Family Catechesis: What can families do to teach the Catholic faith to their children

First, follow the directives given by Pope John Paul II in Catechesi Tradendae, the most fundamental papal document on catechesis. I have added some headings to facilitate reading of the text:

1. SPECIAL CHARACTER. The family's catechetical activity has a special character, which is in a sense irreplaceable. This special character has been rightly stressed by the Church, particularly by the Second Vatican Council.

2. THROUGH PERSONAL WITNESS. Education in the faith by parents, which should begin from the children's tenderest age, is already being given when the members of a family help each other to grow in faith through the witness of their Christian lives, a witness that is often without words but which perseveres throughout a day-to-day life lived in accordance with the Gospel.

3. EXPLANATION OF FAMILY EVENTS. This catechesis is more incisive when, in the course of family events (such as the reception of the sacraments, the celebration of great liturgical feasts, the birth of a child, a bereavement) care is taken to explain in the home the Christian or religious content of these events.

4. REPEAT THE METHODICAL TEACHING GIVEN IN CHURCH AND SCHOOL. But that is not enough: Christian parents must strive to follow and repeat, within the setting of family life, the more methodical teaching received elsewhere. The fact that these truths about the main questions of faith and Christian living are thus repeated within a family setting impregnated with love and respect will often make it possible to influence the children in a decisive way for life. The parents themselves profit from the effort that this demands of them, for in a catechetical dialogue of this sort each individual both receives and gives.

5. KEY IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY CATECHESIS. Family catechesis therefore precedes, accompanies and enriches all other forms of catechesis. Furthermore, in places where anti- religious legislation endeavors even to prevent education in the faith, and in places where widespread unbelief or invasive secularism makes real religious growth practically impossible, "the church of the home" remains the one place where children and young people can receive an authentic catechesis.

6. HELPING PARENTS IN FAMILY CATECHESIS IS PRICELESS. Thus there cannot be too great an effort on the part of Christian parents to prepare for this ministry of being their own children's catechists and to carry it out with tireless zeal. Encouragement must also be given to the individuals or institutions that, through person-to-person contacts, through meetings, and through all kinds of pedagogical means, help parents to perform their task: The service they are doing to catechesis is beyond price.

To help parents to perform no. 5, to repeat and discuss the methodical teaching in the Church, here are sites where parents can find materials that discuss the Scriptural readings of the day.

Readings of the Day

• EWTN Daily Mass Readings
• USCCB Today’s Readings

Reflections and Homilies on the Readings

• iPraywiththeGospel
• My Catholic Life's Catholic Daily Reflections
• Evangeli.net
• Scott Hahn's Sunday Bible Reflection  
• Word on Fire – Homilies of Bishop Robert Barron 

 

The rationale behind these resources are explained in these two articles: Resources for Praying the Scripture of the Day and Meditating on the Bible.

Parents can also use the Vatican's listing of Catechism points that are relevant to the Sunday liturgical readings: Sunday Liturgical Readings and Catechism Doctrine.

Since personal witness is important, according to the Popes, a key to Family Catechesis is Family Prayer, which is explained and taught in

Opus Dei is similar to, and thus different from, clerical associations of pontifical right

A recent article did an excellent service of clarifying the decree of Pope Francis in which he made personal prelatures, such as Opus Dei, "similar to public clerical associations of pontifical right with the right to incardinate clergy".  

Written by a professor at the University of Navarre, the article points out:

• To assimilate [to make similar] in law is not to identify, but to search for a primum analogatum, a primary concept that serves as a reference for whoever interprets and applies the law. 
• A biological child and an adoptive child can and should be assimilated, for legal purposes, but they are not identifiable. Assimilation is a legislative technique that avoids unnecessary repetition, facilitates interpretation, and allows for the orderly development of nascent institutions.
• To say that the prelatures can be assimilated to certain clerical associations shows, in the end, that they are not constitutively clerical associations, but rather something else. 

Some people have criticized this article and continue to complain about the assimilation.

Here are my thoughts about this issue.

Similarity implies difference, because it is not identification. Google the word "similar" and you will get this definition from Oxford Languages: "resembling without being identical." Similar means some things are the same, and some things are different. 

The similarity in the decree is at the level of legal frameworks (the externals, the “shirt”) which does not determine the nature of the things inside. To use the analogy of the article, a biological child can have a "shirt" similar to his adoptive sibling's. They have totally different genetic codes, but they are treated in a similar way at the level of the law, from the point of view of the legislator or organizer. And here, remember “similar” implies difference. 

Take note of the actual words of the Motu Proprio: “similar to public clerical associations of pontifical law with the ability to incardinate clerics”. The latter part is not always emphasized in commentaries but the legal similarity points to this aspect. (St. Josemaria said that clerics are necessary for Opus Dei because of "the sacramental wall", the laity cannot give grace to themselves.) 

The differences are:

1) The canon on the organic cooperation of the laity: “the laity can dedicate themselves to the apostolic works of the personal prelature” with “organic cooperation.” This canon is not there for public clerical associations.

What does organic cooperation mean? This means the cooperation of the laity is not of an external or auxiliary nature, but they carry out the mission as members of the body or organism of the prelature. The Statutes of each prelature define the precise manner of this cooperation. 

