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October
23, 2006
VOL.
44, NO. 18Oakland,
CA
A diocesan challenge:
how to
create a culture of vocations
The Second
Vatican Council was truly a watershed event in the nearly 2000 year history
of the Catholic Church. It is said that Pope John XXIII convened the Council
in part to open the windows of the Church to “Let in fresh air.”
The work of the Council that continued under Pope Paul VI resulted in
the eventual publication of 16 documents which, now over 40 years since
the close of the Council, continue to inspire and challenge the Church.
One of the great gifts of the Council is the way it articulates the role
and responsibility of each member of the Church as we work together in
Christ’s ongoing work of salvation: “Established by Christ
as a communion of life, love and truth (the Church) is taken up by him
also as the instrument of and for the salvation of all; as the light of
the world and the salt of the earth.” (Lumen gentium)
This broad vision of the mission of the Church and its people has inspired
the awareness and discernment committee of the Vocations Office in the
Oakland Diocese to think anew about Church vocations.
This month the committee will hold its second gathering to celebrate the
Eucharist, pray, reflect and dialog about vocations in the diocese. Invited
to participate are representatives from our schools, faith formation,
evangelization and catechesis, social justice, pastoral planning and ethnic
ministries departments.
The focus of our prayer, reflection and dialog will be the mystery and
promise of the sacrament of baptism. This sacrament is the doorway into
the Church, the life of grace and the promise of eternal life, but it’s
not a one-way street. God’s gift freely given requires our response.
In baptism each person is called to share in the priestly, prophetic and
kingly ministry of Christ according to their own vocation (Catechism of
the Catholic Church).
At our gathering we will consider the sacred dynamic that exists between
God and the baptized and what can be done to assist our baptized to realize
and fulfill their true vocation.
A broader vision of vocations was the subject of the Third Continental
Congress on Vocations held in Montreal in 2002. There, delegates from
throughout North America convened to discuss how to foster a “vocation
culture” in North America.
The Congress in Montreal suggested that “a priority for the pastoral
action of the Church in North America be a preferential option for the
young.” This suggestion does not detract from the “preferential
option for the poor” (one of the core elements of Catholic social
teaching), but acknowledges the necessity of devoting significant resources
to assist young Catholics, the future of the Church, in their vocations
discernment journey.
What might our local Church look like with a well-developed culture of
vocations?
Envisioned is a Church where our youth come to develop a deep and personal
knowledge that God is trustworthy; that God knows them, wants the best
for them and has a special purpose for them; that full and active participation
in the Church’s sacramental and devotional life is an essential
part of their vocations discernment journey; that the key to fulfillment
lies in being and doing what God has called them to be and do (see Mt
12:50); and that God is desirous of their communion with him and will
show them the path to their vocation, be it married, single, ordained
or consecrated life.
A Church in which our young are taught and encouraged to discern and fulfill
their particular sacred calling would be a big step forward toward realizing
the vision of the Second Vatican Council.
In pursuit of this vision much discernment and discussion must take place
among those entrusted with the faith formation of our youth. Throughout
the process all will need to be attentive to God’s Spirit, the Spirit
that blew through the open windows of the Second Vatican Council and the
Spirit that invites us, as Pope John Paul II proclaimed, to “Open
wide the doors to Christ.”
May God’s Holy Spirit guide us as we seek to bring a culture of
vocations to the Oakland Diocese.
