Beginning in the Home

by Fr. Tim Donahue, Assistant Vocation Director

The home, the "domestic Church," is the centerpiece of family life and the wellspring of vocations. As families teach their sons and daughters how to pray and the importance of charity to God and to neighbor, they become the local church in which children begin to walk with Christ. This fulfills the obligations laid on the hearts of every parent to train their children to enter Heaven someday.

As we review the vocation situation in this country, it sometimes appears as though the Lord is not calling enough of His children to become priests and vowed religious. The reality is that Jesus is calling men and women into His service, but not enough people are listening to the call. The vocations are out there: families must teach their children to listen and respond to that call.

The Church needs your sons and daughters to carry the work that has been passed on to us, so that a new generation of believers may learn to walk in the light of Christ. If we do not send our children, if we do not encourage our children, if we do not set the example for our children, the light will extinguish. May God bless our children and our families as they walk more closely with the Risen Savior, and learn to respond to His call.