Both the priests and the laity form an organic whole, each one  being an essential component and giving an essential contribution to the mission of the prelature. The priest and laity presuppose each other and complement each other. They are united by the same vocation under one governance.  

2) The name and nature of the two things that are made similar: prelature vs association. A prelature is established—"erected" in ecclesiastical terms—by the Holy See.  It comes from the top, while "association" comes from the ground. 

A prelature has a hierarchical nature, while an association does not have this nature. 

Legal frameworks and classifications will evolve, but among the many possibilities, the Pope has chosen a specific legal understanding for the Work today. I think the key is to put ourselves in the shoes of the organizer who is in charge of many organizations in the Church, and also know that they have in fact collaborated with expert Opus Dei canonists, and some like this one in the article, fully support its rationale. 

The Prelate of Opus Dei has in fact asked all the people of Opus Dei "that we all remain closely united" in his "sincere filial obedience" to the "provisions of the Holy Father." "Since the Work belongs to both God and the Church, the Holy Spirit is guiding us at all times."  

This reaction is in accord with St. Josemaria's faith in the Church, a faith we recite in the Creed whenever we go to Mass on Sundays and pray the Rosary: I believe in the Catholic Church. Faith, he teaches, is a serious word that we cannot say lightly. Faith means "absolute trust in God and total surrender of our lives to God" which we apply here to the mystery of the Church of God. 

Related articles: 

St. Josemaria on never doubting the Church: filial trust and joy over news in the Church

Motu proprio "Ad charisma tuendum": Some reflections

 

St. Josemaria on never doubting the Church: filial trust and joy over news from the Church

 

Pope Francis recently made changes to church law on personal prelatures that affect Opus Dei, provoking all sorts of reactions on the web. 

Opus Dei itself reacted by saying that it will study the changes "in a spirit of communion with the Holy Father." 

This reaction is in accord with the teachings of St. Josemaria, its founder. In one of his letters, recently published by Scepter, St. Josemaria writes: 

"You know how the Ordinaries of the dioceses in which we work, generally understand us and love us; and - whatever juridical form the Work may eventually have - the Church, which is our Mother, will respect the way of being of her children, because she knows that, with it, we only intend to serve her and to please God.

This is the reason why we do not admit, about the Church, neither a doubt nor a suspicion: nor do we tolerate it, in others, without protest. We do not look for the vulnerable sides of the Church - because of the action of men in Her - to criticize her, as some who do not seem to have faith or love are wont to do. I cannot conceive that one can love one's mother and speak of her with detachment.

And we will never be sufficiently satisfied with our work, no matter how many services, with the grace of God, we render to the Church and to the Pope, because love will demand more of us every day, and our labors will always seem modest, because the time at our disposal is short: tempus breve est (1 Cor 7:29). 

Together with selfless love, we must have great confidence: I am sure that confidence will grow in your souls, with God's help, in spite of the misunderstandings that the Lord will allow, which, I insist, will never be misunderstandings of the Church.

In this spirit of filial trust, we will always receive with joy and happiness any news that comes to us from the Bride of Jesus Christ, even when it may be painful or may seem so in the eyes of people outside the Work, since we know that nothing bad can come to us from the Church: diligentibus Deum omnia cooperantur in bonum (Rom 8:28); for those who love God, all things work together for good. 

And I dare to assure you that this joy of ours, no matter what happens, will not fail to cause astonishment and surprise, and above all edification, in those who without reason, because there can be none, expect a different reaction from us". (Letter n. 8 of St. Josemaria, 53 y 54, 1943)

***

Relevant articles:

Motu proprio "Ad charisma tuendum": Some reflections

What has changed in personal prelatures

Opus Dei and the German Way: the meaning of filial obedience

Bp Barron on What Makes a Catholic University

 Some notes from Bp Barron's talk at the Notre Dame University on What Makes a Catholic University which you can find here on YouTube: 

A Catholic university is where Jesus Christ holds the central, integrating and organizing place among all the circles of influence and activities of the university.

·       Where the relationship of Christ, the Logos, with all the academic disciplines is celebrated and explored with enthusiasm

·       But this not theological imperialism – where theology pushes out the disciplines from their place

o   God makes luminous and beautiful and opens up the depth dimension of all the academic disciplines. Because God is noncompetitive transcendence. God is everywhere, sustaining all things, most intimately so.

·       Applied to disciplines:

·       Math

o   Origin of our idea of the eternal is found in mathematics (B Russel). When we grasp a mathematical concept (e.g. circle), we have stepped out of our world, because it is true everywhere, at any time, i.e. eternally.

o   Math introduces us to a properly invisible world. It touches the absolutely, pure intelligibility of God.

·       Science

o   All the sciences assume intelligible patterns that the mind can know

o   Einstein – the most incomprehensible thing of the universe is its comprehensibility. We can understand it only because it was created by an Intelligence, like a Mathematician.

