{"id":394,"date":"2012-06-25T19:45:00","date_gmt":"2012-06-25T19:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/new-vatican-guidelines-parents-should-be-careful-not-to-block-vocations\/"},"modified":"2012-06-25T19:45:00","modified_gmt":"2012-06-25T19:45:00","slug":"new-vatican-guidelines-parents-should-be-careful-not-to-block-vocations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/06\/new-vatican-guidelines-parents-should-be-careful-not-to-block-vocations\/","title":{"rendered":"New Vatican guidelines: Parents should be careful not to block vocations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Vatican City, Jun 25, 2012 \/ 01:45 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Parents should be careful not to block their son\u2019s calling to the priesthood, new Vatican guidelines on promoting vocations say.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cEven though a sense of respect for the figure of the priest is cultivated in Christian families, it is still noticeable, especially in the West, that they have a certain difficulty in accepting that their child may have a vocation to the priesthood,\u201d said the document launched by Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, head of the Congregation for Catholic Education, at the Vatican June 25.<\/p>\n

\tHowever, \u201cif families are animated by a spirit of faith, charity and piety they become, as it were, an \u2018initial seminary\u2019 and they continue to offer favorable conditions for the birth of vocations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe 29-page document, entitled \u201cPastoral Guidelines for Fostering Vocations to the Priestly Ministry,\u201d is the culmination of four years of work by the Congregation for Catholic Education. It draws together the responses received to a questionnaire issued to the universal Church in 2008.<\/p>\n

\tThe guidelines call on parishes to help parents become more aware of their role as \u201ceducators in the faith so as to develop in the heart of the family the human and supernatural conditions that make possible the discovery of a priestly vocation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tWhile the Church around the world is seeing an overall rise in seminarians in recent years \u2013 including in North America \u2013 Europe continues to show a slow but steady decline.<\/p>\n

\tThe new guidelines also identify other stumbling blocks to discerning a priestly vocation. It points to the spread of secularism, the marginalization of the priest in social life \u201cwith consequent loss of his relevance in the public square,\u201d a lack of appreciation of priestly celibacy, including by some Catholics, the fallout from Church scandals, and the bad example of some priests who exist in a \u201cwhirlpool of exaggerated activism\u201d that can \u201cweaken the shine of priestly witness.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tAs for fostering new vocations, the document highlights the fruitfulness of families, schools, parishes and movements rooted in prayer.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe experience of many local Churches is that young men, in large numbers, sense the call to the ministerial priesthood, especially where prayer is a constant and profound dimension of the community\u2019s life,\u201d it says.<\/p>\n

\tAs well as the family, Catholic parishes are emphasized as \u201cthe place par excellence where the Gospel of the Christian vocation is proclaimed\u201d and \u201cwhere the ideal of priestly ministry is presented.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tIn this setting, priests are \u201ccrucial for openly suggesting priestly vocation to boys and young men\u201d with the help of \u201ca well \u2013founded and effective educational program\u201d that raises the question.<\/p>\n

\tThis role of openly suggesting a priestly vocation can also be undertaken by others in the parish and by current seminarians, since \u201cno-one is better suited to evangelize young people than young people themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tInterestingly, the document suggests that a vocation to the priesthood should not be suggested \u201cto persons who, even though they are praiseworthy in their journey of conversion, show signs of being profoundly fragile personalities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tIn terms of priestly celibacy, it states that those considering the priesthood \u201cshould see with clarity the commitments he will have to take on\u201d and that any discernment process should contribute \u201cto healing any individual deviations from his vocation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tTeachers in schools can also play a crucial role as they \u201ccan extend the family\u2019s educational role by broadening cultural horizons.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tMeanwhile, the document observes that a young man\u2019s college years are increasingly \u201cbecoming a fruitful period for young people with regard their life choices.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tAmong its many other recommendations, the guidelines note that numerous priests were \u201cpart of the group of altar boys and have served at the altar\u201d before going to seminary. It therefore suggests that \u201cvocation ministry for priesthood gives special attention to altar boys\u201d when promoting the priesthood.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

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Vatican City, Jun 25, 2012 \/ 01:45 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- Parents should be careful not to block their son’s calling to the priesthood, new Vatican guidelines on promoting vocations say.<\/p>\n

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