DilexitPrior has an interesting post with a report on a survey by Avvenire. The survey found that 1 in 10 young people feel at some point a call to the priesthood or religious life but most abandoned the idea after a few months.
The reason many gave was the lack of friends who had a similar desire to consecrate themselves to the Lord. The paper pointed to the need for guides to assist and support young people in their vocation.
The survey is a powerful affirmation of the work that Fr Stephen Langridge and his team are doing in the Archdiocese of Southwark. The focus of the team for promoting vocations is on keeping in touch with young people, arranging various events - weekends, retreats, and "come and see" type events. You can find out more at the Southwark Vocations website.
3 comments:
Hi Tim
Thanks for the plug! For up to date news on whats happening vocations-wise in Southwark I'd recommend the Southwark Vocations Blog rather than the website: http://southwarkvocations.blogspot.com
Thanks
S
I think this survey is pretty much on the mark. I think another problem is that many young people don't have much experience of interacting with priests and religious life. They don't really know what it means to be a priest or a consecrated religious because they don't personally know anyone who is. Sure they may see the priest at Mass on Sunday but that's not the full picture. As for consecrated religious, well, they seem to be an endangered species. Though we have a handful of religious sisters at the parish I grew up in, many of my Catholic friends have never personally met a religious sister! I think another problem is that many young people are never even asked to consider a vocation to the priesthood or religious life. To foster more vocations we need to encourage people to be open to discerning God's call in their life rather than opting for marriage simply by default. Asking someone "Have you ever considered the priesthood?" or "Have you ever though of becoming a religious sister?" doesn't hurt, and if they in fact have a vocation to marriage, taking the time to discern this is also a good thing.
Sorry for the long comment. I'll be quiet now.
DilexitPrior, please don't worry about the length of your comments. They are very welcome. God bless.
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