·       History

o   Modern secularity thinks that the center of history is 17^th century enlightenment that has escaped from the obscurantism of medieval faith. There is also the Marxist and Hegelian interpretation.

o   Christianity believes the center of history is death and rising of Christ. Christ is the real king in history. This is the Christian interpretation of history

·       Literature

o   all literature points to a hunger or thirst for God, properly or improperly directed

o   Flannery O’Connor – story of man is wrestling with this.

·       Law

o   Modernity is shaped by lawyers; modern society tends to be litigious

o   But law in reality opens up to morality and morality opens up to religion

o   Aquinas – positive law rests on natural moral law

 

JPII – universities emerged ex corde ecclesiae, from the heart of the Church. Tragedy of our time has forgotten this. The more we recover this idea, the more the university is more authentically itself.

 

Q and A

What are concrete steps to enrich Catholic identity?  More integration of theology and disciplines. Theology professors discussing with academic disciplines.

·       How to balance being Catholic voice and being open to all perspectives? A Catholic is not open to atheism and communism. We argue against it. Openness is overrated. If you are open to all perspectives, your brain falls out. Your mind is meant to clamp down on something nourishing.

·       What is the Catholic approach to inclusivity of LGBTQ? I prefer the term justice and love rather than inclusivity, which is psychologizing and relative term. But we are supposed to be just and to love all the time. Diversity and inclusivity are not absolute values. Not all student applicants were admitted in your school, but you were still just.

·       What does the Church give? Everything. The mental health issues, anxiety, internet negativity shows the hunger for God. People are going to the wrong place to seek satisfaction.

·       What is the greatest challenge for young adults today? Finding your mission. Balthazar – you don’t know who you are until you’ve found your mission. Every Catholic school and every Catholic is supposed to evangelize.

·       Role of religious groups that organize universities or schools. It is your school, give it your heart and soul. Seize the day!

·       Academic freedom and Catholic identity. Church is not an external aggressor against academic freedom. This is a faulty modern understanding of freedom. John Paul II – there is harmony of freedom and truth. Modernity – freedom is self-creation; no one tells me what to do, I invent things. But I am only free to speak English because I have internalized the true rules of English.

·       How to discern your vocation? Use Galatians 5. What path makes you more peaceful? 

Top six basic and classic spiritual reading books you can read for free on the web

“Help yourself during this troubled period by reading holy books,” teaches Padre Pio. “This reading provides excellent food for the soul and leads to great progress.”

"Reading," says St. Josemaria, "has made many saints." He recommended that you take time for spiritual reading for about for 10 to 15 minutes each day.  

Those precious moments are one of your most excellent investments of time for the single most important thing in your life: your relationship with your Creator, Ultimate End and Greatest Lover.    

Here are the top basic and classic spiritual reading books you can read for free on the internet:

1. Walking with God by Kilian Healy.  A friend who is an expert in guiding young people says that this is one of the most basic spiritual reading books everyone should start with. It is written in everyday language. In fact, it starts by telling the story of a train ride and the author's conversation with a young man. Read it here. 

2. This Tremendous Lover by Eugene Boylan. A spiritual classic. Some comments from reviewers: "I can't recommend this book enough to any Christian desiring to explore or deepen their faith." "One of the finest books ever written on the aspect of our Loving Redeemer. Can't read this without coming away with a deeper love of God." Download the book in PDF here. 

3. Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales. Written by a Doctor of the Church, this book has been called “the most popular Catholic self-help bok of all time.” Recently, in his Letter on St. Francis de Sales, Pope Francis quoted from it several times, pointing to its"valuable lesson." All of us, Pope Francis stressed, including those who "live in the midst of the secular city," is called to holiness. Read it here. 

4. The Way by St. Josemaria Escriva. A book for the modern layman, the Way has been called by the official Vatican newspaper as "more than a masterpiece." St. Josemaria "has written straight from the heart." The website escrivaworks.org states: "One of the main attractions of the book is its direct, conversational style," for it is "based on real, living experience" of guiding people. It is a book for meditation that you can use here. 

5. Soul of the Apostolate by Dom Chautard. A book highly recommended by St. Pius X, who made it his bedside book. He said that he "can offer no better guide" for people who want to have a fruitful apostolate. Read the PDF copy here. 

6. True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort. Once you open this book, the first thing you will see is the list of Popes giving this book high acclaim. St. John Paul the Great said: “The reading of this book was a decisive turning point in my life...This ‘perfect devotion’ is indispensable to anyone who means to give himself without reserve to Christ and to the work of redemption...how often I had to reread it to understand it.” Read it here.

Photo from pxfuel

Philippines is becoming less Catholic percentagewise. Other Christian and religious affiliations have grown fast

According to the recently released government statistics, the Philippines is becoming less and less Catholic compared to the entire population. 

During the first US census in 1903, 90% of the population was Catholic. In 1990, Catholics were 82.9%, and by 2020 we were down to 78.8%. Surely the downward trend is continuing until we wake up.

Moslems have grown from 4.6% to 6.4%, mainly because of their large families, something that the Catholic Catechism and the Popes have been saying as something that God wants and science has seen as "key to the happiness": 

• “Sacred Scripture and the Church's traditional practice see in large families a sign of God's blessing and the parents' generosity” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2373)
• A five-year study found that the parents of large families are "the most satisfied of all"--there is more joy going around, and the children have a greater sense of responsibility and receive more inputs. 

