Prayers for the priesthood

Last weekend we were given the sad announcement that at the end of next month Fr. Aaron will be leaving Horsham after only 14 months in the parish. As both he and Fr. Richard said at all of the Sunday Masses Bishop Kieran did not do this lightly and another priest is urgently needed in Redhill which is made up of three parishes and also covers East Surrey Hospital. Fr. Aaron has been a fantastic and invaluable part of the clergy team here in Horsham, a great support to many and he will, I'm sure, be sorely missed.

As hard as it is when priests are moved on a situation like this highlights how much we need to pray for vocations to the priesthood. It is easy to think that someone else is doing it or to look at young men like Tom and think that there are plenty of people responding to this calling. The fact is that we do urgently need more priests. The Mass and the sacraments are an essential part of our lives as Catholics, they bring us into an ever deeper and more intimate relationship with Christ, give us a foretaste of heaven and help us to centre ourselves on God and God alone. As Christians we should all be actively trying to discern what God is asking us to do each day, what his will is for us each day. Just as every Catholic woman should take the time and space to open herself up to God and see if he is calling her to some special vocation (like the religious or consecrated for example) so should every young man see if he is called to serve God and the Church as a priest. We have been very blessed in this parish to have such easy access to the sacraments for so long but in so many places in this diocese and around the world this is simply not the case. Why not commit to praying once a day for vocations to the priesthood as well as praying for our seminarians, our priests and our bishop too. Prayer always works, prayer always helps...even if we don't see the result with our own eyes.

Prayer for Vocations

Father of all,
in the  name of Jesus Christ
who came not to be served but to serve,
grant us the grace of many new vocations
to the priesthood in our diocese.
Give us men after your own heart who,
following the example of the Good Shepherd,
are willing to joyfully lay down their lives
in your service and for your glory.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Our Father.  Hail Mary.  Glory be.

Holy Mary, our hope, pray for us.
St Philip Howard, pray for us.
St John Vianney, pray for us.
Blessed John Paul II, pray for us.

For more information on the priesthood visit the vocations blog by clicking here, the vocations website here, or Facebook page here.

Vocations Sunday

I have a little message from our former PP and Vocations Director for A&B diocese on Vocations Sunday which is this weekend. (Sorry about the pic, I didn't realise his eyes were shut until late yesterday!!) Please do pray for vocations to the priesthood, religious and consecrated life.

VOCATIONS SUNDAY (29th April) is a day when, as a diocese, we pray particularly for vocations to the priesthood.

The life of the priest is immensely fulfilling. It is a calling which brings great joy and blessing. Please pray hard for vocations to the priesthood. Your sons and grandsons are those whom God may be calling to this radical way of life ... Every young Catholic single man needs to ask himself the question, at some stage in his life, 'Is God calling me to be a priest?'.

Please consider how best you might help single men of all ages to consider the calling of Christ in their lives. Do you pray for vocations to the priesthood? Could you start a parish prayer group to support vocations to the priesthood? Do you invite the young men of your parish or your family to seriously consider the priesthood? Could you be a link person with the Vocations Director for your parish? Could you organise a monthly Holy Hour for vocations in your parish? Are there other things that you could do? Please feel free to use this prayer again and again as we ask the Lord to send us many many priestly vocations for our diocese:

Father of all,
in the name of Jesus Christ
who came not to be served but to serve,
grant us the grace of many new vocations to the priesthood
in our diocese.
Give us men after your own heart who,
following the example of the Good Shepherd himself,
are willing to joyfully lay down their lives in your service
and for your glory.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Father ... Hail Mary ... Glory be ...

The Diocesan Vocation Director is Fr Terry Martin who may be contacted at: vocations@dabnet.org

Encouraging vocations

In the last decade the number of seminarians in England and Wales has almost doubled; rising from 26 in 2001 to 51 last year. This, I'm sure you'll all agree, is extremely encouraging news as the Church cannot continue to joyfully and faithfully proclaim the Gospel for generations to come without good and holy priests to offer the Mass and adminster the sacraments each and every day.

Whilst we all rejoice in vocations to the priesthood, the religious life, the consecrated life, single life and marriage very rarely do they come to fruition all on their own. God speaks to each and every person, calls each and every person to Himself, asks each and every one of us to do some special work. No two vocations are exactly the same just as no two of us are totally alike. We have all been given different gifts and abilities and are called to use them in a wide range of ways.

Despite this call definitely being there for us it can be very hard, seemingly impossible at times, amidst the hustle and bustle and busy-ness and noise of our modern world to discern properly what this means. One thing which we can all try, especially with Lent starting tomorrow, is to make more time, more space in our day for prayer. It doesn't have to be lengthy, it doesn't even have to be complex it just has to be there. Giving God that little part of ourselves, the opportunity to work with and within us for a period of time each day may initially seem to make little impact but, believe me, it makes the world of difference.

Another thing to consider this Lent to help you or someone you know hear God's will for them in their life is to join one of the many discernment groups in our area. Our diocesan Vocation's Director runs several, including Alive in Christ - Women Discerning God's Call, which meets again next Tuesday (for more info click here) and the annual retreat for enquirers to the priesthood (click here for the details on that one). Go on, have a look. You never know where it might lead!

But most importantly of all please join me in praying a decade of the rosary every day for vocations. These prayers are always heard and answered. Let's see if, through this gentle but powerful prayer, we can help to double the number of seminarians (and more) over the next ten years!