The October Promoter

 Spotlight:

Priesthood Sunday in the USA

October 28, 2007

 Priesthood Sunday is right around the corner. As a Vocation Promoter the role you play in celebrating it is essential. Here are 5 quick tips to help make Priesthood Sunday bear lasting fruit.

1. Coordinate a time of Adoration for Vocations in your parish to pray especially for all the priests who serve the parish and diocese. If your parish already has an active adoration program, perhaps you can contact the coordinators to ask if it would be possible to invite the adorers to offer their hours for vocations and for the pastor in honor of Priesthood Sunday.  You can also place a card for your pastor in the chapel and invite everyone to sign it offering him those prayers as a gift of appreciation. 

 

2. Set up a booth outside of each of the Masses with prayer cards and materials from your Promoter Kit or diocese to help raise awareness of the need to pray for our priests.

 

3. Have school children write a thank you note to the priests who serve the school or parish they are affiliated with.

 

4. Tell 10 people about Priesthood Sunday and encourage them to thank their pastor personally for his “yes” to Christ.

 

5. Give your pastor a spiritual bouquet, collection of prayers, masses and holy hours which will be offered for him, either from your family, parish family or a parish committee you work with. 

    

   You can go to www.priestsunday.org or contact your local Vocation Action Coordinator for more information or ideas.

  Promoting Vocations 101

  In our Introductory Newsletter we designed this feature on the basics of vocations promotion. Now we will take a deeper look at: 

Respect - It is important to remember that respect for the priesthood stems from respect for Christ and His plan of salvation. 

    Pope John Paul II explains that the priest is called to be so completely and personally united to Christ so as to be in a very real sense, another Christ:  "The priestly vocation is...the mystery of a wonderful exchange...between God and man.  A man offers himself to Christ, so that Christ may use him as an instrument of salvation, making him as it were into another Christ." (Gift and Mystery p.72) Through his ordination, the priest is not merely authorized to represent Christ, but rather is uniquesly and sacramentally identified with him.  United to Christ, the priest selflessly converts his life into one of prayer and service for the salvation of souls and the Glory of God.

     October gives us a wonderful opportunity to raise the esteem for the priesthood and celebrate the beauty of the vocation on Priesthood Sunday. Our respect for this holy vocation will help others appreciate the gift of the priesthood and to have esteem for each man who has accepted God's invitation to serve others through it.  

Quote Corner:

"Please join me on this special day, Priesthood Sunday, in praying for our priests, in praising God for their courage and their generosity."  Bishop Joseph Gossman, Diocese of Raleigh

Monthly Mission:

Pick one way to actively promote Priesthood Sunday.