But the biggest growth goes to the Protestant, evangelical and other religious affiliations. 

While Protestants comprised only 5.4% in 1990, they now form 10.7% together with "Other religious affiliations" that do not fall under the category of Catholic, Moslem, Iglesia ni Cristo, Aglipay nor Iglesia Filipina Independiente. The 2020 Census does not call them Protestant unlike in 1990, but I suppose, knowing Filipinos, these other religious affiliations have something Christian and evangelical in them.

That is why I copy here the message I sent out last month, as a reaction to an article, 10 Reasons Why Catholics Don’t Evangelize: 

Only 3% of Catholics said that evangelizing is important compared to 85% of Evangelicals! In PH, Protestants are growing very fast! Priests, teachers, lay leaders, parents here in PH have to speak much more about the great importance and urgency for Catholics to evangelize: to bring the people around them to love Christ and truly live a holy, actively evangelizing life. Pope Francis stresses: "Every Christian is called to be a missionary and witness to Christ." Jesus' last words: "Make disciples of all nations." We cannot be complacent!  

The time to wake up is now.  

*** 

Religion	Percentage of population
	1990	2020
Roman Catholics	82.9	78.8
Islam	4.6	6.4
Iglesia ni Cristo	2.6	2.6
Aglipay/Iglesia Filipina Independiente	2.3	1.4 (.8+.6)
Protestants/Christian Groups/Other Religious Affiliations	5.4	10.7 Other religious affiliations (8.2), Seventh Day Adventist (.8),  Bible Baptist (.5), UCCP (.4), Jehovah's Witness (.4), Church of Christ (.4)

Note: In 1960, Catholics were 84.8 % of the population. That's a loss of 6% of the population in 2020 when we went down to 78.8 %. Since we were 112.2 million in 2020, then that is 6.7 million people who did not become Catholic because of this downward trend. One is already too many, but 6,700,000 is truly alarming.  

***

I encourage you to send this article out to Catholics so they love their religion and encourage other Catholics to continue living it and help non-Catholics understand how they can find the fullness of the faith in the real, living Jesus:  Ten Reasons the Catholic Church is the One True Church of Jesus 

As Pope Francis told us: “To give Jesus is to give the greatest gift of all.”

Benefits of a Retreat: 10 Rs to look forward to when you go on a spiritual retreat

 A Retreat gives at least 10 Rs: 

• Refreshes
• Revitalizes for purposeful action
• Reconciles with God, our Creator and loving Savior
• Repairs deep-seated moral deficiencies
• Reduces stress and anxiety levels
• Rests and relaxes the soul
• Redirects away from trouble, the pains of purgatory and eternal damnation
• Restores our spiritual and even physical health
• Recreates you towards the best version of yourself
• Reconfigures you to live the Life of Love and Deep Joy of Jesus Christ. 

10 Reasons You Need to Go on Retreat this Year

by Nick Bernard in Life Teen (excerpts) 

1. You Need Rest. Even God took time to rest when He created the world!

2. Your Savior Needed a Retreat. Throughout the Gospels, Christ periodically takes time to step away from the world, and even from His disciples, to be alone with His Father.

3. You Need Community. Friendships centered on Christ will change your life, and a retreat is a perfect place to foster these relationships.

4. You Need to be on God’s Time (Kairos, anybody?). While on retreat, we sometimes seem to be in another world. We step out of our normal routine and live on God’s time, also known in Greek as Kairos. 

5. You Need Reflection. While retreats have the potential to change our lives in the future, they also give us a chance to look back at our past. By reflecting on who we’ve been, we can better understand who God desires us to become.

6. You Need Prayer. Retreats give us a unique opportunity to concentrate on prayer more than we do in everyday life. [And prayer, relationship with God is "the one thing necessary." (Lk 10:42)]

7. Your Life Needs to get Wrecked. Stepping into God’s love for a retreat weekend might reveal to us a relationship we need to change, a prayer style we ought to alter, or a perspective we hadn’t yet seen about a life decision. 

8. You Need Reconciliation. The gift of the Sacrament of Reconciliation gives us the chance to clear our lives of the sin that separates us from God and others.

9. You Need to Receive Jesus to be a Disciple. Retreats allow us to refocus our gaze on Him and reunite our efforts to His Spirit, enabling us to persevere in our mission as disciples.

10. You Need to Be Open to Changing Your Life. Retreats will not magically transform our lives but they can show us how to change our own lives. 

Why go on a Spiritual Retreat? 

by Fr. Francis Hoffmann

The powerful benefits of time alone with God  

You could be as wealthy as a king -- yet miserable -- if you have no friends. Or you could be as poor as dirt -- yet happy -- because you're surrounded by loved ones. 

A recent study of human happiness by the distinguished British economist Richard Layard concludes that the most significant factor for personal happiness is relationships with other people. And what personal relationship could be more important than the relationship with God? 

The saints -- who were notoriously happy -- gave witness to this reality. Even St. Maximilian Kolbe, the Claretian Martyrs of Barbastro, and the Carmelite nuns of Compiegne sang hymns of joy on their way to martyrdom. Immersed in conditions that would make mere mortals sad, these friends of God faced suffering with joy. It was their friendship with God that gave them strength and joy. 

