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Voices Online Edition
Vol. XVIII: No. 2 - Pentecost 2003
VOCATIONS ISSUE
Inside Voices
Editorial
VOCATION. Calling. Within the few first hours of the Church's foundation on the day of Pentecost, three thousand people, by the power of the Holy Spirit, heard and answered the call of God.
"They were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest
of the apostles, 'Brethren, what shall we do?' And Peter said
to them, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name
of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you
and to your children and to all that are far off, everyone whom
the Lord our God calls to Him'" (Acts 2:37-39).
From the very beginning, as Luke records in his history of the
early Church, Acts of the Apostles, Christians worshiped together,
and celebrated Christ's sacrifice "in the breaking of the
bread". Then and ever since, the Church has been centered
on the Eucharist -- her "source and summit". Understanding
this is fundamental to the Catholic faith, and Pope John Paul
II's 14th encyclical, issued Holy Thursday, Ecclesia
de Eucharistia, resonates with this truth. (On the day
it appeared the entire encyclical was put on the WFF web site.)
On the day of Pentecost, the Apostles spoke in the many languages
of those gathered in Jerusalem. The Church still speaks in many
languages -- preaching the Gospel to every creature. And the
Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, is formed of all those who
answer God's call to repentance, to take up their cross and follow
Him, and to bear witness of His truth to all.
"Brethren, what shall
we do?"
In this issue of Voices we explore a variety of responses
-- and perspectives on those responses -- to God's call to serve
Him. To Catholics, the word "vocation" usually connotes
a calling to priesthood or religious life. Pope John Paul II's
message on vocations inside primarily addresses this aspect of
vocation.
An essay by a fourth-year seminarian, inspired by Ecclesia
de Eucharistia, relates the priestly vocation to the
Eucharist.
The icon of the Ministerial Priesthood on the back cover of this
issue and its explanation inside, and an article on the priesthood
written by the mother of a seminarian amplify the priestly vocation.
The vocation to the life of a religious sister is the subject
of "The Call Within", and the nature of this calling
is explored further in "Edith Stein and the Contemplative
Vocation". A father whose daughter has entered a religious
order offers another perspective on the meaning of vocation,
not only for the person called to religious life, but to the
person's family.
The call to holiness is universal. All are called to repentence,
to conversion. Christ's call, "Be perfect, even as your
Father in Heaven is perfect" applies to every Christian.
The lay vocation, though substantially different from the priestly
"calling" or the call to religious life, is a genuine
vocation -- though one that is too often ignored. Two of the
articles inside focus on the lay vocation -- how Christian laity
fulfill this calling.
We are sure you will find the unusual collection of essays on
vocation as instructive and edifying as the WFF staff has. (And
we hope you will be inspired join in the prayers and novenas
for priests and religious vocations that appear within this issue.)
Voices - not crying
in the wilderness
We have some good news to report -- and some not so good.
The good news first.
- There has been a tremendous
response to our offer of "Welcome packets" (see inside
back cover). We regularly mail out 20 packets every week.
- There have been 654,329 "hits"
on the WFF web site from January to mid-May this year. Our total
for the entire year of 2001 was 324,000. In April, we broke all
our previous records with more than 208,000 "hits"
(number of items accessed.)
Most of this increase is due to the "liturgical calendar", which provides information, prayers, scripture readings and suggestions for family celebration of the feasts and seasons of the Church year.
- Nearly a hundred new signers
of the Affirmation for Catholic Women have been added this year.
- As always, we send a complimentary
copy of every issue of Voices to every bishop in the United States,
and we're sending copies to more parishes, seminarians, libraries,
etc.
Our voices are being heard -- not only through Voices, but in our statements on issues affecting women and their families -- both in the Church and in the world.
But
-- and here's the not-so-good news: We can't keep going without
your financial help. All our support comes from donations.
Unlike many other Catholic organizations, we receive no support
from dioceses or other Church institutions. And unlike many secular
women's organizations, no large grants from huge foundations
come our way.
So we must appeal to you for help. Even though WFF has no payroll,
relies on borrowed equipment, donated office space, and a superb
panel of editors and writers, we cannot continue to publish Voices
unless the money is there. It's as simple -- and as challenging
-- as that.
Thus we are initiating an emergency campaign to raise
enough money to pay for the next issue. Please see the flyer
inside for more details -- and please keep us in your prayers.
Sincerely yours in
Christ, **Women for Faith &
Family operates
solely on your generous donations! WFF is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Donations are tax deductible.
Helen Hull Hitchcock
