GOD HAS A PLAN
FOR YOUR LIFE!

Just as he did during his earthly existence, so today the risen Jesus
walks along the streets of our life and sees us immersed in our activities, with all our desires and our needs.
In the midst of our everyday circumstances he continues to speak to us;
he calls us to live our life with him, for only he is capable
of satisfying our thirst for hope.
He lives now among the community of disciples that is the Church,
and still today calls people to follow him.
The call can come at any moment. Today too,
Jesus continues to say, “Come, follow me” (Mk 10:21).

Accepting his invitation means no longer choosing our own path. Following him means immersing our own will in the will of Jesus,
truly giving him priority, giving him pride of place in every
area of our lives: in the family, at work, in our personal interests,
in ourselves.
It means handing over our very lives to Him, living in profound intimacy with Him, entering through Him into communion with the Father
in the Holy Spirit, and consequently with our brothers and sisters.
This communion of life with Jesus is the privileged “setting”
in which we can experience hope and in which life will be full and free.

Vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life are born
out of the experience of a personal encounter with Christ,
out of sincere and confident dialogue with him,
so as to enter into his will. It is necessary, therefore, to grow
in the experience of faith, understood as a profound relationship
with Jesus, as inner attentiveness to his voice which is heard
deep within us. This process, which enables us to respond positively
to God’s call, is possible in Christian communities where the faith
is lived intensely, where generous witness is given of adherence
to the Gospel, where there is a strong sense of mission which leads
people to make the total gift of self for the Kingdom of God,
nourished by recourse to the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist,
and by a fervent life of prayer.
This latter “must on the one hand be something very personal,
an encounter between my intimate self and God, the living God.
On the other hand it must be constantly guided and enlightened by
the great prayers of the Church and of the saints,
by liturgical prayer, in which the Lord teaches us
again and again how to pray properly.” (Spe Salvi, 34).

...Do not be afraid to follow him and to walk the demanding
and courageous paths of charity and generous commitment!
In that way you will be happy to serve, you will be witnesses of a joy
that the world cannot give, you will be living flames of an infinite
and eternal love, you will learn to
“give an account of the hope that is within you” (1 Pt 3:15)!

From the Vatican, 6 October 2012

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

CONTACT
US

If you would like to discuss your
vocation
please contact
us using this form.

Alternatively please do speak to one of our priests, who will be happy to listen
to your questions.

PRAYER TO SAINT JOSEPH
TO KNOW ONE'S VOCATION

O Great Saint Joseph,
you were completely obedient to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Obtain for me the grace to know the state of life
that God in His providence has chosen for me.
Since my happiness on earth,
and perhaps even my final happiness in heaven,
depends on this choice,
let me not be deceived in making it. 
Obtain for me the light to know God's Will,
to carry it out faithfully,
and to choose the vocation which will lead me
to a happy eternity.

Amen.

Prayer for Priests
and Students for the Priesthood

Lord Jesus
The ministry of priests is a sign of your unfailing care.
Call from among us the priests needed for today and tomorrow.

Bless all students for the priesthood.
Grant them joy, wisdom, courage and a generous spirit.

Sustain priests with a real sense of your love
and the support of those they are called to serve.

Keep them faithful to their calling.

Amen.

NATIONAL OFFICE
FOR VOCATION

The National Office for Vocation is an Office of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.
Our mission is to:

• Build a culture of vocation in the Church in England and Wales

• Promote the calls to specific vocations, including priesthood, the diaconate, marriage, the religious life and all other forms
  of consecrated life.