But friendship takes time and needs to be strengthened by conversation. Couples who have strong marriages will tell you about the importance of getting away for a long weekend to spend time alone in conversation. We need to do the same with God, and that's why the Church warmly recommends annual retreats for the faithful. 

Retreats are a time away from our normal activities to spend time getting reacquainted with God, to examine the priorities of life and to make concrete and practical resolutions for improvement. Retreats can be a powerful step toward personal conversion. 

An Ancient Practice 

Before Our Lord began His public ministry, He spent 40 days in the desert praying and fasting as a way to prepare for the important work ahead (see Lk 4:1-13). Those were days of retreat.

During His three years of public ministry, Jesus would sometimes invite His disciples to "come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while" (Mk 6:31). Again, days of retreat. 

When Jesus entered forcefully into the life of St. Paul, He directed him to rise and go into the city, where he would be told what to do. For three days St. Paul neither ate nor drank, preparing himself to receive the spiritual direction of Ananias (see Acts 9:1-9). Those, too, were days of retreat

CULTURE OF VOCATIONS IN SCHOOLS: Practical tips from all over

 

Coined by St. John Paul II, the term "culture of vocation" was born from what he calls "the urgency of cultivating 'basic vocational attitudes'...higher values." 

"Every Christian community, every member of the Church, needs to consciously feel responsible for promoting vocations," Benedict XVI points out, "especially now when the voice of the Lord seems to be drowned out by ‘other voices'"--the worldly priorities of our time. 

Recently, Pope Francis has stressed that promoting vocations is "the soul of all evangelization"--the mission of all Christians. 

Since culture means "the full range of learned human behavior patterns," here are tips on new behaviors we can learn based on several materials on the web and in books. They are classified into three:

1. Regular prayer for vocations since winning new vocations is the best way of showing love. 

2. Make people very aware of God's calling us through vocation. 

3. Encourage everyone to find and seek their personal vocation. 

1. Best way of showing love and regular prayer for vocations: ask students and parents to pray for vocations, and teach that "winning vocations is the best way of showing love" (St Josemaria) 

1. Tell children and parents the teaching of St Josemaria: helping someone to find their vocation and unite with Christ through that vocation is "the best way of showing charity" and charity (love) is greatest commandment and virtue, the only things by which we will be judged. Each Catholic is responsible for promoting vocations in the Church. (cf Benedict XVI)
2. "Prayer is the first and indispensable service we can offer to the cause of vocations. Vocation is always a gift from God." (Pope Francis)
3. Introduce in Religion classes the Chalice Program or Vocation Crucifix Program for families to pray for vocations. A Vocation Crucifix or Chalice is taken home by a family for one week, to pray for vocations for the Catholic Church, and also for the faithfulness of each member of the family to the universal vocation to follow Jesus in holiness and mission. And then it's passed on to another family. "Prayer for vocations can be offered at any time during the day, perhaps before the family’s main meal, or whatever time is most convenient." 
4. The secret of places with many vocations, says Pope Francis, is that the leader sends "a letter every month to people who wanted to pray for vocations such as old ladies, the sick, newlyweds, etc. with a thought and aid to accompany the prayer."
5. Have the students write a prayer for vocations they can say each day; or at least once a week.  When the class meets, pray together one of the prayers the children have written. 
6. Make the class recite age-appropriate prayer for vocations. It would be good if the prayer includes finding and embracing one's own vocation. 
7. Use the excellent USCCB Prayer to Know One's Vocation found here. 
8. Invite students to offer mortifications and sacrifices for vocations. 
9. Pray for vocations in the school Mass intentions regularly. During Masses when many parents are around, include a prayer for vocations. 
10. During Eucharistic Vigils, the school community prays for the holiness of everyone and for vocations. "Abundant fruits come if the thoughts and hopes of a school turn around Jesus in the Eucharist." (cf. St. Josemaria) 
11. Teach children to pray well, in this way they can hear the voice of God. (Benedict XVI; cf Msgr. Fernando Ocariz) 
12. The Church celebrates World Day of Prayer for Vocations on the Fourth Sunday of Easter (Vocation Sunday). Since this is summer vacation time in the Philippines, the school can choose another day within the school year as Vocation Day. One possibility is Monday after the Baptism of our Lord, for students to commemorate their own Baptism, which, together with the Confirmation and Eucharist, "ground the common vocation of all Christ's disciples, a vocation to holiness and to the mission of evangelizing the world." (CCC 1533) 

2. Vocation awareness: make students and parents aware that God continues to call each one to his service, and of the importance and attractiveness of vocations

