? Have you heard it? I can’t hear you.” The youth erupted with shouts and applause.

“Youth must be placed at the service of great ideals. Do you think so? Do you agree? Ask Jesus what he wants of you and be courageous! Be courageous! Ask him! Behind and prior to every vocation to the priesthood or the consecrated life there is always someone’s powerful and intense prayer: a grandmother’s, a grandfather’s, a mother’s, a father’s, a community’s; This is why Jesus said: “Pray to the Lord of the harvest,” that is, God the Father, “that he might send workers for the harvest!”

Before reciting the Regina Caeli, the Holy Father asked the faithful to pray in particular for the new priests ordained and called on all to follow the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

“She learned to recognize Jesus’ voice from the time she carried him in her womb. Mary our Mother, help us to recognize Jesus’ voice always better and to follow it to walk along the path of life! Thank you,” the Pope said.

Link:

• Pope Calls on Youth to Heed the Lords Calling

Feminization of the Church

Pope to Pray for Vocations

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 30, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI will be praying in May that the faithful become responsible promoters of vocations.

The Apostleship of Prayer announced this general intention chosen by the Pope: "That the laity and the Christian communities may be responsible promoters of priestly and religious vocations."

The Holy Father also chooses an apostolic intention for each month. In May he will pray: "That the recently founded Catholic Churches, grateful to the Lord for the gift of faith, may be ready to share in the universal mission of the Church, offering their availability to preach the Gospel throughout the world."

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Study: Nearly half of new priests were discouraged against seminary

By Daniel Burke, Religion News Service

Conversations around the kitchen table may be more responsible for the shortage of Roman Catholic priests in the U.S. than influences from American culture, a new study suggests.

Almost 45% of Catholic priests planning to be ordained this year said they were discouraged from considering the priesthood, according to a survey produced by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University for the U.S. bishops.

Of those, nearly 6 in 10 said a parent or family member was the source of the discouragement. Fifty-one percent said a friend or classmate had counseled them against the priesthood, and 15% said a priest or other clergy had. The percentages add up to more than 100 because respondents could select more than one category.

The number of Catholic priests in the U.S. has dropped steadily since the 1970s, a worrisome trend for church leaders. In 2000, there were 45,700 priests, compared to 40,600 in 2008. The U.S. church will ordain 465 priests in 2009; 310 responded to the CARA survey.

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Faithful Have Role in Fostering Vocations

Cardinal Rodé on Direct and Indirect Promotion

NORTH EASTON, Massachusetts, OCT. 13, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is an excerpt from the address Cardinal Franc Rodé, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, gave at the Stonehill College symposium on "Apostolic Religious Life since Vatican II ... Reclaiming the Treasure: Bishops, Theologians, and Religious in Conversation."

The Diocese of Fall River hosted the Sept. 27 event.

* * *

Vocations are a gift from God; the initiative is completely his. Nevertheless, as is his custom, he normally uses secondary causes and he depends on our collaboration to carry out his plans.

I distinguish two different and complementary ways to promote vocations: One I will call indirect and the other direct. And, counter-intuitively, I think that what I call indirect promotion is actually the more important of the two in the context of the Church today because all of us can engage in it, the whole body of the Church benefits from it, and without it the direct promotion of vocations remains mostly sterile.

“Indirect” promotion is everything that builds up the life of Christ in the Church, and it can be summarized in three dimensions of life: spirituality, catechesis, and apostolate or ministry. And we have to focus these three dimensions to Christian life on the two places that most affect the vocation to consecration: on the family and on the heart, mind and soul of the individual young person.

Very often in our own lives and communities the reason the seed does not bear fruit is not that the ground is rocky or otherwise bad, but that many other concerns clamor for our time and attention. What I mean is, today we are engaged in and worried about many things, like Martha. Committees, conferences, social justice issues, press releases, and such like, clog our calendar. But there is one thing and one thing alone that will ultimately change the world, and that is the inner transformation of the human person through contact with the grace of Christ.

Spirituality is centered not on a vague religious feeling of being right with God and neighbor and having nice experiences in prayer. Its essence is continual conversion, nourished on the sacraments, and the fulfillment of God’s plan for one’s life. It has an objective dimension.

