“I hope for a jolt in our society, not only in the Church. Each must feel he/she is called, wherever he be, and wherever God has called him”, declared the Right Rev. Gebhard Fürst, bishop of Stuttgart-Rottenburg, to the representatives of the press on 17 November, on the occasion of “Vocation Year”, officially called in the diocese for 2007. The year will be officially inaugurated in Stuttgart on Sunday 26 November, feast of Christ the King, in the basilica of St. Eberhard. “Everyone is called, each in his place”, said the bishop, who emphasized that “the Church and society cannot renounce the skills of anyone”. He urged everyone to use “his/her own talents in society” and not only there: “The talents of everyone are also essential in the Church. Church communities are closed environments that have lost some social groups, particularly the younger generations and the more experimentally minded”. “We need people from all walks of life, we need everyone”, exhorted Fürst, stressing that “not only those who exercise a profession, but also volunteers or those who look after children, assist families or support their own loved ones, follow God’s call. Anyone who rediscovers his/her own vocation, represents an infinite advantage”, said the bishop, also expressing concern about the decline in the number of priests registered in recent years.