1. The "vocation crisis" is really a "vocation awareness crisis," because "God continues to call men and women into service, but we have created an environment where people no longer have the ears to hear that call." (cf. Sr. M. Louise O’ Rourke) The US bishops dedicate one week to National Vocation Awareness Week. 
2. According to Fr. Randy de Jesus, the National Coordinator of the Directors of Vocations in the Philippines, among the very successful best practices that draw dozens of vocations are the following: Vocation Festival, Vocation Camp and Vocation Posters.
3. The Vocation Festival is a day that includes: (a) prayer before the Eucharist (Holy Hour), (b) talk on vocation with open forum where the students can ask priests, nuns and others who have the vocation about their life,  (c) vocation exhibit with booths of the different Catholic groups, (d) talent show and fun program.  
4. The Vocation Camp is a weekend camp especially for altar servers, with talks and fun activities.
5. Ask bishops, priests and Church leaders to talk and discuss about their vocation, and about the urgent concern for having more vocations for the Church and the world.
6. Take children to an ordination ceremony or the first Mass of a priest.
7. Ask students and parents to show support for seminarians and priests, praying for their work.
8. Make students and parents write letters of gratitude during the priestly anniversary of chaplains and other priests. Some of these letters can be published so the students see how much the vocation is appreciated.
9. Ask people who have inspiring works of vision and service to talk with the children. Ask alumni or alumnae who have answered God's call to talk about the joy of their vocation and let the children ask them questions. Other possible resources speakers are relatives or friends of students, former teachers and chaplains, priests of the diocese, etc. 
10. Let students personally interview people who have received a vocation. 
11. Make the children aware that marriage is a vocation. Ask fruitful Catholic marriages to inspire the students. 
12. Discuss with parent leaders the foremost issues of formation in the school and what they can do to lead the other parents to live according to the Christian ideal and follow the Christian vocation in their families, and promote vocations. 

3. Encouragement to seek personal vocation: in one-on-one chats with children and parents, talk about the universal vocation to holiness and apostolate and the importance of finding their own personal vocation. 

1. In 2022, when the ordinands in the US were asked when they first considered a vocation to the priesthood, 30% said Elementary, 24% High School, 21% College, 17% Adulthood, 8% Preschool. The percentages have been more or less the same for previous years. In schools, "the potential here is great!" (cf. The Harvest) 
2. Study of US bishops: If one person encourages someone to consider a vocation, this doubles the likelihood that they will do so. If three people offer encouragement, respondents were more than five times more likely to consider a vocation.
3. Conduct regularly a Christian Practice Survey, asking the students if they are aware that God calls them to holiness and deep friendship with Jesus Christ, if they perform specific acts of piety and service, if they have thought about their specific vocation and their level of interest to the call. 
4. Incorporate the Vocation Curriculum guide of the USCCB. See here. 
5. 90% of our vocation comes from our parents. (St. Josemaria) The family is "the most excellent seedbed of vocations." (St. John Paul II)  Make parents see early on the dangers of an ever-increasingly materialistic and sex-crazed culture that their young children will face, that will prevent them from being generous to the universal call to holiness and apostolate. Help parents teach chastity; (See resource for parents here.) and all the Christian virtues.  
6. Help parents to see clearly what the Catechism teaches: "Parents should respect and encourage their children's vocations. They should remember and teach that the first calling of the Christian is to follow Jesus." (CCC 2253) 

Sources:

• Pope Francis on How to Promote Vocations 
• 20 Ways to Promote Vocations in Schools - USCCB
• The Harvest: A Guide to Vocation Ministry in Education - contains 75 activities for vocation ministry
• Creating a culture of vocation in today's Irish Church - Sr. M. Louise O’ Rourke
• How to promote vocations - this is a PDF file that includes 10 tips for each for parents, teachers, catechists, priests, youth ministers, etc. on how they can promote vocations. 
• Top Ten Things to Promote Vocations - USCCB
• The Catholic Family and Vocations by Fr. Hardon, S.J. 
• St. Josemaria's Teachings on Winning Vocations

Image is by GovernmentZA in Flickr

St. Josemaria’s Teachings on Winning Vocations

Importance: best charity. “Winning new vocations is the best way of showing charity to souls.” 

More effort, more vocation. “Anyone who tries to win new apostles gets vocations. Anyone who makes little effort to win new apostles obtains few vocations. Anyone who makes a lot of effort to win new apostles gains many vocations.” 

Vocations: result of youth formation.  The apostolate with the youth "is directed towards giving Christian formation to young people and as a result, also to help many discover their vocation.” (Catechism of Opus Dei)

Doing what has been established systematically so as to get vocations. “Many vocations should come. And if they don’t it will be our fault for not doing what has been established, for not doing things in a cheerful, systematic, constant, holy way.” 

• Young people teaching catechism and visiting and interacting with the poor has "divine efficacy" and "proven effectiveness"
• "If you faithfully employ the traditional means, everything will go well."

Apostolate of friendship: source of greatest fruit. “The greatest fruit is what each one obtains personally by the apostolate of friendship.” 

Rely entirely on prayer, the most effective way. “Prayer is the most effective means of winning new apostles. We rely entirely on prayer. We must ask God for more vocations: vocations from every sector of society, from every walk of life.” “Vocations, Lord, more vocations!”

Abundant fruits by being centered on Jesus in the Eucharist. “If the center around which your thoughts and hopes turn is the Tabernacle, then, my child, how abundant the fruits of your sanctity and apostolate will be!” 

Key role of parents. "We owe 90% of our vocation to our parents."

