“God had created me to do him some definite service” (Blessed John Henry Newman)
All Christians are called to a vocation by reason of the Lord’s command to love one another. Within the Church ‘vocation’ is used in various ways and discovering that vocation is a key step on the journey of faith.
The fundamental vocation is the call to be baptised or, for somebody already baptised, the call to affirm that baptism personally. To be baptised is to accept Christ’s call to follow him in a new way of life, the way of holiness. As a congress of church leaders described it “Holiness is the universal vocation of every person. It is the main road onto which converge all the little paths that are particular vocations”.
Once a person takes seriously their personal call to holiness, then other dimensions of Christian vocation are opened up. The choices people make to express their calling can be in the ordained ministry (priesthood and diaconate), in marriage and family life, in a committed single life and in the call to the religious life and priesthood (consecrated life). Each of these is demanding and people need help to discern which of these vocations Christ is calling them to.
Ordination to be a deacon, a priest or a bishop is a Sacrament. The symbolic actions for a priest and deacon are the laying on of hands accompanied by the prayer of consecration. For a bishop there is an anointing of the head. Priests and bishops are called to exercise the role of leading God’s people and to be the servants of the flock entrusted to them.
Religious life can be pastoral or contemplative or a mixture of both which is the charism of our own Benedictine community at Worth. In addition our community combines the calling of religious life and the priestly calling into vocation as a single person
(With acknowledgements to the National Office for Vocation).
“I often think that prayer – the unum necessarium – is the one aspect of vocations work which we tend to forget or undervalue” – Pope Benedict XVI.
“The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.” (Luke 10: 2). On the first Friday of each month, between 9.00 pm and midnight, all are welcome to join the monks in a Vigil of Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament for vocations to the monastic life. For further details contact Fr Roderick (rjones@worth.org.uk)
The St John Vianney Group is a group for men, aged 18-45, who wish to explore whether they have a calling to the priesthood. The next meeting takes place from 4.00 – 7.30 pm on Sunday 21st October 2018 at The Priest’s House, Station Road, Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 9EN. For more details contact Fr Con Foley on 01932 842643 or email foleycon@gmail.com
Brother David’s Solemn Profession September 2017
Information on Becoming a Monk
The National Office of Vocation was opened in September 2002 and is an office of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. The Office seeks to build a culture of vocation – married, single, ordained and consecrated life in the Church.
Compass is a programme for men and women who have a general sense of vocation to the religious life but who want to discern how this might be experienced.
God Calls: a new app designed to help you explore your ultimate purpose, and discover your unique path to heaven. To find out more and to download the app click on the image.