This past Sunday we celebrated the 62nd World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Pray! Pray! Pray! We must pray that God blesses our Church and our world with more vocations!
Prayer works. Our prayers for vocations are working! God is answering our prayers. Recent data shows that there have been 3,500 new entrants to religious communities in the United States in the past 15 years, with an average of 200+ new professed members per year. In 2025, over 400 men in the United States are scheduled to be ordained as priests.
See! Our prayers are working. God is still calling men and women to religious life and the priesthood. And, those men and women are answering!
We must never grow weary or give up on praying for the Lord of the Harvest to send more workers to the vineyard. Nor must we stop beseeching the Holy Spirit to come into the hearts of men and women, inspiring them and giving them the courage to say yes to the vocation within the Church.
Lord, You told us “The harvest indeed is great but the laborers are few. Pray, therefore, the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into His harvest.”
We ask You to strengthen us as we follow the vocation to which You have called us. We pray for those called to serve as priests, sisters, brothers and deacons.
Father we pray for those whom You have called, those You are calling now and those You will call in the future. May they be open and responsive to the call of serving your people.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