Think of worldwide need to keep zeal. Spread the zeal. No fear. “By often considering the need for vocations all over the world, we will keep our zeal for winning new vocations enkindled.” 

“Zeal for winning vocations! Set those around you on fire!” “Enkindle your zeal for winning vocations, and cast aside all fear.” 

Patience and never stopping. “Seek new vocations calmly, slowly, at God’s pace…But no matter what never leave this task.” 

Vocations to the priesthood and religious. “It grieves me to see a priest or religious not seeking vocations for the diocesan seminary or novitiate.” 

Daily prayer for priestly vocations. “The Church needs priests, and always will. Ask the Blessed Trinity for them each day through our mother Mary.” 

Responsibility for winning vocations. “What I want to hear from you is an account of your apostolic fruit, the vocations you have won, and the souls you have brought closer to God.” 

Relevant article:

Pope Francis on Promoting Vocations

POPE FRANCIS ON HOW TO PROMOTE VOCATIONS

Promoting vocations "is the soul of all evangelization and all of the Church's pastoral ministry." — Pope Francis

There were two instances when Pope Francis delved specifically and deeply on vocational ministry:

• Convention "Rise, go and do not fear. Vocation and Holiness: I am on a mission" (RG)
• Conference on Pastoral Work for Vocations (PWG). This will be the main outline of this article, with RG providing some anecdotes from the Holy Father. 

Here are his key insights—including a sharing of actual best-practices that produced results!

Three convictions about promoting vocations 

1. All pastoral action is oriented, by its very nature, to vocational discernment

• Its ultimate goal is to help the believer to discover the concrete way to carry out the project of life to which God calls him.
• Promoting vocations:
• soul of all evangelization and of all the Church’s pastoral ministry
• close connection with evangelization, education in the faith - leads to a personal encounter with Christ,
• special - pastoral care of the family. Parents to: 
• assume their mission joyfully and responsibly to be the first vocational animators of their children
• free themselves and free their children from the inner barrier of selfish, calculating perspectives or of power, which often occur in the bosom of families, even those practicing the faith.

2.  Promoting vocations finds its most appropriate “humus” (fertile ground) in youth pastoral ministry

• Vocation
• not to be raised only at the end of the whole process or to a group that is particularly sensitive to a specific vocational call
• must be constantly raised throughout the process of evangelization and education in the faith of adolescents and young people.

3. Prayer must occupy a very important place in promoting vocations

• Jesus: "Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Mt 9: 38). 
• Prayer is the first and indispensable service we can offer to the cause of vocations. Vocation - always a gift from God
• Prayer for vocations presupposes:
• praying and working for fidelity to one’s vocation
• creating environments where it is possible to listen to the Lord’s call; promoting the “Gospel of the vocation”, working tirelessly to create a vocational culture [Benedict XVI in the US said this means "to teach young people to pray and pray well", so "we will be cooperating with God’s call."] 
• Pope Francis asked bishops of dioceses which were "blessed with vocations." "What did you do?" "First of all, a letter from the bishop, every month, to people who wanted to pray for vocations: old ladies, the sick, newlyweds... A letter every month, with a spiritual thought, with an aid, to accompany the prayer. Accompany prayer...We need to look for a way. The first task is prayer! Praying is the first thing. To pray with the heart, with one's life, with everything, with the desire that what I am asking be done. Pray for vocations." (RG) [See a collection of Prayer for Vocations here.]

Three challenges of promoting vocations

1. Trust in the young and trust in the Lord.

• Trust in the young
• there are many young people who seek full meaning in their lives
• Stay awake to awaken young people to be centered in the Lord. Help the young to focus on Him
• Trust in the Lord
• Be sure that He continues to awaken in the People of God various vocations 
• Say no to temptation that in some environments vocations are not possible

2. Clear knowledge of our society and the current generation of young people

• So as not to give answers to questions that nobody is asking
• Today young people must be on the move. To work for vocations it is necessary to make young people walk, and this is done by accompanying them. The apostolate of walking. And how to walk, how? Inventing pastoral actions that involve young people, in something that makes them do something: during the holidays we go for a week to do a mission in that country, or to do social assistance in that other country, or every week we go to the hospital, this one, that…, or to feed the homeless. (RG)

3. Conviction that following Christ is worthwhile

• Total gift of self to the cause of the Gospel is beautiful and can give meaning to our whole life

Five Characteristics of Promoting Vocations

1. Differentiated - Jesus calls each one by his name. Offer what is needed for each person. 

2. Narrative - Young people want to see the model of Jesus in a concrete life

3. Ecclesial - based on Vatican Council II; participate in the life of the Church

4. Evangelical, and as such, committed and responsible

• Start from the center of all pastoral ministry: Jesus Christ
• Place the demands of the Gospel to live radically and sincerely, to accept responsibly the consequences of faith. 

5. Accompanied - create an atmosphere of trust, make young people feel that they are loved; with personal relationship 

6. Persevering - sow and wait patiently for the seed to grow. Our job is to plant. 

7. Youthful

• dynamic, participative, cheerful, hopeful, risky, confident
• filled with Jesus - the only path they have to travel, the only truth to which they are called to adhere, the only life for which it is worth giving everything (Jn 1.35)

Two Truths of Promoting Vocations

1. There are no magical answers

2. We are called to a true “pastoral conversion” - not only of language, but also of lifestyle, if we want to connect with young people and propose a path of faith and offer a vocational proposal.

