Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Washington (Agenzia Fides) – The Catholic Church in the United States began their celebration of National Vocation Awareness Week (January 10-16) yesterday, Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. As the statement issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) affirms, with the celebration of this Feast, the faithful recommit themselves to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. They are also initiated through their own baptism to be the Beloved of God, commissioned to proclaim Good News with their lives.
“This week provides the opportunity for parishes across the country to promote vocations through prayer and education,” said Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, chairman of the Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. “It is our responsibility to encourage young people to be generous in their response as they discern the possibility of a call to service in the Church. We must also ask parents, families and our parish communities to assist with this work, vocations are everyone’s business. As we pray for an increased number of seminarians and candidates for religious life, we recognize the importance of safeguarding the gift of vocations.”
Several initiatives to highlight priesthood and religious life will be on-going, especially in this Year for Priests.
According to “The Official Catholic Directory 2009,” cited on the USCCB's website, in the United States there are 41,489 diocesan and religious-order priests (28,061 diocesan priests and 13,428 religious-order priests); 4,973 seminarians (3,274 enrolled in diocesan seminaries and 1,699 enrolled in religious-order seminaries); 60,715 religious sisters; 4,905 religious brothers. (AR) (Agenzia Fides 11/01/2009)
