PRACTICAL STEPS FOR FOSTERING VOCATIONS TABLE CONVERSATIONS SUMMARY 2013

Transcription

1 PRACTICAL STEPS FOR FOSTERING VOCATIONS TABLE CONVERSATIONS SUMMARY 2013 What is a best practice you have to share? Keep asking the question putting the issue out Perpetual Adoration Multiple religious from same families Priest present with youth activities, games, etc. Personal invitation Powerful spiritual experiences, put into action Getting them involved as servers, lectors, ministers Family means with personal contact Blessing of homes Annual blessing during Mass for each vocation, married couples, single life, religious life and priesthood, those discerning their particular call. Invitation to individuals Retreats for young people UD Vocations Committee on campus religious speakers at Masses and help from other training people to ask others. Holy hour once a week hospitality after Masses people from orders come in to be available Andrew Dinners at parish levels Martha Dinners Speakers in school priest/religious visit classes Chalice circulate with families General approach in youth ministry peer ministry Youth groups participated in their youth Vibrant youth ministry Credo- Eucharistic centered conferences missionary trips over nights March for Life Presence of priest in parish school, parish school of religion, youth group, (informal interactions with young people) Personal witness to vocation homilies, etc. Invite acolytes to continue serving through high school. Bring young men to Andrew Dinners Be our own witness Being present in the school Becoming a spiritual director for our young people Celebration by parish of someone who is ordained or in the seminary Have son or daughter of parish to come back to talk Being involved in the high school Every week a family takes a chalice home to promise to pray for vocations. In Jan 2014 will institute a bible study for all families chalice goes home with a parish school child Offers numerous speakers on various vocations Eucharistic holy hours for school children Called By Name parishioners identify individuals who get a letter from the Bishop. Invite a priest/brother/sister to a family dinner More sharing of best practices among us Being a faithful Father/Deacon Be a happy priest. Harass the kids after Mass

2 Soup supper during Lent with one week inviting those Priest and religious to give a witness of their journey to the families with kids Interactive internet presence youtube videos Immersion programs in ministry in the area with debriefing and adoration afterwards Reminder that vocations are not about you Youth program during Lent reenactment of Way of Cross Strong youth program Invite youth to participate at Mass Catholic road trip Boy scout trip The individual ask and then let it sink in Involvement with youth ministry program Mission trips service Total immersion get to know your youth We have to become more visible in our vocations A married priesthood would attract some vocations; but would not be a panacea We need laity to do more administrative work; we will be happier if we do less office work Why don t we have diocesan priests at UC? Pastor regularly asks young people how they re doing, what s going on with them Keep inviting young people into ministry Active youth ministry program, host Andrew Dinners Elijah cup. Prayer for vocations Commending altar servers, and encouraging them to consider priesthood or religious life by name Using our own experiences of hearing and responding to our call to call others Making vocations visible, through pictures, visuals, etc. Provide adoration, sacramental, esp. for High School Personal invitation, esp. to altar servers (Fr. Showed me his chalice) Having religious information, religious guests Experiencing parish as joyous and happy environment Make youth feel important involved in serving, reading, etc. Confirmation interviews face-to-face with priest safe place to talk about it Visiting seminarians Apostolic works Matthew 25, soup kitchen, service, mission trips Invitations from religious community to join in social work, etc. Holy cards for discernment challenge to give them all away Pastor invites 6-8 men each year to dinner and asks them to consider the permanent diaconate Alive in Mercy high school centered around prayer and service Pray for seminarians by name in general intercessions Altar servers picnic (or retreat day) Youth Ministry well rounded socially and spiritually Elijah Cup High School teens involved in liturgical ministry Seniors praying for vocations Scouting programs Be present in classroom talking to the kids Encouraging Youth in Ministry Prayer Eucharistic adoration vocation prayer Having a happy school coming to church, liking Mass and talking about Faith Mission trips and what the youth group does

