DURING THIS NATIONAL WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHURCH VOCATIONS.............

This 1st week of Ordinary Time in the United States of America, has an additional prayerful, liturgical, and sacramental, theme for us Catholic-Christians, as it is designated as, "National Vocations Awareness Week".  During the seven days that began on Sunday with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we are especially praying this week for the fostering of Church Vocations to the ordained Priesthood of Jesus and profession to the Religious and Consecrated Life.  The need we have for a continuing number of Faithful to hear, discern, and respond, to God's Call to step forward and explore and accept a Church Vocation as Priests and Religious is great.  That is especially true of American Catholics in the cultivating, encouraging, and nurturing, and developing, of native born, local grown, priestly and religious Church Vocations from within our families, schools, parishes, workplaces, and communities.  For most of our nation's and diocese's history we have been highly dependent on missionary religious and priests from other countries, to offset in many places throughout our country, the lack of a sufficient number of American Catholics who are willing to answer the call or choose an ordained or consecrated life.  In my own Diocese of Sacramento, California; I was only the 40th native born, local grown priestly vocation when ordained in the Centennial Year of the Sacramento Diocese, twenty six years ago.  Prayer for an increase in Church Vocations continues now more than a quarter of a century later, to be even more imperative, and those Prayers must begin in our homes and parishes; with parents, pastors, family members, and parishioners, honestly and cohesively praying  for and encouraging your children and parishioners, to seriously consider and contemplate the possibility that they have a Vocation to serve the Catholic Church, especially as Priests, Sisters, and Brothers, - or as Permanent Deacons and Dedicated Lay Ministers.  The primary provider of these Vocations, particularly the first three are cradled and incubated in the seeds of personal family homes and in our local community of believers.  Beginning now, and through the remainder of this week and onward, choose to include Prayer for Church Vocations in your own homes, congregations, and ministries, that the Call of the Lord of the Harvest, Jesus the Christ and His Church may receive an increasingly abundant Affirmative response from many more American Catholics, who choose to embrace the need we have for more Priests and Religious.  Who in your Family or Parish Community is God Calling for you to Encourage with Your Prayers ???.............Fr.  Troy