It is true that a boy or a girl hears the Lord's call, but the call is always concrete: "I would like to become like this or like that". It is our testimonies that attract young people... Once a mother superior went to speak in a college; instead of speaking of the challenge of education, of the young people who are being educated, of all these things, she began to say: "We must pray for the canonization of our founding mother", and she spent more than half an hour talking about the founding mother, that this must be done, asking for a miracle... But the teachers thought: "But why does she tell us these things, while we need more... Yes, that's fine, that she be beatified and canonized, but we need another message". In the end, one of the teachers—I met her—said , “Mother, can I say something?” – "Yes" – Your founding mother will never be canonized." – "But why?" – "Eh, because she is certainly in purgatory." – "But don't say these things! Why do you say this?"  "Because if you who are the mother superior is so – let's say – silly, to say the least, your founding mother hasn't been able to form you". It is the testimony: that they see living in you what you preach. (RG)

RESOURCES ON VOCATION PROMOTION

• 20 Ways to Promote Vocations in Schools
• Top Ten Things to Promote Vocations

ABSOLUTE IMPORTANCE OF SILENCE: Liturgical rubrics on periods of silence at Mass

St. Josemaria: "There is no better way to show how great is our concern and love for the Holy Sacrifice than by taking great care with the least detail of the ceremonies the wisdom of the Church has laid down."

In his latest guidelines on the liturgy, Pope Francis stressed: "Among the ritual acts that belong to the whole assembly, silence occupies a place of absolute importance." He pointed out that silence is something "grand." It is not trivial, but "a point of arrival within a liturgical sequence." It is a "symbol of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit;" being an integral part of the sacrament it effectuates grace. (Desiderio Desideravi 52)

Grace is divine life and help, something we all sorely need. 

And so, he asks us to enact silence with "extreme care."  

When are these moments and what do the rubrics say about them? 

Here are quotes from the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM):

1. Within the Penitential Act (45, 51)

The Priest calls upon the whole community to take part in the Penitential Act, which, after a brief pause for silence, it does by means of a formula of general confession. (51)

Nature of silence – individuals recollect themselves (45)

2. After “Let us pray” of the opening collect (45, 54)

The Priest calls upon the people to pray and everybody, together with the Priest, observes a brief silence so that they may become aware of being in God’s presence and may call to mind their intentions. (54)

Nature of silence – individuals recollect themselves (45) 

3. Before the Liturgy of Word (56)

It may be appropriate to observe such periods of silence, for example, before the Liturgy of the Word itself begins. (56)

4. After the first two readings (45, 56, 128, 130)

It may be appropriate to observe such periods of silence, for example … after the First and Second Reading. (56)

Nature of the silence - All meditate briefly on what they have heard (45)

At the end [of the First Reading], the reader pronounces the acclamation The word of the Lord, and all reply, Thanks be to God. Then a few moments of silence may be observed, if appropriate, so that all may meditate on what they have heard. (128)

Then [after the reply to the acclamation after the Second Reading], if appropriate, a few moments of silence may be observed. (130)

5. After the homily (45, 56, 66, 136)

It may be appropriate to observe such periods of silence, for example…at the conclusion of the Homily (56)

It is appropriate for a brief period of silence to be observed after the Homily. (66)

When the Homily is over, a period of silence may be observed. (136)

Nature of the silence - all meditate briefly on what they have heard. (45)

6. After communion (43, 45, 164)

If appropriate, [the faithful] may sit or kneel during the period of sacred silence after Communion. (43)

Nature of silence - praise God in their hearts and pray to him (45)

After [the priest purifies the chalice and dries it with purificator], the Priest may return to the chair. A sacred silence may now be observed for some time, or a Psalm or other canticle of praise or a hymn may be sung (164)

7. After “Let us pray” of the post-communion prayer (165)

A brief period of silence may precede the prayer, unless this has been already observed immediately after Communion. (165)

Putting liturgical silence into practice

Of the seven moments, four are referred to with the word "may", while three are in the indicative: (1) Within the Penitential act, (2) After the "Let us pray" of the Collect, and (3) After the Homily. 

Still, Pope Francis in Desiderio Desideravi pointed out that silence is "present in the penitential act, after the invitation 'Let us pray,' in the Liturgy of the Word (before the readings, between the readings and after the homily), in the Eucharistic prayer, after communion." 

And so parishes and communities, may want to consider adapting all the seven moments of silence, given the "absolute importance" of these moments of silence at Mass--the very summit and source of our Christian life. 

Based on my internet search, many parishes instruct lectors to pause either for 2-3 seconds or 5-10 seconds. If one chooses the mid-point of 4 seconds, then the seven pauses will only mean an additional 28 seconds, that's less than half a minute--half a minute of receiving completely the powerful action of the Holy Spirit himself.   

At the very least, it is truly important that the three moments that the rubrics clearly indicate should be deliberately and calmly practiced.