A family that nurtures vocations

[RosaLydia]

I heard a shocking statistic yesterday at Mass. Our priest said that in our diocese, there is currently 1 priest to 4,000 parishoners. In 25 years, there will be 1 priest for 40,000 parishones.

My husband and I were talking about how our current culture does not seem to foster vocations to priestly or religious life or the values they represent (poverty, chastity, etc).

We then asked, are we the type of family that would nurture a vocation?

What type of family would this be? How can we become one?

PS. I understand that vocation is a calling, but I think the family is very important in nurturing that calling.

 

[vluvski]

I think making priests and seminarians a part of your “family” are a great way to foster vocations.

Find a seminarian to pray for by name, or invite your priest for dinner. Really show your children what a blessing priests are, and hopefully God will bless your family with a priestly vocation.

Also, don’t hesitate to mention it to them as they discern their vocation. Some people decide their vocation is marriage just because marriage is the societal norm.

 

[LSK]

What a great idea! Adopt-a-priest or seminarian!

Also, I think it is a good idea to see how your family can be a part of the lives of the religious in your areas that are retired, etc. Can you ask them to dinner? Invite them to go to a movie with you and your family? In other words, demonstrate to your children that they are honored members of the Catholic Community.

 

[Flopfoot]

Well the thing is, that a lot of people don’t think about things in terms of a ‘vocation’ anyway - whether that be marriage or religious or single life. And this is probably because God and their religion aren’t that important to them. So what happens is then they just follow the societal norm. Now if God had wanted them to be married in the first place, well I guess that’s not so bad, but it still would have been better if they had given it some thought. But yea, if they don’t give vocations or what God wants even a thought then they’re unlikely to become a priest…

So yea, a family that nurtures vocations is a strong Catholic family which teaches their children to put God first.

Incidentally, if you’re specifically referring to vocations to the priesthood (rather than religious), then you need to have at least one son… preferably more though. I asked my uncle if he would encourage his son to become a priest. My uncle has 1 son and 5 daughters. He said “maybe if I had 6 sons I would tell one, go become a priest, but I only have one son…” Thing is that it is hard for a son to leave his family if there are no others to ‘keep the family going’. So yea, have lots of sons and you have more chance of one becoming a priest.

 

[puzzleannie]

RosaLydia:

I
We then asked, are we the type of family that would nurture a vocation?

What type of family would this be? How can we become one?

.

this would be a family that models commitment, covenant and fidelity in its relationships, especially the marriage, and a family that welcomes all God sends as a gift, particularly children, raises those children in a loving stable home in which God has first place in all decisions and activities of the family, in which the father leads the family in prayer and the mother nurtures the growing faith of the children, and in which both parents practice and live their faith in every circumstance of life.

 

[Gearoidin]

My great aunt got married when she was 35 and had 1 child every year for the next 10 years. In total she had 4 boys and 5 girls. 2 of the boys became priests and 3 of the girls joined the convent. Both my great aunt and great uncle were very devout and all the family attended Mass daily, confession once a week, my great uncle sang in the choir as did all the children. They believed the domestic church was extremely important and made their faith central to their daily life.

Gearoidin