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The lazy days of summer have passed, and that means every Vocation Ministry should be working and planning for TWO of the FIVE major events on the Vocation Calendar:
Priesthood Sunday and
National Vocation Awareness Week.
So let’s get cracking…
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Priesthood Sunday (October 30)
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In 2003, the USA Council of Serra International—the organization whose mission is to foster and affirm vocations to the priesthood and vowed religious life—organized the first Priesthood Sunday. They felt a great need to honor those who are called to be priests. Your main objective is to lead parishioners to sharing their gratitude with their priests. So bringing awareness to this day can be done in a few simple steps:
1. Bulletin blurbs
Example
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Please join the Vocation Ministry today, Priesthood Sunday, in praying for our priests, praising God for their courage and their generosity. Also, please take a moment after Mass to go to the adoration chapel and fill out a spiritual bouquet, which is an offering of prayer for one or both of our priests. Let us show Fr. A and Fr. B our encouragement and gratitude in thoughts and deeds. God bless our priests!
2. Announcement before or after Mass
Example
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Please join me on this special day Priesthood Sunday in praying for our priests, in praising God for their courage and their generosity. Along with prayer, the Vocation Ministry invites you to take a moment after Mass to write a note of appreciation to one or all of our priests. Let Fr. J, Fr. C, and Fr. V know something they have done that has impacted you personally to assure him of your loving care and gratitude for his presence in the life of our church community. God bless our priests!
3. Prayer
As always, adding a facet of prayer into this day is a plus! Check out new
Priesthood Sunday prayer card from Vianney Vocations that will surely inspire parishioners to pray for their priests. Order enough to have in your chapel or church book rack year round.
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4. Awareness
Let your parishioners know about this day by making a banner, poster, or the like to have near the doors of the church.
Check out a few here.
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National Vocation Awareness Week (November 6-12)
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This is the perfect time to gain permission from your pastor on the ministry’s goals for National Vocation Awareness Week, such as having a guest seminarian or sister visit religious education classses, placing a
bulletin insert from Vianney Vocations into each bulletin, or placing a
cutout of a sister and/or priest near the front doors of the church.
Also, if you want to include another endeavor that includes youth ministry, religious education classes, or the parish school, please gain permission from the appropriate leaders. I will go into more depth for NVAW next month, so be looking for that email.
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Don’t forget to email me back with your stories of triumph or struggle. I am here to support you in this mission of Building a Culture of Vocations One Parish at a Time!
As always, know that you are in my prayers. If you think of it, please pray for me, too.
God bless you!
Rhonda Gruenewald
Vocation Ministry
Cell:
281-352-4005
rhonda@vocationministry.com
www.vocationministry.com
St. Alphonsus Liguori, Pray For Us!
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