Dear Friends:
Last week I was away for two days at the annual Convocation for Priests. During that gathering, the new director of vocations, Fr. Anthony Federico, gave a presentation on the state of vocations to the priesthood in the Archdiocese and on some of the ideas and initiatives he had in mind. To put it mildly,he was quite impressive. One point that I would like to draw to your attention is the effectiveness of the Prayer for Priestly Vocations which we have been praying together after every Mass for some months now. Fr. Federico noted that, as of last week, he had received thirty-one calls and inquiries about the priesthood. Twenty-two of those, after some screening, have been invited to discern the possibility of a priestly vocation. This means that Fr. Federico sees that there might be a call from God to the young man. Fr. Federico also indicated that he expects that perhaps five of these twenty-two will start their seminary formation in the fall. For this, we thank God.
In light of this, I would say two things. First, our prayers do not go unheard. As Jesus tells us in the Gospel, “The harvest is great, but the laborers are few. So ask the harvest master to send out laborers for his harvest.” Our prayer for vocations is bearing fruit. I would encourage us all to pray that prayer daily, even if we do not come to Mass. Secondly, it has become evident that many a priestly or religious vocation is the fruit of someone being personally asked to consider it. Vocations do not fall off trees. Young men and women have to be invited to consider spending their lives for the Lord and his People as priests, religious, or deacons. If you know a young man whom you think might make a good priest or religious brother, or a young woman who might make a good religious sister, ask them to consider the possibility. There is no harm in doing so.
Fr. Federico would like every parish to establish a vocations committee. We will be doing so. The purpose is to help our parish be a more fruitful place for its members to consider their life vocations, be it as priests, religious, deacons, married couples, or singles. All of these are legitimate vocations, calls from God, and the only way we will ultimately find happiness in life is if we do what God wills for us, whatever that may be. I will have more to say on the parish vocations committee as we go forward.
The parish is in need of a pro-life representative. The task of this person is to keep the pro-life movement before the people, urging prayer and action to bring about an end to abortion and all crimes against human life. The Dobbs decision of the Supreme Court handed down last year did not end abortion. It merely returned that issue to the states for legislation. Our own state of Connecticut, if anything, has become more entrenched in a pro-choice position. It is obvious that our work as Catholics in Connecticut is not over. If any individual or even a couple would be interested in being appointed as parish pro-life representative, please let me know.
Finally, as we approach the month of November, when the Church prays in a special way for the faithful departed, I draw your attention to the All Souls envelope in your packet. This is a good way to remember our beloved dead at every Mass in both churches throughout November. Simply write the names of your deceased relatives and friends, put an offering of your choosing in the envelope and drop it in the basket at any weekend Mass or in the mail. There are envelopes available at the doors of the churches as well. These will be placed on the altars of both churches for the entire month of November.
Have a good week.