Jan 2, 2013
Vocations ministry in 2012 hit the ground running. From the launch of our website in February we’ve been around the world and back again and we’ve taken part in loads of exciting festivals, events and celebrations. 2013 however is going to be bigger, better and even more exciting!
We’ll continue with many of the events of last year. There’ll be a pilgrimage to Lourdes with the Irish Pilgrimage Trust after Easter. The exploreAway discernment programme will run through Spring, as six young people consider their call to religious life and priesthood. The Knock Summer Festival and the Brightlights WYD gathering are among the highlights of the summer. (more…)
Dec 19, 2012
Yes! It’s happening! The MSCs are going to Rio for World Youth Day 2013! We’ll join over 3,000,000 other young people from around the world next for two week this coming July. WYD is a fantastic occasion for people to gather together, to celebrate their faith, and have an unforgettable time.
The MSC group will include five young people from St. Albans, two from Princethorpe College, one from Liverpool and one from Drimoleague, as well as myself. We’re going to join up and travel with the pilgrimage from the Archdiocese of Westminster. During the course of the event we’ll also link in with other MSCs from Venezuela, Indonesia, Canada and of course Brazil itself.
Some of the young people from St. Albans, Phil from Westminster and Fr. Alan
The week is filled with activity and celebration, most of which takes place on the famous Copacabana Beach. There will be afternoons of catechesis, tours of local sights ( including a trip up to Christ the Redeemer ), volley ball on the beach, open mike and concert sessions, as well as creative liturgical celebrations culminating in the final Mass with the Pope.
For more information, as it happens, watch this space
Aug 25, 2012
The call of the disciples doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense. Jesus, after spending time in the desert reflecting on who he was and what his Father was calling him to do, invites an unusual group of people to follow him. These are the men who are going to help him proclaim good news, to bring healing to the broken and to reveal the presence of a loving God to all. In these days of human resource management and professional recruitment there are criteria that must be fulfilled, references to be checked and qualifications to be earned. To this end one could have asssumed that Jesus would have chosen from among the powerful, the learned and the influential. But our God is a God of surprises and He rarely acts in ways we aniticipate.
So it was with the apostles. In Luke 5 Jesus invites Simon Peter and his companions to put out into deep water, to respond to an invitation that seems pointless. The resulting catch is astonishing and it opens Simon Peter’s eyes to the fact that something extraordinary is happening. Once again Jesus invites Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John, but this time to do something far more profound. Their true vocation is to become fishers of men and women. Jesus wasn’t interested in the external trappings that people valued, as much today as back in his time. What Christ was looking for were people with a heart that was open to God’s call, not when they were ready, but when he needed them.
I’ve only been involved with vocation promotion for less than a year, but it’s been a powerful experience. It’s about journeying with people and listening to their story and how God continues to love, challenge and call them. For some they are thinking of becoming a priest, while others are interested in consecrated religious life. Very often though there is a sense that people feel that they don’t have enough faith; they are not holy enough; or maybe that they are not ready. But if we are going to wait until we ourselves are ready, well that day will most likely never come. Sometimes we need to take the risk, we need to leave our nets behind and we need to follow God’s call. If you look at the life of Peter and how he shaped his world and built up the people of God, it all began with that simple invitation to “Come and follow me.” That’s your invitation too. What’s your answer?
Aug 6, 2012
One generally associates Our Lady’s Shrine in Knock with gentle hymns and heavenly choirs, but on the last Friday in July Knock rocked to the sound of a very different style of music. It was an evening of final sound checks for the musicians getting ready for the Knock Summer Festival. In fact the whole area next to the Basilica was alive with activity as teams of people set up marquees, arranged chill out spaces and sorted out workshops, all under the watchful eyes of Helen and Nic, the fantastic Knock Youth Team.
It was needed, because over the course of Saturday morning over five hundred young people descended on Knock looking forward to an amazing festival and they were not disappointed! The day was different to any other with insightful talks by Fr.Conall O Cuinn who spoke on God’s love, John Lonergan who spoke on community and the need for us all to make a difference in our local community and Bishop Mc Keown speaking about the church as One Body in Jesus Christ. The workshops were on Drumming, taize prayer, love and relationships and youth alpha.
