Milwaukee Catholic Herald – Herald of Hope

This comes to you just a week before the celebration of the Nativity of our Lord. Our hearts are full of eagerness and anticipation.

Patience is a most appropriate Advent virtue. As Pius Parsch, the renowned liturgical scholar writes, during Advent, the church concentrates into four weeks the thousands of years the faithful people of Israel patiently awaited the savior.

St. Padre Pio often said, “The language of patience is prayer.” Today I would like to invite you to participate in a promising and exciting initiative of patient prayer: a monthly “Day of Prayer for Vocations” on First Fridays.

This project was hatched by Fr. Bob Stiefvater, our zealous vocation director. He had participated in the Continental Congress on Vocations in Canada a year and a half ago, and recalled that the document that came from that congress, “Conversion, Discernment, Mission — Fostering a Vocation Culture in North America,” listed “TO PRAY: to be holy, to be converted, to worship” as the very first of five pastoral priorities. Fr. Stiefvater took his proposal to the Council of Priests of the archdiocese, who unanimously gave it their warm approval.

Thus the daring plan: that every First Friday, beginning in January, be designated throughout the archdiocese as “A Day of Prayer for Vocations.” The intentions “for an increase in vocations to the priesthood, consecrated religious life, and the diaconate” would be mentioned at each Mass. In Eucharistic Chapels, especially in the nearly 50 parishes and religious houses where Eucharistic adoration is available, this intention would be prominent that day.

We must be patient in our prayer for vocations. The Lord seems to be taking his time in responding. This never discourages us, but only deepens our faith.

So often we use it as almost a “throwaway line” — let’s “pray for vocations.” But, we renew our conviction that there is nothing more effective we can do than pray, not only because prayer always works, but because concentrated prayer for this one intention by the entire archdiocese can re-create a “culture of vocations” so essential to the new springtime of evangelization.

So many of us 45 and older can recall the First Friday tradition of turning to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, of uniting with the Heart of Christ in prayer, conversion of life, the sacrament of reconciliation, and the celebration of the Eucharist. What an appropriate day each month to pray for vocations.

There you have it: I’m already giving you a “New Year resolution.” Pray for vocations, at the Eucharist, before the Blessed Sacrament, if at all possible, on the First Friday of every month.

Advent gives us the patience to do it. By next Christmas, we’ll see the difference!