I do not think that it is surprising to anyone to hear that there is a grave crisis of vocations to the priesthood in the Church around the world, and in particular, in our own Diocese of Camden. We currently have eight seminarians studying for the priesthood in our Diocese of Camden, which is logistically no where near enough. Now, this fact is not meant to be alarming nor pessimistic, but at the same time, it should be alarming inasmuch as it should motivate us to take action. But what action do we need to take as the people of God to fix this grave problem in our Church? So often we are asked and told to pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood or to build a “culture of vocations” in our parishes, and these actions are absolutely essential in finding a solution to this crisis, but there is more that we need to do too. I think that we need to go beyond a focus on priestly vocations alone and get at the root of this crisis in beginning to foster vocations to marriage and to the Christian life in general.
Every single Catholic is called to heaven, to the beatific vision of seeing God face to face and experiencing the fulness of happiness, and in turn we are all called to live that vocation in our daily lives. I propose that the first step in solving the crisis of priestly vocations is to first build a true “culture of vocations,” in which all Catholics faithfully live their call to holiness. This encompasses the next level of my proposed solution to the crisis, which is rediscovering the importance of the domestic Church, meaning the faith lived in families at home. Throughout the Church’s history in so many of her documents, we are taught that the instruction of the youth in the faith is primarily the obligation and right of parents. If we want a future with many good and holy priestly vocations, we must first rediscover this importance of living and teaching the faith in our families and homes. In order to build up the domestic church, we must also rediscover the married life as a particular vocation in and of itself.
Marriage in modern society has lost sight of the married state of life as being a vocation. Just as one discerns priesthood, so too must men and women discern if God is calling them to marriage. After one discerns a vocation to marriage, their married life needs to be lived as a relationship in Christ, in which each spouse lives their life with the mission of helping their spouse and children get to heaven. The example of faithful parents and spouses is essential for building a future that will flourish with vocations to priesthood and to marriage. Again, we see the importance of the domestic Church, as the youth first learn the faith and how to live their life in Christ from the example of their parents.
Overall, if we want to fix this crisis of vocations, we all must faithfully live out the universal call to holiness through discerning and living our individual vocations of how God is calling us to serve Him. The Christian life has never been easy to live, but this is especially true in our modern society, in which Christianity is viewed as being opposed to that society. We all need to turn to the truth and the love of God, which we are called to live ourselves and share with all peoples as we live our vocations here in this life on Earth. So, when we are asked to “pray for vocations” and to “build a culture of vocations,” let us pray not only for vocations to the priesthood, but for more faithful marriages lived as vocations, so that spouses and parents can build the domestic church in their homes and form a culture of vocations that leads our youth to recognize that God has a plan for each of them in how they are called to live a holy life and get to heaven.
Nickolas Naticchione
Latest posts by Nickolas Naticchione (see all)
- Summer Lovin’ in the Heart of Jesus - June 6, 2023
- Music: A Path to Deepening Our Relationships with God - April 11, 2023
- The Heart of the Vocations Crisis in the Church - February 21, 2023
