It has become clear across the country that there is a significant decline in the desire of young people to choose a vocation in the Church. With the aging population of the priests, brothers, sisters, and deacons, this decline is even more perilous for us as Catholics. The time is now to find new avenues and opportunities to showcase and shepherd Vocations as a valuable and powerful option for youth. You may not know it, but this is one of the reasons behind the Life Center, CYO, the NET Missionaries, and the other initiatives St. John has put in place to engage youth and the young community here in Naples. We understand that by making the Catholic Church their community, the fellowship of the young people, they will have a positive engagement with their faith and personal relationship with Jesus. That relationship can blossom into a vocational call.
Additionally, St. John has created a ministry for our Parish Family, under the direction of the Diocese of Venice. The Vocations Ministry will connect with the various groups, ranging from the Youth Group to the Altar Servers, the Boy Scouts to the Knights of Columbus, the Choir to the Lectors in search of young people that have illustrated the spark of vocation already in their soul. Vocations Ministry will include a Prayer Group, whose members will dedicate time for prayers to support all the vocations. It will also determine how to illustrate that we all have a vocation, from marriage to community service, and that through these vocations, we can illustrate the love, joy, and healing power of the Catholic Church.
https://legacysite.sjecc.org/ministries/vocations-not-just-collars-and-habits-part-1-marriage
https://legacysite.sjecc.org/ministries/vocations-not-just-collars-and-habits-part-2-grandparents
https://legacysite.sjecc.org/ministries/vocations-not-just-collars-and-habits-part-3-single-life
https://legacysite.sjecc.org/ministries/vocations-not-just-collars-and-habits-part-4-religious-life
If you are interested in joining our new Vocations Ministry, please contact Marty Gautier, the lead of our Vocations Ministry.