Listen, discern and live

The World Day of Prayer for Vocations is Sunday, April 22nd 2018.

The purpose of this Day of Prayer for Vocations is to publicly celebrate vocations to ordained ministry and religious life in all its forms.  Many parishes and religious institutes commemorate this day with prayer for vocations and vocation promotion events.  2018 marks the 55th Anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations.

Listening, discerning, and living: these lie at the heart of Pope Francis’ message for this year’s World Day of Prayer for Vocations.

‘The Fifty-fifth World Day of Prayer for Vocations once again proclaims this good news to us, and in a decisive manner.  We are not victims of chance or swept up in a series of unconnected events; on the contrary, our life and our presence in this world are the fruit of a divine vocation! Even amid these troubled times, the mystery of the Incarnation reminds us that God continually comes to encounter us.  He is God-with-us, who walks along the often dusty paths of our lives.  He knows our anxious longing for love and he calls us to joy.  In the diversity and the uniqueness of each and every vocation, personal and ecclesial, there is a need to listen, discern and live this word that calls to us from on high and, while enabling us to develop our talents, makes us instruments of salvation in the world and guides us to full happiness’.

And later:

‘ Vocation is today!  The Christian mission is now!  Each one of us is called – whether to the lay life in marriage, to the priestly life in the ordained ministry, or to a life of special consecration – in order to become a witness of the Lord, here and now.  This “today” that Jesus proclaimed assures us that God continues to “come down” to save our human family and to make us sharers in his mission’.

May Mary Most Holy, who as a young woman living in obscurity heard, accepted and experienced the Word of God made flesh, protect us and accompany us always on our journey’.

 (Extract from the Message of Pope Francis for  the 2018 Word Day of Vocations  – Vatican, 3 December 2017).

See link to full text here:  Message of Pope Francis on 3rd December 2017 for World Day of Prayer for Vocations 2018

Follow this link to   Vocations Section on our website