Vocational pastoral ministry : the role of human mediation

Abstract

Vocational animation is a very important ministry in the life of the Church. The call to religious and/or priestly life like every other vocation is a gift from God. However it is recognized through various human mediations. One of these mediations is vocational animation. The function of this ministry is therefore to accompany individuals on their journey of spiritual growth and to assist them in the task of discernment. The aim of this dissertation is to reflect deeply on religious and priestly vocations by discussing the nature of such a vocation and how it develops and the importance of knowing oneself and those factors that are crucial for one's vocation. Although the call is a gift from God, the one who is called must cooperate with God in order to fulfill what one is being asked for in a responsible manner. The dissertation takes also into consideration the crisis of vocations and discusses some solutions. The causes of this crisis are numerous and not so easy to overcome because of their deep roots. Since Vatican Council II there has being a growing awareness of the decrease in religious and priestly vocations. Many people who really love the Church have engaged into a serious study in order to find solutions to this problem. However, vocations are still lacking despite the fact that many are conscious of the problem, and few arc ready to take action. Being aware of the problem and discussing it is not enough. One must be ready to act. This is a very big challenge for today's priests and religious because new vocations depend on their witness. lf our youths do not perceive something different in priests and consecrated persons they will not find any sense in embracing such a life style. Dreaming about the glory of the past, about those seminaries and novitiates full of seminarians and novices is only nostalgia. The challenge is to pass from nostalgia to prophecy. Priests and religious should be prophetic signs in the world; otherwise they will soon lose their credibility. Religious orders and congregations that are not credible cannot pretend to have new vocations.