tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616479968271501281.post6588343055050053566..comments2022-11-19T14:19:59.893+00:00Comments on Irish Dominican Vocations: Ireland's 20 new seminarians - an open letter to the bishops of IrelandAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11286690147183340956noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616479968271501281.post-59897134905926350212013-08-29T17:42:11.276+01:002013-08-29T17:42:11.276+01:00Thank you Fr. Ger for your great article. Young p...Thank you Fr. Ger for your great article. Young people need constant encouragement and a proper framework of support around them to nurture a vocation. It is important too that after Youth Festivals and other annual Conferences/Retreats and events that people have some form of spiritual support when they go home to their own Parishes. I agree also that the Social media is not used enough especially to promote Vocations by the Irish Church. The UK Catholic Church seem to be ahead in this regard and also have the Invocation Conference each year where different religious orders gather for one day to help young people to come to know what they are about and to help them to discern a possible religious vocation. In the Lancaster Diocese in the UK they also have a Diocesan Novena for Vocations, which is a wonderful initiative. You can check it out on their wonderful Vocations website at LancasterVocations.org Just on a Novena for Vocations, I quickly put together one which starts tomorrow and ends on the 7th Sept. if anyone is interested (check link below). I am praying this myself also for a particular Community of Religious who are in dire need of Vocations. God bless you Fr. Ger. <br /><br />http://agnusdeihomiliespapalnuncioireland.blogspot.ie/2013/08/novena-for-vocations-to-priesthood-aug.htmlAnnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05414512459104270514noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616479968271501281.post-79627235315563290212013-08-29T14:58:41.362+01:002013-08-29T14:58:41.362+01:00Declining attendance at Holy Mass and receiving th...Declining attendance at Holy Mass and receiving the Sacraments has had an obvious effect on vocations. The distinct lack of faith formation in this country is a major factor in this particular crisis. The work of the Diaconate I believe will be fundamental in the encouragement of vocations to the priesthood. The Diaconate was there at the beginning of our Church and thank God it has been reinstated as there is so much work to be done. Yes without Priests the very Eucharist cannot be celebrated, the need to harvest new Priestly vocations is absolute. However the faith of our people has not been nourished for the past 50 years, there has been virtually no adult faith formation. In general once children leave primary school they are practically abandoned by the Church. Confirmation for years has been a sacrament of exit. How can vocations to the priesthood or religious be nourished when the faith of our fathers is not. We all have a responsibility here and the sooner people stop thinking with the "them and us attitude" we with Gods help will be able to rebuild His Church. We all have a vocation, we are all called to serve, each to their calling for the Glory of God and our redemption. So please stop the them or us.... it is we, and unless we all realise that even in our sleep WE need to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and share the love the He is WE will all fail.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15651324195959407822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616479968271501281.post-44983740650297923162013-08-27T21:41:55.560+01:002013-08-27T21:41:55.560+01:00I agree. Too often vocation sunday is watered down...I agree. Too often vocation sunday is watered down into a semi-apologetic "everyone has a vocation" stance. While this is true in itself, the message should be a call to young and not so young men to respond to Christ.Hispanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02174502297598718425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616479968271501281.post-53553618017726414412013-08-27T14:54:12.262+01:002013-08-27T14:54:12.262+01:00Thank you for your comments. @The Author, there is...Thank you for your comments. @The Author, there is no intention of being dishonest. I would agree with your assessment that there is little done to promote the permanent diaconate. However, it is seen by a not inconsiderable number of a method of 'solving' the priestly vocations crisis - which of course it isn't. I fully support the diaconate and hope that their contribution will assist all discerning their vocations - priestly and otherwise.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11286690147183340956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616479968271501281.post-63340443785707503082013-08-26T22:16:49.508+01:002013-08-26T22:16:49.508+01:00I do believe that the vocation Crisis is due to th...I do believe that the vocation Crisis is due to the destruction of the family. No families are encouraging a vocation because no families are praying and passing on the faith to their children. These same children then fall victim to the status qou in the public schoolyard that religion is silly and not cool. So is it any wonder they don't want to be an altar boy or get involved in church activities that would further their possible vocation to the priesthood? God calls people to the priesthood but its up to us to be the hands and feet of that calling and stop blocking vocations by not focusing on renewing the family. If we can renew the family we can renew the priesthood. St.John Vianney the patron of priests came from such a family that passed on the faith. I ask him to pray that all other families will do the same. Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12917174770353835567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616479968271501281.post-28720379600238853572013-08-26T20:16:27.028+01:002013-08-26T20:16:27.028+01:00As one preparing for Permanent Diaconate I can ass...As one preparing for Permanent Diaconate I can assure you that the focus has not moved from the promotion of Priestly Vocations. Personally I have been involved in the promotion of Priestly vocations and their associated events and have not one single time been involved in one for the promotion of the Diaconate. To suggest that resources are being pumped into promotion of the Diaconate and not to the promotion of Priesthood and that Parishes are not praying as they should for priestly vocations during Mass is the opposite to what I encounter in my own Parish and in many other places. If anything the opposite is the case. The Diaconate gets little or no attention not even in our bidding prayers. Your generalisation Father, is dishonest and unfounded to say the least.The Authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01265820160612667874noreply@blogger.com