Pastoral Plan for Vocations

Summary  

Printer Friendly Version

DIOCESAN MISSION STATEMENT

We the Catholic faithful of the Diocese of Scranton , in union with our Holy Father, the Pope, are called through baptism to share in the mission which Jesus Christ has entrusted to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church .  Priests, deacons, religious and laity, under the leadership of our Bishop, cooperate to proclaim the Gospel in accordance with the teaching of the Church, to celebrate the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, for the salvation of all, and to witness by grace to the Kingdom of God so as to promote a culture of life, justice and peace.

          “We the Catholic faithful … are called”:  This statement speaks of vocation; it says we are all called.  Through parish self-study and pastoral planning for the mission of evangelization, we answer the call; we respond to our vocation.  Evangelization then becomes our work of calling others to their call from God or, in others words, to their vocation.  

THE FIVE PRIORITIES OF THE PASTORAL PLAN FOR VOCATIONS  

The Pastoral Plan of the Third Continental Congress on Vocations to the Ordained Ministry and Consecrated life in North America identified five pastoral priorities needed to create a vocation culture. These five priorities also support the ongoing work of evangelization and focus on the vocational dimension of the Church. “The Church feels herself irrevocably committed to the task of proclaiming and witnessing to the Christian meaning of vocation, or as we might say, to ‘the Gospel of Vocation’…” (Pastores Dabo Vobis, 39).  

          These Five Pastoral Priorities, which will provide the outline for efforts to promote the diocesan priesthood and a vocation culture on the parish and diocesan level, are:

          1.    To Pray: holiness, conversion, worship

          2.    To Evangelize: education, formation, catechesis

          3.    To Experience: community, service, witness

          4.    To Mentor : companionship, guidance, example

          5.    To Invite: discernment, choice, commitment  

PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE 1^st PASTORAL PRIORITY: TO PRAY

• Bishop Martino has mandated that before all Masses of obligation (Sundays and Holy Days), a decade of the Rosary be prayed for Vocations.  In parishes that have the custom of the Rosary before or after Mass, the intention for vocations can be made explicit.
• At First Friday Devotions, Holy Hours, Solemn Annual Days of Exposition, and during periods of Adoration, the parish community can be invited to make the prayer for vocations a part of the intentions of the devotion.
• Daily prayer for vocations can be encouraged and prayers for vocation can be made available through the bulletin and the Diocese of Scranton Office for Clergy Formation web site.
• Monthly Vocation Mass televised from the Cathedral was instituted to raise awareness of the need for prayer for priestly vocations.
• Invite and teach various forms of prayer for those involved in youth ministry, religious education and Catholic schools.
• Sponsor retreats that are geared for youth and young adults; also, days of reflection which concentrate on vocations and vocation awareness.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE 2^nd PASTORAL PRIORITY:  TO EVANGELIZE

·         Create faculty and staff in-service days on vocation awareness, coordinated by the Diocesan Schools Office in coordination with the Religious Education Office and Office for Clergy Formation.

·         Establish Christian Awareness Day with a focus on vocations. 

·         Work with religious education programs on fostering a vocation awareness mindset.

·         Include, as a part of sacramental preparation programs, (Baptism, First Holy Communion, Confirmation and Marriage preparation) a vocational component within the catechesis. 

·         Promote “National Vocation Awareness Week”, on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord; “World Day for Consecrated Life”, Sunday after February 2; and “World Day of Prayer for Vocations”, Fourth Sunday of Easter, by placing bulletin announcement encouraging prayer for and fostering of vocations to the priesthood. 

·         Encourage priests to promote vocational awareness and the need for priestly vocations in their preaching. 

·         The Athletic departments of our Catholic schools can also be helpful by promoting Christian values and identifying individuals with qualities for various vocations and careers.

·         Encourage youth ministry to promote vocations to the diocesan priesthood and to place an emphasis on vocation awareness.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE 3rd PASTORAL PRIORITY: TO EXPERIENCE

•  Invite the youth to take a more active role within parish life and liturgical
   worship.  Consider inviting members of the youth to be altar servers, lectors,
   ushers, and greeters. 

·         Sponsor service opportunities to the poor (both locally and abroad), those in hospitals or nursing homes, and any other category of people in need.

·         Sponsor witness trips, that is, events that witness to the Catholic faith, for example, National Catholic Youth Conference, the annual Pro-Life March, or any opportunity for young people to “stand and be counted” among God’s people in the broader world.

·         Involve the youth in service at the parish level, such as fundraisers, socials and any other work to build up the Body of Christ in their local communities.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE 4th PASTORAL PRIORITY: TO MENTOR

• Continue Emmaus Program, whereby the Office for Clergy Formation mentors applicants during the initial application process.
• Place information on qualities and qualifications for priestly ministry (and other pertinent information from the Office for Clergy Formation) in the parish bulletin.
• Develop a plan, perhaps on a regional basis, whereby priests could be assigned to a possible candidate for mentoring.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE 5th PASTORAL PRIORITY: TO INVITE

• Reinvigorate the “Called by Name” program in the Diocese.
• Distribution of the USCCB Video “Fishers of Men”.
• Distribution of the ‘Priest as Inviter’ video for priests.   (This could also be modified for use with members of the laity in order to encourage them to invite young men to consider the priesthood.) 
• Develop Parish Vocation Awareness committees (or contact persons) in parishes and schools.
• Vocations talks by priests in addition to the Vocations Recruiter, possibly arranged through regional scheduling at schools or parishes.

·     Vocational witness talks by seminarians in their summer assignments.

 
CONCLUSION:

Pope John Paul II, in his “Message to the European Congress on Vocations"
          ( April 29, 1997 ) stated:

Life has an essentially vocational structure. In fact, the plan for it stems from the heart of the mystery of God. ‘He chose us in him [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him’ (Eph 1:4).    

All human existence is therefore an answer to God, who makes his love felt especially on some occasions: the call to life; the entrance into his Church's communion of grace; the invitation to bear witness in the Christian community to Christ according to a completely personal and irreplaceable plan; the definitive call to communion with him at the hour of death.

There is no doubt therefore that the ecclesial community's commitment to the pastor al care of vocations is most serious and urgent. In fact, every baptized person must be helped to discover the call that in God's plan is addressed to him and to make himself available to it. It will thus be easier for those who receive a special vocation of service to the kingdom to recognize its value and generously accept it. In fact, it is not a question of educating people to do something, but of giving a radical direction to one’s existence and of making decisive choices that guide one’s future for ever.” (2)

Consistent prayer, and the enriched understanding of the Church as Vocation and of the vocation of each member of the church, will help develop a culture of vocation and promote the pastor al care of vocations. Each parish and institution, reflecting on the documents provided by the Church and prayerfully analyzing its local culture for the purpose of the ongoing evangelization, will be more convinced of the need to include promoting vocations as an integral aspect of the new evangelization.

This new way of thinking and acting will require patient and persistent prayer and effort on the part of each parish, school and institution. Cooperation with neighboring parishes and schools and participation in diocesan efforts to promote vocations will enhance this vital aspect of the new evangelization.  The Office for Clergy Formation will continue to provide resources for prayer, education and encouragement for all institutions in the Diocese as we seek to promote a culture of vocation in the local Church of Scranton .