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The Year of Vocation focus for the month of September is priesthood. Sunday 28 September 2008 is Priesthood Sunday. |
Sunday 28th September 2008 is Priesthood Sunday which is part of the ‘Year of Vocation’ initiative. It is an opportunity to highlight and promote particularly, the vocation to the priesthood. It is a day to reflect upon and affirm the role of the priesthood in the life of the Church as a central one.
Vocations Sunday / Good Shepherd Sunday (4th Sunday of Easter) has had a broader focus in recent years, where successive Papal Messages have also honed in on the priesthood of the baptised and the witness of Religious Orders, as well as that of priests. With Priesthood Sunday, we have an opportunity to highlight that the bare fact that God is still calling men to become priests, and that those answering this call can be happy, content, and fulfilled, as they make a meaningful contribution to modern society.
The Church in Australia and America has been celebrating Priesthood Sunday for many years. While we are ‘borrowing’ from their leadership in some ways, we also want to make this idea our own. There is a need to bring priesthood ‘back on the menu’ as a valid and meaningful option for men.
What happens on Priesthood Sunday?
It is hoped that the lay faithful of all parishes in the country will develop their own special way of marking the day and honouring their parish priests both at Mass and other parish events, such as social celebrations and school activities. Priesthood Sunday is designed to be an event led by the laity, but your parish priest can participate by talking about how he experienced and answered his own calling, the need for vocations to keep the priesthood vital, and about priests who have inspired him.
Priesthood Sunday will also offer an opportunity for priests and their parishioners to build a stronger working relationship for the future. Together, they can dialogue to take an honest look at the challenges of the future and how they can collaborate to meet those challenges as a united force.
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Priesthood Sunday Resources
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The Year of Vocation
Priesthood Sunday is being promoted as part of the Year of Vocation which is running from Vocations Sunday 15 April 2008 to Vocations Sunday 3rd May 2009. The aim of the Year of Vocation is to raise awareness of the common vocation that we share through baptism as expressed through witness, love and service. Further information on Priesthood Sunday and on The Year of Vocation is available at www.yourvocation.ie