Catechesis is not limited to initial instruction, but is the continued deepening in the riches of our Catholic faith that alone among all religions and all versions of Christianity provides solid and completely satisfying nourishment for the intellect as well as the soul. It is essential that catechesis go hand-in-hand with spirituality, and to be able to give a reason for one’s hope, as Peter said. Witness Pope Benedict.

The third dimension is action, the external living of Christ’s charity that takes one beyond the boundary of his own comfort. For the individual, this is a new experience of Christ. In prayer and the sacraments you are transformed by your contact with Christ, in catechesis your mind is nourished, but it takes the practice of Gospel charity to enter fully into the charity of Christ who didn’t hold onto what he was, but came among us to serve. In doing apostolate you walk as it were “in Jesus’ sandals.”

Using our individual charism, enriching the above with the example and experience of our founders and history, we can all contribute to the renewal of a vigorous, authentic Christian life in all those with whom we are in contact. It will be well worth our while to examine the nature and thrust of every single project we have under way, to look at the use we make of our time and what occupies it, and then to take the time to cleanse and prioritize. And we should also look at the content and quality especially of our youth programs.

I have called this work “indirect” because it prepares the seed-bed of vocations (the family) and the subject of vocations (the individual young person), to have an open and generous disposition toward God’s will (spirituality) to appreciate the greatness and gift of the faith (catechesis) and to be able to sacrifice and give oneself to the call for the good of souls (apostolate).

In those families and in those individual lives is where God will normally plant the seed of a vocation. And this brings us to our next point: direct promotion.

“Direct” promotion of vocations is when we set out to find and encourage those young people God is calling to our own community. It supposes that we truly believe God is working in those souls, and therefore we seek with confidence and don’t get disheartened if success does not come immediately.

We do direct promotion in many ways: We advertise, we speak in schools and colleges, we write, we invite, we offer retreats and “Come and See” programs, and so forth. This must and should continue and increase if possible, using all the means we have at our disposal today.

I believe three elements contribute to making this direct promotion effective:

First, the indirect preparation mentioned above (whether it was done through an apostolate or ministry of one’s own community, or another community or ecclesial movement, or in the individual’s home parish).

Second: What we offer must be genuine. In other words, the community life and formation I invite this young person to, must reflect the particular charism of my religious family and be in full, joyful communion with the Church.

Lastly, the vocations promoter must be equipped humanly, intellectually and spiritually for his or her delicate task.

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On the Net:

Cardinal Rodé's full address: www.zenit.org/article-23916?l=english

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Salt Lake City seminarians cheer Pope Benedict

by Christopher Gray

The sun was at its height as thousands of people stood and waited in growing excitement. The field behind St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y. was palpitating April 19 with the heightened emotions of 20,000 people – mostly high school and college students – vibrant with expectation. The pope was already on the way.

Seminarians formed a small army of cassocks and roman collars near the stage. For two seminarians studying at Mount Angel Seminary in St. Benedict, Ore., for the Diocese of Salt Lake City, the Youth and Seminarian Rally during Pope Benedict’s apostolic visit to the United States was a unique opportunity more than simply to come together with an overwhelming presence of other men in priestly formation, but rather a microcosm of the Church in its fullness, from the faithful to the magisterium to the servant of the servants of God.

Both from Salt Lake City, Joseph Frez, a second year theologian who just a few weeks before had received the ministry of acolyte, and I, a pre-theology student, were chosen by lottery from among the students in college and theology at Mount Angel Seminary to travel to New York for the papal visit. For some students, this was the furthest away from home they had ever been, and for others this was their first visit to a city as immense as New York. Staying at the headquarters for the Maryknoll fathers and brothers in Ossining, N.Y., this was also a first experience with foreign missionaries, a kind of vocation different from our own.

Pope Benedict XVI is greeted by cheers and smiles as he visits with seminarians and other young people outside Saint Joseph Seminary in Yonkers, New York. Salt Lake City Seminarians Joseph Frez and Christopher Gray were in the enthusiastic crowd. IC photo by Christopher Gray IC photo by Christopher Gray

We stood shoulder to shoulder for hours, waiting. It was Pope Benedict’s first time to the United States as pope; it was certainly our first time in the outward appearance of a cleric being in the presence of the pope. Together with seminarians from the dioceses of Denver, Philadelphia, Mexico, and elsewhere across the continent, as well as a smattering of religious orders, we shared stories of our seminary experiences, of our vocational journeys. We were united in our direction and purpose, solid in the conviction of our faith.

