Continued Prayer for Vocations.
Seek His Face. Know His Love. Serve His People.
On October 7, 2023, at Annunciation Catholic Church, Bishop John Noonan called forward 18 men in formation for the diaconate, including our very own Angelo Guevara and Miguel Carrion, at the Institution of the Rite of Acolyte. They were accompanied by their wives, Solerena Guevara and Mayra Carrion. May the Lord bless their journey as they continue to serve and bless our community.
To read more about this beautiful celebration, please click the link below.
https://www.orlandodiocese.org/e-scroll/archive/the-spirituality-of-the-rite-of-acolyte/
Photo credit- Glenda Meekins
Click HERE to read and reflect on Fr. Josh’s reflection for Good Shepherd Sunday
Rosary for Vocations
Beginning on Friday, April 9, 2021, and continuing every second Friday of the month after Daily Mass, we invite you to join our Rosary Warrior Ministry as we pray the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary for Vocations. Our Vocations Director and Parochial Administrator, Fr. Josh Swallows, will lead us in prayer through this Holy Hour for Vocations.
The Holy hour will include praying a Litany for Vocations and praying a Rosary. We will pray the luminous mysteries. St John Paul II encouraged that these mysteries be prayed for the intention of vocations, as all vocations are celebrated through these meditations. Come, join us in prayer!
The Diocese of Orlando had developed a Daily Prayer calendar for all our active priests in the diocese. Please click below to access the calendar and pray for all our shepherds.
Pray for Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life
Consider signing up to host the Vocation Blessing Cup for a week and pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
The Vocation Blessing Cup’s purpose is to inspire a greater awareness of God’s call within our community. Households who host the Vocation Blessing Cup are asked to pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, as well as those who already are serving the Church. For families with kids, it can be a great way to talk about being open to God’s call.
The Vocation Blessing Cup was dedicated on Holy Thursday, April 5th, 2007. Since then, hundreds of families at Most Precious Blood have hosted the cup weekly in their homes. A second cup has been blessed and is housed in the Rectory. This second cup serves as a visible reminder for the clergy to pray for the families of our parish.
A local potter crafted the Vocation Blessing Cup. It was modeled after the chalice that our founding Pastor, Bishop Stephen Parkes, received from his parents on his Ordination to the Priesthood. The cup is glazed in Blue in honor of Mary the Mother of God. Most Precious Blood Catholic Church’s logo is fashioned in clay on the side of the cup. The base of the cup bears an inscription that describes the cup’s purpose. Included with the Vocation Blessing Cup is our parish’s Prayer for Religious Vocations which was written by Bishop Parkes.
If you would like to host the Vocation Blessing Cup in your home for one week, please call the parish office, at 407-365-3231, or contact Frances at fstadler@oviedocatholic.org.
Prayer for Priests (from USCCB)
Gracious and loving God, we thank you for the gift of our priests.
Through them, we experience your presence in the sacraments.
Help our priests to be strong in their vocation.
Set their souls on fire with love for your people.
Grant them the wisdom, understanding, and strength they need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
Inspire them with the vision of your Kingdom.
Give them the words they need to spread the Gospel.
Allow them to experience joy in their ministry.
Help them to become instruments of your divine grace.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns as our Eternal Priest.
Amen.
What is the difference between a vocation and a job or career?
Father Joshua Swallows, Vocations Director for the Diocese of Orlando, Director of UCF Catholic Campus Ministry, and Pastor of Most Precious Blood in Oviedo, responds to…
What is the difference between a vocation and a job or career?
We can gain immediate insight into this question by simply looking at the origins of the term “vocation”. Vocation comes from the Latin vocare, which is “to call”. It is a calling and therefore is born out of a relationship with God. Saint Pope John Paul II highlights this distinction in his work, On the Meaning of Vocation: “In the hidden recesses of the human heart, the grace of a vocation takes the form of a dialogue. It is a dialogue between Christ and an individual, in which a personal invitation is given. Christ calls the person by name and says: ‘Come, follow me.’ This call, this mysterious inner voice of Christ, is heard most clearly in silence and prayer. Its acceptance is an act of faith.”
A career or job may certainly be part of one’s vocation, but can only be authentically described this way if it has become part of surrendering one’s life to the Lord. In reading the writings from the saints, we see that vocation encompasses the whole answer to the question of why am I alive? That answer is found when we surrender in prayer as Christ taught us, saying to the Father, “Thy Will be done,” and mean it!
In short, a vocation is a mission from God. Each and every one of us has one, but we must be humble and listen in prayer. Another way of describing the difference between a vocation and a career is to say that a vocation is not simply chosen, (like we do with a career or job), but also something received. As we discern the Will of God for our lives, may we be truly open to God speaking a response to our heart.
Source- Diocese of Orlando May 26, 2022
The World Day of Prayer for Vocations is celebrated by the Catholic Church on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, a day which is also commonly referred to as Good Shepherd Sunday. Inspired by the Lord’s instruction in the Gospels of Matthew 9:38 and Luke 10:2, in which Jesus exhorts the people to “ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”
World Day of Prayer for Vocations unites the faithful together in praying for the fostering of all vocations, particularly those of ordained ministry and consecrated life.
“Since, like all the faithful, lay Christians are entrusted by God withe apostolate by virtue of their Baptism and Confirmation, they have the right and duty, individually or grouped in associations, to work so that the divine message of salvation may be known and accepted by all men throughout the earth. This duty is the more pressing when it is only through them that men can hear the Gospel and know Christ. Their activity in ecclesial communities is so necessary that, for the most part, the apostolate of the pastors cannot be fully effective without it.” – CCC#900
From the USCCB
The seed for vocations is planted in the home and nourished in the parish. Catholic schools, campus ministry, and caring friends play a role, as well. An invitation to help out, to lector, to serve as a Eucharistic Minister, an Altar Server or as a Greeter may be all it takes to start an ordinary parishioner on their way from simply sitting in the pew to becoming a more active member of the body of Christ.
During Mass, we pray for vocations. God is answering this prayer in countless ways.
Click here for a message from the Vocations Director for the Diocese of Orlando, Fr. Josh Swallows.
And also read a Q & A from some Discerning Hearts.
Click here to read the message of his Holiness Pope Francis for the 2020 World day of Vocations.
Is God calling you?
Source: Diocese of Orlando
God calls each person to a life of holiness and service, whether single, married, ordained, or consecrated. The Office of Vocations provides discernment opportunities, encouragement, support, education, and resources for those responding to God’s call through the ministerial priesthood and religious life. We are committed to fostering an environment where vocations to the priesthood and religious life are valued and nurtured within the domestic church of the family and the local parish community.
“May God’s special grace be your source of strength and may Mary, Our Mother, guide your every step. May you be Jesus’ hands and feet in our world. Amen.”