Hoping to increase and raise awareness of the call to religious life among young people in families, parishes, and organisations, Pope Francis observed the World Day of Prayer for Vocations on April 30 while local Churches around the world also held different events. According to the Vatican Statistical Yearbook 2021, published by the Holy See a few months ago, the number of priests, monks, nuns and seminarians in the world has continued to decrease over the past three years. The number of priests in the world was 414,000 in 2018 and dropped to more than 407,000 currently; the number of nuns dropped from 642,000 in 2018 to 609,000; and monks from 51,000 in 2018 to 49,000. The number of seminarians also continued to decline.
The Diocese of Hong Kong also faces a shortage of vocations. The harvest is rich but labourers are few. To address this issue, the diocese celebrates the World Day of Prayer for Vocations [the fourth Sunday of Easter] and holds a month-long Vocation Month celebration with various activities and prayers dedicated to vocations.
Young people face different challenges and choices in their studies, work, and family. Amid life’s colourful events, how to enhance their awareness of vocation, listen to and discern God’s calling requires the efforts and promotion of the diocese and various religious communities.
People often say that the family is the cradle of vocations. The influence of the parents’ faith and teaching on their children is undoubtedly significant. However, Catholic schools are also another place where the seeds of faith can sprout and grow. The core value of Catholic education is to cultivate students’ academic and character development performance while encouraging them to explore their spirituality. Teachers, pastoral workers, priests, and nuns patinetly guide students, encouraging them to participate in religious activities and get to know the Catholic faith. This sowing stage is essential.
On the other hand, the participation of Hong Kong regional and parish youth groups in the World Youth Day and Asian Youth Day is also a breeding ground for vocations. Young people come into contact with each other and open their hearts through participating in overseas faith gatherings. This ignites the flame of missionary zeal and begins to nudge them on their personal vocation path. Priests and nuns who accompany young people can provide spiritual guidance and prayer according to individual needs so they explore their faith more deeply in discerning their vocation.
The faith formation of young Catholics in the workplace is also important. Many parishes regularly organise Taizé prayer and sharing sessions for young Catholics in the workplace. Starting from October 2022, the Diocesan Vocation Commission has been holding an “Encounter God on a Chill Saturday Gathering” on the fourth Saturday of each month, hoping to continue cultivating faith through sharing of the Word of God, thematic lectures, spiritual conversations, and Taizé prayer, so that young people can hear to the voice of God and encounter him, and respond bravely.
May we respond courageously to the call of Christians: “I am a mission on this earth; that is the reason why I am here in this world” [Evangelii gaudium, 273]. SE