As the hours passed and a litany of entertainers tried to woo the crowd whose hearts had already been given to someone else, seminarians responded with our own cheers of “Habebimus Papam” (“We will have the Pope”) and choruses of the “Regina Coeli,” the Marian hymn for the completion of the Divine Office. The chant swept over the field, with more seminarians joining every moment.

Pope Benedict is a rock star. Following Christian rock superstars and American idols, he arrived at the seminary and entered the field to swelling counterpoint of Bach and the screaming cheers of thousands after personally greeting disabled children in the seminary chapel. The crowd’s expectation was fulfilled, the pope was present; the field erupted and would not relinquish the pope for several minutes of intense cheering.

In his address, the theological reflection was deep and expansive. The ultimate truth is found in the ultimate being, he said, exciting every fiber of St. Thomas Aquinas’ philosophy among the seminarians – and all the people again broke out into shouts of joy.

At the far-flung missions in the Diocese of Salt Lake City, where the celebration of the Mass can be a monthly luxury, the spiritual support of the Christian faithful, though strong, is minimal. The Body of Christ is integral always and everywhere, though the reinforcement of joining people en masse is a uniquely moving moment without which the experience of faith loses a critical taste of universality.

The pope’s message has practical appeal to everyone. As Catholics, he said, we must foster our personal relationship with Christ, as well as be faithful to our liturgical prayer, work actively for charity, and be attentive to God’s call for each person: one’s vocation.

The excitement that filled the day at its beginning became the vehicle for the pope’s words into the lives of everyone who listened to it. For seminarians, it was a first exposure as men in priestly formation to the fullness of the priesthood through the presence of the curia. From the desert of the Boneville Salt Flats to the center of every great city, this was a moment no one who experienced it will ever let go.

Gray is a seminarian for the Diocese of Salt Lake City studying at Mount Angel Seminary, Oregon, writing for EXTENSION Magazine.

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Pope: All Vocations Have Missionary Character

Says Married Couples Called to Live Gospel in Every Area

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 13, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Vocation and mission are inseparable and the Church's many vocations should have an "intense missionary character," says Benedict XVI.

The Pope affirmed this today before he led the praying of the midday Regina Caeli with thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square. Today, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, focuses on Christ as the Good Shepherd and is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations.

The Holy Father said that St. Paul, for whom "vocation and mission are inseparable," is a model for all Christians, particularly "those men and women who dedicate themselves totally to announcing Christ to those who still have not known him: a vocation which continues to maintain all of its validity."

"This missionary service is carried out, in the first place, by priests in offering the Word of God and the sacraments, and in manifesting the healing presence of Jesus Christ with their pastoral charity for everyone, above all for the ill, the little ones and the poor," Benedict XVI said. "We give thanks to God for these our brothers, who give themselves without reserve to pastoral ministry, sometimes sealing their fidelity to Christ with the sacrifice of their lives, as happened yesterday to two religious assassinated in Guinea and Kenya."

The Pontiff expressed his prayer that there would be "an increasing number of those who decide to radically live the Gospel through the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience -- men and women who have a primary role in evangelization."

"Some of them dedicate themselves to contemplation and prayer, others to a multifaceted educational and charitable work," he said. "All of them, nevertheless, are united in the same objective: to give witness to the primacy of God over all and to spread his Kingdom in every sphere of society."

Benedict XVI affirmed that those called to Christian marriage should also give their lives a missionary flavor.

He contended that "it mustn't be forgotten that Christian marriage is also a missionary vocation: The couple, in fact, is called to live the Gospel in the family, in the workplace and in parish and civil communities. In certain cases, moreover, they offer their valuable contribution to the missions 'ad gentes.'"

"Dear brothers and sisters," the Pope concluded, "let us invoke the maternal protection of Mary for the many vocations that exist in the Church so that they are developed with an intense missionary character. To her, Mother of the Church and Queen of Peace, I also commend the special missionary experience that I will live in the next few days with the apostolic trip to the United States and the visit to the United Nations, as I ask all of you to accompany me with your prayers."

• Pope: All Vocations Have Missionary Character