THE PARISHES THAT make up the Diocese of Brooklyn are at the forefront of praying for vocations. Praying for vocations cannot be a one-day event, but a constant commitment for the entire parish community. Therefore, as a new pastoral year begins, let us address what we can do in our parishes so that everyone becomes actively involved in creating a greater awareness for vocations.
Never be afraid to ask the hard questions, but at the same time be proactive to find those hard answers. True honest discerning gives us direction and infinite motivation to fulfill with excellence who God calls us to be. And don’t be afraid to take a risk now and then.
Fostering vocations to the priesthood and religious life is the “biggest challenge” for the Catholic Church in China, said Passionist Father Robert E. Carbonneau, executive director of the U.S. Catholic China Bureau.
Simply stated, without priests, there is no Eucharist, and without the Eucharist, there is no Church. So on the same day the Catholic Church celebrated the feast day of St. John Vianney, the patron saint for diocesan priests, seminarians from the Cathedral House of Formation in Douglaston, celebrated a special Mass and barbecue with Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio as the diocese officially opened its Year of Vocations.
The Diocese of Brooklyn has begun the Year of Vocations called for by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio. Led by Father Sean Suckiel, the diocesan vocation director, this is a remarkable time to reflect on the gift of priesthood and religious life in the Church and in the world.
This summer, I made a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal along with eight of my brother seminarians and one priest faculty member from St. Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie. We spent nine days – or just about 130 miles – on El Camino in Spain, walking the traditional Camino Frances route from Ponferrada to Santiago de Compostela.
by Bishop Raymond Chappetto
AN UNUSUAL STORY! Let me explain. Maryan Callahan was born in Philadelphia and grew up in a very Catholic family. As a young girl she became familiar with the Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, known as the IHMs.
by Father Sean M. Suckiel
Pope Francis’ vision in his pontificate seeks to reawaken the Church by reclaiming the sense of mission in the hearts of all its followers once again.
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
This week, on the Feast of St. John Vianney, Aug. 4, the Diocese initiated the Year of Vocations: Reawakening the Call. In my letter to the priests announcing this year, I began by saying, “Pray to the Lord of the Harvest so that He may send laborers into His harvest.”
Our Lady Queen of Martyrs parish, Forest Hills, marked the feast of St. John Vianney with a novena from Thursday, July 27 to Friday, Aug. 4. The last day of the novena coincided with the opening of the diocesan Year of Vocations.
