Sunday world Vocations Day

(May 14, 2011) The Catholic Church is celebrating the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, today, the 4^th Sunday of Easter, dedicated to the good Shepherd. Pope Benedict XVI has always upheld the task of all Catholics to be courageous in highlighting and fostering vocations. The papal message for this year’s observance, released Feb. 10 at the Vatican, is on the theme "Proposing Vocations in the Local Church.". In his message, Pope Benedict said that proposing vocations on the local level means "having the courage, through an attentive and suitable concern for vocations, to point out this challenging way of following Christ which, because it is so rich in meaning, is capable of engaging the whole of one's life." The local church needs to become "more sensitive and attentive" to helping children and young people grow in their relationship with Christ through prayer and the sacraments, become more familiar with sacred Scriptures, be generous and loving toward others, and "understand that entering into God's will does not crush or destroy a person, but instead leads to the discovery of the deepest truth about ourselves," he said.