“Every day, people had to be turned away from the talks and workshops [at the Eucharistic Congress]. There is an incredible hunger for meaning in our world. There is an incredible thirst for God and for the truth and life we have to offer. So, have no doubt that the harvest continues to be rich, even if the labourers appear to be few!” So said Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland when he opened the annual meeting of the European Vocations Service (EVS), which is taking place in Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth from Thursday June 28 until Sunday July 1.
He spoke of how young people have a capacity for generosity, for service of others, and for outreach to the vulnerable and those in need.
“They also have a greater sense than previous generations of the potential for global unity and solidarity. They all listen to the same music, wear the same sweatshirts, they use the same mobile phones and global social networks. Perhaps for the first time in human history this makes the nature of the Church as the sacrament of unity of the whole human family a prospect that finds expression in the practical culture and experience of the younger generation,” he said.
“Our world needs confident, cheerful and generous heralds of hope, of hope in this life and hope in the peace and joy of the life to come. It would be wrong of us to believe that the current generation of young people is less open, less generous, or less willing to give their lives, wholeheartedly and generously, to the service of the Gospel than generations in the past. What we need is to pray and to have confidence in our own vocation.”
The EVS meeting involves national vocations directors from across Europe, is held annually and is hosted by a different country each year. It was last held in Ireland in 2001.
The meeting coincided with the launch of new guidelines on fostering vocations, which identify stumbling blocks to discerning a priestly vocation such as the spread of secularism, the marginalisation of the priest in social life, “with consequent loss of his relevance in the public square,” a lack of appreciation of priestly celibacy, including by some Catholics, the fallout from Church scandals, and the bad example of some priests who exist in a, “whirlpool of exaggerated activism,” that can, “weaken the shine of priestly witness.”
Pastoral Guidelines for Fostering Vocations to Priestly Ministry highlights in particular the family and appeals to parents to be careful not to block their son’s calling to the priesthood.
“Even though a sense of respect for the figure of the priest is cultivated in Christian families, it is still noticeable, especially in the West, that they have a certain difficulty in accepting that their child may have a vocation to the priesthood,” said the document launched by Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, head of the Congregation for Catholic Education, in the Vatican on Thursday.
The guidelines state, “... if families are animated by a spirit of faith, charity and piety they become, as it were, an ‘initial seminary’ and they continue to offer favourable conditions for the birth of vocations.”
As well as the family, Catholic parishes are emphasised as, “The place par excellence where the Gospel of the Christian vocation is proclaimed,” and, “where the ideal of priestly ministry is presented.”
In this setting, priests are, “crucial for openly suggesting priestly vocation to boys and young men,” with the help of, “a well –founded and effective educational program,” that raises the question.
This role of openly suggesting a priestly vocation can also be undertaken by others in the parish and by current seminarians, since, “no-one is better suited to evangelise young people than young people themselves.”
The document states that a vocation to the priesthood should not be suggested, “to persons who, even though they are praiseworthy in their journey of conversion, show signs of being profoundly fragile personalities.”
In terms of priestly celibacy, it states that those considering the priesthood, “should see with clarity the commitments he will have to take on,” and that any discernment process should contribute, “to healing any individual deviations from his vocation.”
Teachers in schools can also play a crucial role as they, “can extend the family’s educational role by broadening cultural horizons.”
Meanwhile, the document observes that a young man’s college years are increasingly “becoming a fruitful period for young people with regard their life choices.”
While the Church around the world is seeing an overall rise in seminarians in recent years, including in North America, Europe continues to show a slow but steady decline.