The addition of these social networking sites means that the focus for the Vocation Directors of Ireland is on building relationships, and becoming more well known, and as a point of contact for those seeking more information about Vocations to the diocesan priesthood inIreland.

Fr. Paddy Rushe, the National Coordinator for Diocesan Vocation Directors believes that these innovations will add an extra dimension to the Vocations promotion experience.  He said “Social networking is all about starting and participating in conversations; building one’s online presence and reputation”.  The more that you take part in online networking and building your ‘brand’, so to speak,  the more opportunities that arise from being more well-known, added Fr. Paddy.

Social networking services are on the rise globally. Ofcom’s (UK Regulatory Body) recent International Communications Market 07 report found evidence that more adults use social networking sites in theUKthan in any other of the European countries included in the survey; Suggesting that UK Internet users clock up an average of 23 visits and 5.3 hours on social networking sites each month. Ofcom reported that 39% of all UK Internet users use social networking services, while the ComScore figures show 24.9 million individual social networking service visitors in August 2007.

The Facebook Page is; Diocesan Vocations Ireland

The Twitter Feed is; @NVocations

The Chairman of Vocations Committee for the Diocese of Clogher is:

Rt Rev Mgr. Seán Cahill

Parochial House,

6 Boyhill Road, Maguiresbridge,

Co. Fermanagh BT94 4LN

IanFee@aol.com

Mgr Cahill will always be glad to hear from you and to meet with you.
Feel free to ring or email

VOCATION IRELAND WEBSITE:

http://www.vocationsireland.com/

NEW WEBSITE FOR YEAR OF VOCATIONS:

http://www.yourvocation.ie/

NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF DIOCESAN VOCATION DIRECTORS IRELAND:

http://www.vocations.ie/

The Facebook Page is; Diocesan Vocations Ireland

The Twitter Feed is; @NVocations

Prayers of the Faithful:

1. Life is a gift that we have received from your hands, Lord. Through prayer and through a more reflective awareness of what is going on around us, help us to recognise how you are calling us to place that gift of life at the service of others. Lord hear us.

2. For those who are coming to the end of their full-time education, in school or at third-level colleges. Help them to listen attentively to your word. Help them to make wise decisions for their future, which are inspired by faith in you. Lord Hear us.

3. Father you created man and women in your own image. We pray for married people, and for those who are preparing for marriage. Help them to see their love for one another as their Christian vocation. May their love for one another, in times joy and in times of sorrow, lead them to you who are the source of all love and all happiness. Lord hear us.

4. We ask you Lord, in this generation as in the past, to bless your Church with men and women of vision and imagination, who will be ready to be consecrate their lives publicly to your service and to the service of others, in the priesthood and in the religious life. Lord hear us

5. We pray that the values of service, compassion, and care, which characterised the ministry of Jesus, may continue to be the mark of all who are his disciples. We ask your blessing on all who serve and support us in our daily lives, (for parents, for aunts and uncles, for grand-parents; for those who provide our food, care for our sick, and teach our children; for those provide the many voluntary and statutory services which keep our society going). Lord Hear us

6. We pray for those who have gone before us in the way of faith. They followed Christ the Good Shepherd. May he welcome them into fresh pastures, and may we find them again, gathered around his table. Lord hear us.

22 men begin their studies for priesthood today atIreland’s national seminary, Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth. This group includes a chartered surveyor, a pub manager, several mature students and at least one school leaver. The average age of the new entrants is 25 years old, and they come from 14 of the 26 dioceses ofIreland

After an introductory month, 18 students will commence their academic formation in Maynooth and the remaining four will undertake their studies at Saint Malachy’s College,Belfast.

This afternoon Monsignor Hugh Connolly, the President of Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, welcomed the students and their families to Maynooth saying, “This is always an exciting time for the Seminary, when we prepare to receive the new students among us. Once again you come from a wide range of backgrounds, previous experiences, and the four corners of the country, but with one common factor – you are responding to an invitation given in and through faith, to become priests who will spread the Gospel in the years to come.  I thank the families and friends of the new candidates for their strength and generosity in supporting the men thus far, and I invited you to continue to provide this vital encouragement. The road ahead has many challenges.”

Bishop Donal McKeown, chairperson of the Council for Vocations of the Irish Episcopal Conference, highlighted the reality that the new seminarians have a long period of formation ahead, which will include human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral development.

Bishop McKeown said, “The Catholic Church in which you will serve will be a much changed institution. Yet, despite the uncertainties of the future, all new seminarians are responding with hope to God’s never ceasing call to proclaim his kingdom.  God still has faith in people.  With grace and the vision of the Gospel, it is possible to build community, to promote healing and to build supportive relationships. God has asked you to accept His call to go out to the rich harvest
where the labourers are few.”

The National Co-ordinator for Diocesan Vocation Directors, Father Paddy Rushe, also welcomed the 2011 figure of new seminarians for the Catholic Church.  Father Rushe commended the Vocation Directors from the various dioceses whose critical work over the year has accompanied these men in their discernment and preparation for seminarian life.

Monsignor Connolly asked the new seminarians to draw sustenance and hope from what the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, said in his letter to seminarians of October 2010: “You have done a good thing. Because people will always have need of God, even in an age marked by technical mastery of the world and globalization: they will always need the God who has revealed himself in Jesus Christ, the God who gathers us together in the Universal Church in order to learn with him and through him life’s true meaning and in order to uphold and apply the standards of true humanity”.

The theme for the Year of Vocation for June 2008 is marriage as vocation.
The weekend of Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd June has been chosen as the
weekend on which parishes will be encouraged to have a celebration of marriage
as vocation.

The celebration can be something as simple as speaking about marriage as vocation
at Masses or inviting a married person to speak as Masses. Parishes may want to
have something more ambitious like having a group renewal of marriage vows followed
by refreshments after one of the weekend masses.

Whatever parishes decide the following resources should be of use for the celebration
of marriage as vocation during the month of June and throughout the Year of Vocation:

1. Background information on the year of vocation
2. Newsletter notice
3. Prayer of the Faithful
4. Reflection Marriage as Vocation to Love
5. Article on Marriage as Vocation by Dr Christine B. Whelan
6. Marriage Quotes
7. Marriage Prayers, Blessings and Bible Quotes
8. Article by Dr Christine B. Whelan
9. Other Resources

Click on the following link to access these resources:

http://www.yourvocation.ie/marriageasvocation.pdf

Many of the large number of clergy who took part in this year’s two and a half day diocesan forum on Vocation had positive things to say about it afterwards. The keynote speaker, Dr. Eamon Conway of Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, shared ideas on modern culture and its thought currents, mindsets and challenges. He followed this with some insights into the different ways clergy see themselves within their own priestly culture. Fr. Kevin Doran, previous National Vocations Co-ordinator for Ireland, led everyone in further reflection on the above and primed a sharing on the positives and negatives of Vocations promotion. A sizeable group of lay people joined the forum to hear Brenda Drumm of the Catholic Communications Institute speak energetically and sincerely about the upcoming Year of Vocation. Lay people and clergy worked together in groups afterwards on possible implications of what all had just heard.

PRAYER SPACE

FR SEAMUS QUINN (DIOCESAN VOCATION DIRECTOR) / BRENDA DRUMM CATHOLIC COMMUNICATION OFFICE

GROUP PHOTOGRAPH OF PARTICIPANTS

PARTICIPANTS HARD AT WORK

GROUP DISCUSSIONS

GROUP DISCUSSIONS