We celebrate National Vocation Awareness Week this year January 9 through 15. Appropriately, the week begins with the feast of the Baptism of Jesus.
During this week we are encouraged to deepen our friendship with God as we reflect upon our own vocation. We are also reminded to foster and pray for vocations to all states of life. Because of the present need, the Church especially encourages us to pray for and support vocations to priesthood and religious life.
During January, most dioceses in the United States celebrate National Vocation Awareness Week.
This is a good time to think about vocations and who has one. Who do you think has a vocation? If you answered that everyone has a vocation, you get an A.
So often we hear people limiting the term “vocation” to the priesthood and religious life. I hear many people, especially parents with children in Catholic schools, complain that we just don’t have enough vocations, but in truth we each received a vocation when we were baptized.
“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His great love endures forever.”
With these famous words from the Book of Psalms, we joyfully announce the ordinations to the priesthood of Jesus Christ of two of our transitional deacons.
The ways in which we act out our Christian charity in the Church, for the love of God and neighbor, is evident in a number of ways throughout a given year.
Often it is through volunteering at our parishes or parish-related projects — things we feel attached to and with which we want to assist in a specific way. Other times it is through monetary donations to similar local campaigns, projects, or funds, benefiting things that we know, in faith, we need to support. Always, it includes our prayers!
On Sunday, March 7, 55 seminarians of the Pontifical North American College in Rome were installed as acolytes during a celebration of the Eucharist. Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi of the Archdiocese of Mobile, Ark., the principal celebrant of the liturgy, instituted the seminarians including Mark W. Miller of the Diocese of Madison, who is in his second year of theological studies.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
Below you will see a small number of new priest assignments for our diocese which will occur out of the ordinary time frame at the start of the summer.
The USA Council of Serra International recently announced that Msgr. James Bartylla has been named Serra Chaplain of the Year for 2009 for Region 7.
MADISON — Though many beat the heat by staying out of the sun under the trees and tents or in the pool or on the giant slip-and-slide, the fine weather July 26 drew about 370 people of all ages for fun and feasting at the fourth annual Diocesan Family Picnic at the Bishop O’Connor Center.
The event, sponsored by the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis and the Knights of Divine Mercy, offered families from around the diocese a chance to come together for food and activities, games, music, and talks.
In addition to danceable songs performed by the Vandersheuren Family Band and, later, more sacred offerings from the Knights of Divine Mercy Schola, families enjoyed grilled offerings, sides, and desserts, and activities ranging from a pick-up game of baseball on the playing field to volleyball, Frisbee, and hula hooping.
MADISON — Some say that the only prayers left unanswered are those interceding for sports and weather.
This August, prove them wrong by joining the seminarians for the Diocese of Madison at their annual Summer Seminarian Baseball Outing.
The annual event, sponsored by the Serra Clubs of Madison and Janesville, and the Southwest Vocations Club, will take place on Friday, Aug. 7, at Warner Park in Madison. The hometown Madison Mallards will take on their Northwood League rivals Eau Claire Express in a night game under the lights at the “Duck Pond.”
Many of the residents at the All Saints Retirement Neighborhood, Madison, are not be able at their age to hear the call to join a religious community. But, they can still do something important to promote the culture of vocations: they can pray.