Just some of the people at the One Call Vocation Worshop
I was also really delighted to be invited to lead a workshop on vocation in the afternoon. I was hoping we’d get 40 if we were lucky, but we ended up with over 60. It was literally standing room only! The group was great and really entered into the reflection and the creative activities with all their hearts. There was clay, candles and letters all over the place as we looked at how we are all called to be lights to the world; how we are all letters written by God, not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God; and how we are moulded and created by a loving God.
Music was prvided by the amazing and talented Elation Ministries. There was loads of time for prayer and reflection and our final mass was celebrated by the parish priest in Knock Fr. Richard Gibbons. The day wrapped up with over five hundred people singing together, “Awake, Rise Up and Follow Me!”
Here’s a little bit of Elation to give you a feel for the sense of celebration we all had during the day.
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Jul 17, 2012
It’s almost time. We’re nearly there. At the end of this month the Knock Youth Festival is kicking off. The Festival is for all people between the ages of 17-30. It is a chance to come away and experience something amazing. Hundreds of young people will gather together on the 28th of July for a day with a difference. Drumming, Gymnastics, Elation Ministries,Trocaire, Magis, inspiring speakers, practical workshops, celebration of the Eucharist, chill out time, a chance to meet new people. The festival is FREE, all you have to pay for is your food. The day will begin at 12:00 and finish at 6:00pm. There are some buses coming from around the country. For more information click here.
Last years event saw over 600 people coming together, this is what they said….
‘The atmosphere in the chill out marquee was relaxed and welcoming. The weekend overall was one to be remembered’.
“It was great!! Countin down till next year already!!” says one festival goer.
“I had a brilliant time at the Youth festival. I will definitely be back again next year” said another.
In the run up to the Festival young people from the dioceses of Clogher, Raphoe, Kilmore, Elphin and Achonory will take part in a pilgrim relay. Young people will begin their walk in Lough Derg and walk to Knock Shrine, starting on the 22nd July. This walk will be organised by the different dioceses.
While your in the West, why not climb Croagh Patrick on ‘Reek Sunday’ Sunday the 29th of July. It is an amazing experience to climb the Holy Mountain with thousands of other pilgrims that will make the climb that day.
For any further information on the event you can contact me at fralan@mscvocations.ie or get in touch with the fantastic Knock Youth Team by clicking here.
Jul 17, 2012
Earlier this week on RTE, Ireland’s national broadcaster, John Creedon went behind the grille at the Poor Clare Convent in Galway. He was given a unique opportunity to see what happens in the convent and to chat with some of the community. It was a fascinating insight into the lives of the many sisters living lives of contemplation, coupled with creative outreach to the world around them.
It was wonderful to hear the vocation’s stories of the different women. They came from a wide variety of backgrounds and from all around the country. The University of Galway seemed to be an especially good place for vocations! What was most striking was the humanness of their individual stories. Whether they were working for the County Council or studying for a business degree before they entered they were united by a sense of God calling them to do something special. We tend to think that joining a religious congregation is counter cultural today, but it seems that it has always been the case. In an interview with one of the older sisters, John was informed that when she joined her family kept all her old clothes, because they assumed that she’d never last in the convent. You can watch the interview by clicking here. It runs from 36mins 56secs to 45mins 6secs.
Asking the sisters for their prayers and support has always been a strong tradition in the Poor Clares. Their community in Galway has taken it a step further, embracing the internet through the development of a new website. This initiative is in response to Pope John Paul II’s call that monasteries and convents should be schools of prayer and that they would continue to offer to today’s world an authentic experience of God. You can check out their website by clicking here. Judging by its popularity, as well as their Facebook page, it’s clear that people are open to their message and engaged by their spirituality and way of life – perhaps now more so than ever!
Vocations ministry in 2012 hit the ground running. From the launch of our website in February we’ve been around the world and back again and we’ve taken part in loads of exciting festivals, events and celebrations. 2013 however is going to be bigger, better and even more exciting!
