Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
May the Lord give you peace!
As our Diocese fully enters the Easter Season, we have the grace of celebrating together a Week of Prayer for Vocations (20-26 April).
In his recent letter on vocations, the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV underlined that Vocation is as "a Gift Discovered Within". As such it is a gift and a calling that finds place in the human heart. It is first from the heart of the Lord Jesus, the Good Shepherd (Jn 10:11), that we learn the meaning of vocation. Jesus listened with all his heart to the call of the Father and he answered that call in freedom for the salvation of the world. The great spiritual tradition of the Church teaches us to discover the presence of God's kindly light in our own hearts as well.
A calling is born from a specific context and not from a mythological environment. Thus vocations to the priesthood and to consecrated life are born from the context of a Christian community, in which people and families generate environments of faith and prayer. Our communities are not perfect or ideal, and neither are our vocations. We can learn to discover these realities and welcome them as they are, for it is in those contex that we may come to listen to the voice of God in our own lives.
Listening is a skill that requires interior silence and often needs the guidance that another, more experienced, person of faith has alreay acquired. By faith, we know the voice of God exists. Yet we often have trouble hearing it when He calls us. Like the prophet Samuel, we must learn to recognize God's voice. For this reason please allow me to share some concrete suggestions on how to live this week :
During the Vocations' Week, daily Masses and the Sunday Mass in parishes, communities, and seminaries are to include a common intention for vocations to the priestly and consecrated life, using the texts provided in the Missal (Prayers and Masses for Specific Occasions or Needs; Arabic Missal: pp. 1267, 1278). Furthermore, a central Eucharistic Adoration for vocations may be celebrated during the week and presided by the respective Patriarchal Vicar (on a day to be established in each vicariate).
At the Parish level, Good Shepherd Sunday is to be clearly highlighted as the culmination of the week. Parishes are invited to celebrate one simple moment of Eucharistic Adoration or communal prayer for vocations, on a day that suits their local reality, using material prepared centrally (and also could be done during an activity). Priests are encouraged to preach explicitly on the vocation to the priestly and consecrated life, rather than on vocation in general. It is advisable to include specific intentions for priestly and religious vocations in the Prayer of the Faithful throughout the week. During that week, Youth, altar servers', and Scouts' meetings are to be dedicated to the theme of Vocations. Catholic Schools, especially our Parochial Schools, may find a day during this week to celebrate mass on this intention. Where possible, nearby parishes tare encouraged to organize a joint vocational moment or activity, fostering collaboration and shared responsibility.
The intention is not to multiply initiatives, but rather to help the whole diocese pray together, simply, and intentionally, making vocations a shared responsibility rather than an isolated concern.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, as we walk in the light of the risen Lord and, though in the midst of trials, celebrate in Paschal joy, I assure you ofmy prayers for vocations in a special way and I invoke the blessing of Almighty God upon all, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church.
In Christ Risen!
+Pierbattista Card. Pizzaballa
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
