Seminaries in England have seen a rise in the number applicants this
fall – the highest number in over a decade, according to the local
bishops' conference.
This September, 56 men began their journey towards the priesthood in
the country, the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales announced on
Nov. 15, adding that Pope Benedict's recent visit to the U.K. may boost
numbers in the near future.
“The number of people responding to the call of Christ to be priests
and religious has been rising slowly but surely,” said Fr. Stephen
Langridge, Chairman of the Vocations Directors of England and Wales.
At their annual seminar in Birmingham earlier this month, local
vocation directors discussed what has contributed to the increased
interest in vocations within the U.K.
One example, the recently held
“Invocation” festival held in Birmingham this July 2010 for Catholic
young adults, drew close to 300 men and women seeking further vocational
discernment.
The event was so popular that it is slated to be held
again in June of 2011.
In addition to this initiative, several dioceses and religious orders
are running discernment groups for young men and women, the bishops'
conference reported.
Vocation seminar participants also noted World
Youth Day Madrid in 2011 as an opportunity for young people to enrich
their knowledge of Catholicism and increase their individual vocation
discernment.
Fr. Christopher Jamison, director of the National Office of Vocation,
who attended the Birmingham seminar, noted the life of St. John Henry
Cardinal Newman, whom the Pope canonized during his recent papal trip.
“When everybody in the Church takes seriously Newman’s insight that
‘God has created me to do him some definite service,’ then a greater
number discover their call to the priesthood and religious life,” Fr.
Jamison said.
SIC: CNA/UK