Missionaries of the Sacred

During a trip to Pennsylvania and New York, I had a chance to meet with people at St. John the Baptist Parish in Ottsville, PA and our MSC community in Watertown, NY and listen to their viewpoints about developing vocation ministry in the Church.  Some common themes emerged, including the need for prayer, service and works of faith, and high-energy activities for teens and young adults. Each and every one of us has a vocation, and every vocation needs nourishment. That nourishment starts at home.

There is a great need for the practice of prayer, both family prayer and worship of God. Young and old, children and adults, need to include prayer in their everyday lives. Many young adults find Eucharistic Adoration a helpful time of prayer, attracted by a period of quiet time. Yet forms of prayer need to be taught to enrich the lives of the people of the Church. Since there is a common belief that the home is the necessary context to nurture vocations, vocation ministers need to partner with other efforts in the Church to teach adults and children how to pray. There is a common need to petition God for particular needs, both daily and in times of crisis. Yet, the essential form of prayer is worship of Jesus, the eternal high priest. The prayers of praise and adoration can be said in the home as well as in the local church.

Faith and works is the formula through which St Paul encouraged the communities of the early Church, and it continues to be the pattern for today. Jesus had compassion for all people and worshipped the Father with praise. The compassion of Christ needs to be lived through service for one another and Christian communities must encourage service. While service projects are often built into faith formation for children, they also need to be an ongoing component of an adult Christian life. Acts of service open the mind and heart to see the movement of the spirit.

Activities for teens need to be high in energy and should relate to their culture. Teens accept the input from adults when the adults giving the input are young and/or full of energy. Teenagers are more receptive to the message when that message is presented with the language and symbols of contemporary culture. They seem to want role models, and a are drawn to a person with firm convictions, even though they may not accept the advice. Black and white conditions and concrete examples can help open the mind and hearts of teenagers.

Please join us in creating a vocation culture, by encouraging prayer and service both in your home and in your parish. By including prayer and service to others in everyday life, we serve as good role models for others, strengthen our own vocation, and help nourish the vocations of others.