Faithful Priests are spur to more vocations, Pope says

Catholic Culture.org 16 February 2010

Good Priests are the best natural encouragement for young men considering a life in ministry, Pope Benedict XVI writes in his message of the 47th World Day of Prayer for Vocations.

The World Day of Prayer will be observed on April 25, the 4th Sunday of Lent (The 25th of April is actually the 3rd Sunday after Easter). The Pope's message for the occasion was released by the Vatican on February 16.

In the message the Holy Father says that while prayer is the first essential means of ensuring new vocations, experience shows that the witness offered by faithful Priests can "awaken in others a desire to respond generously to Christ's call." He notes that St. Peter was called through St. Andrew, and the same call went out to other disciples.

To be effective witnesses, the Pope says, priests must be thoroughly dedicated to God, encouraging others along the same path. "The story of every vocation," he writes, "is almost always intertwined with the testimony of a Priest who joyfully lives the gift of himself to his brothers and sisters for the sake of the Kingdom of God."

If Priests are remote figures, they do not attract the attention of the young, the Pope observes. But a Priest who "radiates the joy of serving Christ" cannot fail to attract others.


Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

•Witness Awakens Vocations (VIS)