CHURCH LAUNCHES 2022 VOCATIONS SUNDAY PREPARATIONS
By Christopher Kamanga
The Catholic Church through the Pontifical Missionary Society in Malawi (PMS) launched national preparations for Vocations Sunday, which will be celebrated on 8th May 2022.
Vocations Sunday also known as the World Day of Prayer in the Catholic Church was set aside to encourage young people to think about their future life in the Church and society as Priest’s, Brothers, Sisters as well as married or single life with various careers.
Speaking during the event at Mzambazi St John’s Parish in Mzuzu Diocese on 20th March 2022, Bishop of Mzuzu Diocese Rt. Rev John Ryan said young people are the priority in the Church because the Church relies on them for her growth.
Bishop Ryan highlighted on the importance of the youths to choose the right vocations especially the calling to serve as priests after noting a decline of the youths responding to the call to priesthood.
“We your Bishops in all the eight Dioceses in the country are inviting you all our youths to reflect on your calling especially the call to priesthood because the vineyard is huge but there is a shortage of servants, hence you the youths need to respond positively to the call,” he said.
According Bishop Ryan, it is unfortunate that many youths especially in his diocese are failing to respond to the vocation of priesthood which he says is compromising the spread of the Gospel in the diocese.
He also lamented that since his consecration as Bishop of mzuzu in 2017, only three priest have been ordained a development which is worrisome,” he added.
During this Vocations Sunday preparation period, the Bishop has called upon all Catholics to take up the baptismal mandate of sharing the word of God with others through prayer as well as offering monetary support for the work of evangelization.
In his remarks PMS National Director Fr. Vincent Mwakhwawa asked the parents not to limit their children to marriage vocation but rather allow them to respond to the call according to the direction where God is calling them, in doing so the Church will be able to have many priests as well as sisters and brothers.
Fr. Mwakhwawa further challenged parents not to force their children to leave the country in search of greener pasture before finishing their education saying the tendency is a setback in creating vocations and to the national development of the country.
This year’s Vocations Sunday will be celebrated under the theme: ”You will be my witnesses to the end of the world”.
Vocations Sunday celebrations are coordinated every year by the Pontifical Mission Society of St. Peter the Apostle which promotes vocations and collections of funds for training young people in seminaries, noviciates and in parishes.
The National celebration of Vocations Sunday will be celebrated at Mzambazi St. John’s Parish in Mzuzu Diocese. All parishes and all Catholic communities will celebrate Vocations Sunday on that same day.