From programmes to the Christian communities

a) The parish community

The European Congress has proposed one objective, among others: to bring pastoral work for vocations into the life of Christian parish communities, where people live and where young people in particular are involved to a greater or lesser extent in an experience of faith.

This entails bringing pastoral work for vocations out of its circle of experts in order to reach the peripheral areas of the particular Church.

But at the same time it is already urgent that we overcome the experiential phase, presently taking place in many Churches of Europe, to move towards real pastoral programmes, inserted into the fabric of the Christian communities, and prizing what is already vocationally fruitful.

Particular attention should be paid to the liturgical year, which is a permanent school of the faith, in which every believer, helped by the Holy Spirit, is called to grow in the likeness of Jesus. From Advent, the time of hope, to Pentecost and ordinary time, the recurring cycle of the liturgical year celebrates and proposes a model of man called to measure himself against the mystery of Jesus, the "first-born among many brethren" (Rom 8, 29).

The anthropology that the liturgical year helps to explore is an authentically vocational design, that invites every Christian to respond ever more to the call, for a precise and personal mission in history. Hence the attention to the daily programmes in which every Christian community is involved. Pastoral wisdom requests particularly of pastors, the guides of the Christian communities, a precise care and an attentive discernment in order to make the liturgical signs, the lived out experiences of the faith, speak; because it is from the presence of Christ in everyday life, that the vocational appeals of the Spirit come.

It should not be forgotten that the pastor, above all the priest, responsible for a Christian community, is the "direct cultivator" of all vocations.

In truth the full vocational ownership of the parish community is not everywhere recognised; while it is precisely "the diocesan and parish Pastoral Councils in relationship with the national vocations centres...which are the competent organs in all of the communities and in all sectors of ordinary pastoral work".(⁸⁷)

Therefore we should encourage the initiative of those parishes that have established groups responsible for vocations promotion and various activities for resolving "a vital problem which lies at the very heart of the Church"(⁸⁸) (prayer groups, vocations days and weeks, catechesis and witness and whatever else can contribute to maintaining an interest in vocations).(⁸⁹)

b) Special places of life-vocation

In this sensitive and urgent move from vocations work based on experiences to one based on formation paths it is necessary to hear not only the vocational appeals coming from the everyday life of the Christian community, but it is wise to highlight the significance of the special places which illustrate life as vocation and the pedagogical places of the faith. A Church is alive if, with the gifts of the Spirit, it knows how to identify and evaluate these places.

The special places which illustrate the vocational nature of existence in a particular Church are monastic communities, witnesses to the praying face of the ecclesial community; apostolic religious communities and secular institutes.

In a cultural context strongly focused on more immediate things, affected by the cold wind of individualism, praying and apostolic communities open us up to the true dimensions of an authentically Christian life, especially for these recent generations which are clearly more attentive to signs than words.

A particular sign of the vocational nature of life and the community is the diocesan or interdiocesan seminary. It fulfils a special role within our Churches. On the one hand it is a strong sign, because it constitutes a promise for the future. The young men who come there, the sons of this generation, will be the priests of tomorrow. In addition: the seminary is a concrete reminder of the vocational nature of life and the necessity of the ordained ministry for the existence of the Christian community.

On the other hand it is a weak sign: because it requires a constant attention on the part of the particular Church; it needs serious pastoral work for vocations in order to begin each year with new candidates. And also the need to support it economically can be a pedagogical tool for educating the people to pray for all vocations.

c) Pedagogical places of the faith

In addition to these special places which illustrate our vocational nature, pedagogical places of vocations promotion are also valuable; these are groups, movements, associations, and school its elf.

Beyond these different sociological configurations, especially at the level of young people, it is necessary to appreciate their pedagogical value as places in which people can be wisely helped to reach a true maturity of faith.

This can be effectively pursued if three dimensions of the Christian experience are not ignored: the vocation of each one, communion with the Church and mission with the Church.

d) The person of the formator

Another pastoral pedagogical need is being highlighted with particular insistence at this time: the formation of educators.

In fact, practically everywhere, people recognise the weakness and problems of the pedagogical places of the faith, which are being hard tested by the culture of individualism, by spontaneous joining together, or by crises in institutions.

Yet, conversely, there is emerging, especially among young people, the need for challenge, dialogue, points of reference. The signs of this are many. There is need for masters of the spiritual life, of significant figures, capable of evoking the mystery of God and disposed to listening in order to help people to enter into a serious dialogue with the Lord.

Strong spiritual personalities are not only people particularly endowed with charisma, rather they are the result of a formation that is particularly attentive to the absolute primacy of the Spirit.

In caring for the educational figures of our communities, two elements should be acknowledged: on the one hand it is a case of making explicit and attentive the vocational educational conscience of all those already called to work in the community with children and young people (priests, religious and laity).

On the other hand the educational ministry of the woman is to be properly encouraged and formed, so that, especially in regard to young women, she may be a figure of reference and a wise guide. In fact women are widely present in the Christian communities and the intuitive capacity of the "feminine genius" and the vast experience of women in the educational field (family, school, groups, community) are being recognised.

The contribution of women is to be held especially valuable, if not to say decisive, in regard to the world of young women, which is not the same as that of young men, because they need a more attentive and specific reflection, particularly in the area of vocations.

Perhaps this too is part of the change characterising pastoral work for vocations. While in the past female vocations also arose from spiritual fathers, authentic guides of individuals and communities, today "female" vocations also need references to female figures, personal and communitarian, capable of concretely proposing models as well of life as values.

e) Organisations involved in pastoral work for vocations

In order to offer itself as a unitary and synthetic perspective on general pastoral work, pastoral work for vocations must first of all express within itself a synthesis and communion of charisms and ministries.

For some time now the Church has highlighted the need for this co-ordination(⁹⁰) which, thank God, has already borne much fruit; parish organisations, diocesan and national vocations centres have already been functioning for some years now with considerable advantage.

However this is not the case everywhere. The Congress just celebrated, in certain cases, has lamented the absence or the scarcity of these structures in some European nations,(⁹¹) and has voted that, as soon as possible, they should be properly instituted or appropriately planned.

From even more places it has been observed that, while national centres seem to guarantee a notable support of constructive stimuli for pastoral work for vocations, diocesan centres do not appear to be everywhere animated by the same will to work and collaborate truly in favour of the vocations of all. There is a certain general project of unified pastoral work which still has not become the practice of the local Church, and seems in some way to get stuck in the movement from general proposals to actual implementation in the reality of the diocese or the parish. Here, in fact, individualistic, less ecclesial perspectives and practices have not totally disappeared.(⁹²)

Regarding diocesan and national centres, rather than repeat here what has already been well said about their function, it seems necessary to remember that it is not simply a question of practical organisation, as much as one of coherence with a new spirit that must permeate pastoral work for vocations in the Church and, particularly, in the Churches of Europe. The crisis of vocations is also a crisis of communion in working to increase vocations. Vocations will not arise where an authentically ecclesial spirit is not lived.

In addition to recommending a renewal of commitment in this field and a closer collaboration between national centres, diocesan centres and parish organisations, the Congress and the present Document hope that these organisations might take more to heart two questions: the promotion of an authentic vocational culture in civil and ecclesial society, especially the civil, and the formation of vocations educators-formators, the true and proper central and strategic element of present day pastoral work for vocations.(⁹³)

In addition, the Congress asks that serious consideration be given to establishing, for Europe, an organisation or supranational centre for pastoral work for vocations, as a concrete sign and expression of communion and sharing, of co-ordination and exchange of experiences and persons between the individual national Churches,(⁹⁴) while safeguarding the peculiarities of each one.