National Vocations Awareness Week is a call from the Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand for vocations to ordained ministry and consecrated life and to renew our prayers and support for those considering a vocational calling.
Vocations come from families, communities and parishes. Strong families and communities are the place where vocations are first nurtured. In this National Vocations Awareness Week, let us pray for all families in our parish, and for those preparing for marriage. Let us also pray that our parish community may always be welcoming and encouraging of vocations to marriage, priesthood and consecrated life.
Sunday 4 August is the feast of St John Vianney, the patron of parish clergy. Pray for your priests in thanksgiving for their ministry and presence in your community. Thursday 8 August is the feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. Pray for the religious who do so much in pastoral care, education, health care and many other ministries. Pray also that these saints may inspire many vocations to consecrated life and priesthood, especially from your community.
Isabella McCafferty was one of two New Zealand delegates selected by the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference to participate in the International Youth Forum in Rome, June 19–22. Citing Pope Francis’ urging in Christus Vivit that ‘young people themselves are agents of youth ministry,’ the Vatican Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life invited nearly 250 young adults from 109 countries to participate in the forum to discuss how best to implement ideas from the 2018 Synod of Bishops in their home dioceses. Christus Vivit is Pope Francis’ post-synodal apostolic exhortation written in response to 2018 Synod. Isabella said, ‘Being able to briefly meet Pope Francis was overwhelming and something I will never forget. It all happened very quickly! I wanted to thank him for giving young people a voice but because of the language barrier and time pressure I chose to simply focus on looking him in the eyes, smiling and shaking his hand. He has a very strong handshake and looked me straight in the eyes with authenticity and love. As I left I thanked him in Spanish. After meeting him I am even more convinced of his integrity, humility and determination to serve God and the Church faithfully and he is genuine when he asks for our prayers.’
Isabella McCafferty
In a similar article a year ago I posed the question, ‘What makes you feel most alive?’ and suggested this helps us to uncover parts of our vocation that are already within us. A year on I would like to pose a further question, one that asks us to engage with the world around us.
Three years ago, I attended my first meeting in Rome related to the Synod of Young People, which deals intimately with the topic of vocational discernment. During this meeting, Pope Francis suggested rather than spending time focusing on the question of ‘Who am I?’ we should instead ask ‘For whom am I?’ This question is included in his latest publication, Christus Vivit (286). I was back in Rome in June this year at a forum about the implementation of the Synod.
The Synod on Young People has given the Church two specific tasks: to consider how we can better accompany young people in hearing the unique call of God in their lives; and hearing the Holy Spirit speaking through the voices of young people about the vocation of the Church in the world today. In this way the Church continues to find itself in a moment of discernment.
Chapters 8 and 9 of Christus Vivit tackle the topics of vocation and discernment. Pope Francis speaks of two senses of vocation. One being the broad sense, our universal call to holiness. Here he says the most important discernment we each do is in discovering that Jesus wants to be our friend (CV, 250). He then speaks of vocation in the strict sense, as a call to missionary service to others (CV 253) saying that ‘our life on earth reaches full stature when it becomes an offering’ (CV 254) and this is not just a message for young people. In fact, when the Church considers only itself then it is betraying its own vocation.
A calling, an invitation, must come from elsewhere. It is never truly ours. We must trust if we respond, we will intercept with the realisation this is what we were made for. Recently, in the face of a particular set of challenges, I had to face up yet again to this question. For whom am I? My call, though unique, is most importantly about how I can be of service to those around me; their needs, challenges, joys and hopes. Each of us has this capacity within us, so may we constantly risk asking this question and see how the answer calls us beyond ourselves.
Isabella McCafferty has recently moved from the Archdiocese of Wellington’s Family and Young Church Vicariate to take up a new leadership role in parish pastoral support in the Diocese of Palmerston North.
Originally from Vietnam and Palmerston North resident for several years, Fr Vui Xuan Hoang was ordained at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit on 29 June this year. WelCom spoke to Vui about his vocation.
In my first year in in Uni, I felt the call to priesthood ‒ a fire kindled in my heart. It kept happening for more than six months. Eventually, I told my family I wanted to become a priest. That was the beginning of my priesthood journey.
‘I have chosen you, you did not choose me’. When I started my vocation, I thought I chose or decided to be a priest. But some years later, at a retreat, I realised it was not me who chose or started the fire of wanting to become a priest, but Christ, who put it in my heart. Also, the words of Christ, echoed many times through St Pope John Paul II: ‘Do not be afraid’, helps me to follow and maintain the journey to priesthood.
What a blessing! The Eucharist – is the summit of the life of the Church and of each one of us. Eucharist is always the central of my life. A thousand charity works is not equal as a Mass, because those are the works of human, but the Mass is the work of God (St John Vianney). The experience of being close to Christ – as Persona Christi in the Eucharist – is so overwhelming.
It is still early for me to comment on this. So please continue to pray for me, so that I will follow the Will of God.
‘Do not be afraid’ – John Paul II.
Thanks for your prayers and support. Please continue to pray for us, especially to Deacon Martin Wu and Matthew Gibson, who are preparing for their ordination to the priesthood in August. God Bless, Vui Hoang.
Sr Linda van Bussel rsm
Come
Catherine McAuley, an Irish religious sister who founded the Sisters of Mercy in 1831, was ‘a woman of great compassion of heart whose compassion deepened as her work among the poor grew. Catherine at first saw her mission as a call to bring to the Lord’s anawim (poor and marginalised) in the local environment ‒ a tender experience of God’s love’, Sr M Carmel Bourke rsm, A Woman Sings of Mercy.
Today as Sisters of Mercy we walk in the footsteps of Catherine by reading and looking through the lens of our times and Whakawhanaungatanga ‒ making right relationships with God, others, self and Earth. Prayer is a fundamental part of everything we do, using our education to minister with integrity in a way that is professional, up to date and relevant.
Some ministries we are involved in are:
In November 2018, a Mercy Asia Pacific gathering had its first meeting in Samoa of faith-based people uniting on climate change and displacement of peoples. As Sisters of Mercy we plan to advocate and act locally, within our countries and in our Asia Pacific region, regarding the Degradation of Earth and Displacement of People.
If this touches a desire in you please contact Sr Fatima or Sr Linda at [email protected] if you would like to know more.
Linda van Bussel is a Sister of Mercy with a ministry in homeopathy. She was born and raised in Whanganui.
Fr Manoj Mathew IC and Fr Robin Kurian IC
Recently Son Van Phan took a formal step in the journey of Religious Life, as he was accepted and welcomed by Fr Michael Hill IC as a Postulant with the Institute of Charity or Rosminians. Postulare means to ask to join.
Blessed Antonio Rosmini founded the Order in 1828 at Monte Calvario, in the north of Italy close to the Swiss border. His purpose was simple yet profound: let us come together in a community of prayer, contemplation, learning and works of charity to help each other to become the best Christians we can by encouraging each other in faith.
The works of charity we Rosminians undertake are not our projects but are our ‘yes’ to the requests of local Bishops and their people. Our founder preferred that we not build up our own large institutions but instead remain humble and agile, ready to take on the works that Providence – God’s desire for goodness in the world – might place before us.
We are happy to have our Postulancy House here in Palmerston North. It is a home of discernment and service and all are welcome.
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