May 3, 2026 - Pastor Message
May 2, 2026WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS (cont.)
WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS (cont.)
“Jesus wanted to teach us that vocations in the Church do not come by chance, neither by themselves, nor can we make them out of human efforts only. They come to us from the mercy of God. If we do not pray to obtain them, they will not be given us” (Blessed Hannibal di Francia).
Last weekend we celebrated the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, when we began reflecting on the meaning and variety of vocations, the call that each person receives from God to serve his plan for salvation by loving God and neighbor. We also discussed what we might call the “big four”, under the umbrella of which all other vocations can be found. Last week we discussed holy orders and matrimony. This week we will discuss consecrated life and dedicated single life.
In consecrated life, also known as religious life, men and women consecrate their lives to God through sacred vows, usually of poverty, celibacy, and obedience. They also typically live in some form of community, either a religious order, like the Sisters of Mercy here in Erie, or a society of apostolic life, like the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, who run many colleges and schools throughout the world. They may also live individually as hermits or consecrated virgins. The point is that, though they live in the world, they live their lives set apart from the world by forsaking unnecessary personal property, marriage, and personal freedom in witness to the kingdom of God that is to come, something they also do by lives of intense prayer and selfless service. Sadly, religious communities in our area are experiencing even more of a drought of vocations than holy orders. We need to pray intensely ourselves that God renew the vocation of consecrated life in our diocese so we don’t lose that important witness.
The vocation of dedicated single life is the most recently recognized vocation in the Church, though it has been a reality since the very beginning - think, for example, of Simeon and Anna in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2:22-38), who dedicated their lives to prayer in the temple, awaiting the coming of the messiah, and who announced his presence when he came. Those called to this vocation do not take vows but live their entire life for Christ just the same. They also typically do not live apart in community, like consecrated religious do, but live actively in the world, taking on vital roles in their parishes and local communities, witnessing to Christ by their faithful service. Some people who are called to this vocation may not even recognize it or call it dedicated single life, but they live it every day, with no intention to marry or be ordained or enter consecrated life, but every intention to serve the Lord.
Those are the big four vocations, but, as I mentioned last week, our vocations take many different shapes and forms over the years. I mentioned the different ministries I have been asked to take on in my priesthood, but, through all of them, I have always been a priest. The same is true for married persons, who are called to be everything from parents and grandparents to empty nesters and widows and widowers at different points in their life. Those called to dedicated single life can be called to do any number of things, and consecrated religious have been called to do everything from running schools and hospitals to caring for the poor and running orphanages. We even had a religious community in our diocese, the Carmelites, whose entire purpose was praying for vocations. Sadly, they are no longer here. So let us take up the banner and pray for vocations in our parish and our homes, encourage our young people to prayerfully consider the path God is calling them to follow, and witness ourselves to the joy of knowing and living our vocations.
Fr. Marc Stockton
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