3 Servers for high feasts and solemnities that might have vocations Ask at conclusion of confessions Advertise vocation information (as sacrament) in front of bulletin Telling our story Personal contact ongoing reminders Andrew Dinners Mix of social & worship programs that are both informational & formational Various bible studies re: Jeff Cavins Vocation Chalice Daily vocation prayer Vocation panel with all vocations participating Priestly visibility Homily inclusion Vocation prayer Vocation cup Parish vocation dinner families fostering vocations Younger priests in high schools Weekly school Mass homily story kids can relate to i.e. how to interpret Disney cartoons. Mandatory parent sessions while kids at PSR. Showed Fr. Barren s video Catholicism Coffee with Christ Go to youth group weekly Work up on altar server wearing different clothes Tried to acknowledge special kids, but parents didn t bring kids i.e. basketball teams Bon fires for teens Traveling chalice helps all members of the parish realize they are called to pray for and support vocations all vocations, but specifically vocations to priesthood. Availability to pamphlets or other information on various vocations, communities, etc. Vocations breakfast & holy hours; ask homebound to offer their prayers especially for vocations Don t be afraid to tell stories of our lives as real people Follow up to come & see weekends is very helpful; invite participants to a short-term experience of the real ministerial life of the vocation Rather than do, be be Christ and it is attractive as authentic witness Work with children and help them understand their vocational journey (esp. a challenge in Hispanic Ministry) Steubenville youth conference Adoration Mass till 4:30 (classes ½ hour) Servers 6-8 grades Biweekly youth group Music Ministry Tuesday & Thursday home run Masses Sunday evening What further information would you like to have made available? How can the Archdiocese website, more user friendly search engine be made? Names of speakers What are other parishes doing website vocation stories from vocation office Unified information from orders, one paper to share all numbers it would take up less space in book shelves

4 More web addresses Resource names and numbers for the young to contact Campus ministers Website updates more frequently DVD for women religious like Fishers of Men DVD Using vocation prayer Regularly post the statistics in the Archdiocesan paper Get info to priest and parishes via deanery meeting If know someone in area, let parish know. Invite religious to speak? Rural area no religious for generations so no contact. Statistics where have we been where are we now? Power points availability of promotional materials Visibility priests have it easier how do we work it out for women religious Like IHM- Best and Worst Practices what works/what doesn t? Quo Vadis Where are we going? Summary of presentation especially Deacon s session to all of us Power point available to all Other programs from around the country that is successful More copies of resource materials, more accessibility to resources (e.g. DVD s) More information on atypical vocations e.g., consecrated life Associated programs that some orders have available (affiliates) With the projections of potential priests in ministry, and potential /hoped for ordinations where do retired priest fit into this? How do they look on the graph? We would like the best practices of those who are doing this well, like IHM. Access to the slides, but to draw from their programming as well Of age 17/grade 11 is a key age/time why? How can we best utilize this? More about religious communities in the area, charisms, communities, etc. How many are turned away? Why? Training? What is being done with minority vocations? List of recommendations from above question sent to us from other parishes Posters with seminarians. Poster with persons in formation with religious communities Contact info for vocation directors with each religious community in the Archdiocese. Audio visual resources available How to promote an understanding of vocations especially to marriage? Need to hear about priesthood/religious options for older audience & 2 nd career Available spiritual direction (parish level not just priest) activity Published confession schedules (deanery/diocesan level) Affirmation of Archbishop s efforts on behalf of vocations Vocation directors (not just Archdiocese) speaking at parishes on a 3-5 year rotation (inclusive of women s religious) Office of religious send materials to parishes in Archdiocese (like communities outside Archdiocese do well) Andrew Dinner at parish Martha Dinners How can we improve the level of catechesis of the average catholic? How can we help ethnic minorities in their areas as well? FOCUS 11 What strategic plan could be used by a parish vocation committee to make laity aware of how to nurture

5 What one commitment will you make today to foster a culture of vocations? Inquire if parish has a vocation committee and what has been done to support vocations Use the vocation prayer more regularly Unity among our own members Extending the invitation Inviting religious to school events More references to priestly vocations Fostering a relationship with religious Building a strong value of human dignity Campaign to promote vocations, K of C, Archdiocese, parish, Deanery Air vocation stories where our 17 years are visiting Be happy as a priest Take youth group to seminary Explore the possibility of beginning with existing groups/committees e.g. School board, PTO speech to them, encourage them to pray for vocations, highlight the important role of strong families in rel. vocations Is there a need? Renewed sense of issuing the invitation Better at talking about discernment (e.g. in classroom) Better partnership between priests, religious, parishes to work together Add the vocation prayer to the hospital Masses Hire a youth ministry Develop a more positive parish wide approach to vocations all vocations Have high school be of service to parishes Help young adults be faithful connected to parishes Ask girl servers if they will consider a vocation to religious life Move into more prayers aimed at religious vocations More presence in the classrooms Will ask a young person, having been hesitant On the anniversary of my Call, to give my story in the homily Will set appointments with some young people to mentor/just talk with them one-on-one More visuals/pictures of ministry in action More of an effort to ask Continue to support programs that help young people know Christ Use homily time to speak about vocations Look at other success stories from other parishes Priestly joy Seed planting Publish more in bulletin Invite more students, ask why not More print/website comments announcements Be more proactive with students