Commission on Ministry09 May 24

Diocesan initiatives encourage interest in vocations

Several dioceses around the Church have run specific initiatives to help parishioners to respond to the call of God in their lives over the course of the last year.  As Vocation Sunday approaches this Sunday, 12th May, we hope that these four projects are encouraging for everyone on this journey.

‘What’s Your Call?’ was a new initiative in the Diocese of Armagh to open up a conversation around vocations to all levels of ministry and service in the Church and in the Kingdom of God. This was not just about ordination but was also about pastoral visitors, parish and diocesan readers, youth ministry, Ordained Local Ministry and more.

The diocese held three Vocation Roadshows during April and May 2024 to which people could come along and hear from those who have answered ‘the call’ and explore, without pressure or commitment, what God might be calling them to.  Alongside this, a series of videos is being produced with interviews with people who have already responded to the question, ‘What’s Your Call?’

The first video in the series, with Harry Simpson from St Mark’s, Portadown, can be viewed here:

“Everyone in the Church is called to God’s ministry.” So says the Revd Ruth O’Kelly, the Joint Diocesan Director of Ordinands in the Diocese of Meath and Kildare, along with her counterpart, the Revd William Seale.

Are you wondering if God is calling you to a particular ministry of service in the Church, perhaps to ordination?  To mark Vocation Sunday, why not listen to this reflection from Ruth and William?  It will give you space to think and to listen:

On Saturday, 27th January, this year, Bishop Paul Colton held a Morning Vigil of Thanksgiving for ministry in the Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross at Cloyne Cathedral with prayers also for vocations.

This was in response to the previous Morning Vigil held in 2023 at which members of the diocese prayed for the vacant parishes at the time. During the course of the year, all these vacancies were filled.  The diocese gave thanks for the various appointments made in 2023, and prayed for vocations, ministries and upcoming vacancies.

Over the next three Sundays in Down and Dromore, the diocese is inviting parishioners to spend some time thinking about their God–given vocation.

Most of us will work out our vocation in our homes, families and places of work. Others may sense a call to full–time ministry in the Church. All are ways in which we uniquely contribute to the world for the glory of God and the sake of his kingdom. All are invaluable to God and his Church.

To help with prayerfully considering vocation, a recorded performance of a song by the Revd Eoghan Heaslip (from St Catherine’s, Dublin) – ‘What you’ve called me to’ – is presented along with some short reflections on calling from ordinands: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne3NNLUqQ7U

With thanks to Eoghan for permission to use the song, to Sarah and Daniel McDonald for performing, and Dave Bradshaw for filming and recording.