First, listen” “

Ireland has opted for a programme of vocational discernment with afternoon and weekend sessions. Germany, by contrast, has equipped itself with an Internet site: www.Touch-me-Gott.com. France and Belgium, on their official sites, have a link dedicated to vocations. Some countries have produced a DVD with a series of questions on vocations that the young regularly pose to priests. From Ireland to Slovakia, there are numerous projects promoted by the Churches to help the young to discover their own vocation. These are just some of the experiences presented at the meeting of the European Vocations Service (EVS), which brings together within the CCEE the national delegates for vocations of the 34 Bishops’ Conferences of Europe. The meeting, which ended on 3 July, was held at Banská Bystrica in Slovakia on the theme “Jesus in person stopped and walked with them: vocational accompaniment and decision”. The Service will participate in WYD 2005 in Cologne with a dedicated stand of its own in the basilica of St.Gereon from 15 to 21 August. Also as part of WYD, a meeting for seminarians from all over the world will be held in the church of St. Pantaleon in Cologne, during which a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI is planned for Friday 19 August (www.wjt2005-seminaristen.de). LISTENING TO THE YOUNG. The meeting in Slovakia was attended by some 60 participants. Apart from representatives of the Holy See and the CCEE, 14 experts also followed the work. The theme chosen by the EVS this year was focused on the meeting of Jesus with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and therefore on the accompaniment of the young in their journey of vocational discernment, and on the quality of the persons chosen to follow them. Father TERRY DRAINEY, rector of the College of Ushaw, a provincial seminary in the north of England, spoke of the difficulties that may arise simply from the fact of belonging to different generations. He invited the delegates present “not to have necessarily all the answers”, because “probably the young have more need to be listened to”. According to the experts, we need to “be generous in interpreting attitudes that have often been completely ignored” by adults. Father BERNARD MENDIBOURE, of the Jesuit centre of spirituality at Vanves (France), explained that the person who accompanies the young in the choice of a vocation is someone who like Jesus is always “on the move” and who never works in isolated places but on the street. THE IRISH EXPERIENCE. Some interesting vocational projects were presented at the European meeting. One of them is the “Galilee Programme” promoted by the Service for Vocations of the Irish bishops. “Galilee – says a presentation – is not a recruitment programme. It is a service offered to anyone (men or women from the ages of 18 to 35) who would like to live the Gospel to the full and discover God’s call in their life”. The programme offers a series of vocational guidance sessions, moments of prayer and informal meetings. The project is explained on the website of the Irish Bishops’ Conference: it ranges from the most frequently posed questions about the priesthood (age, celibacy, mission, free time) to the relation with family and friends. In the link dedicated to celibacy, the problems linked to sex, marriage, falling in love and loneliness are tackled. Many clichés are exploded. “The question about celibacy that most causes anxiety to those considering the priesthood is whether it is possible to be happy by living in this way”, as if “married people never have problems, or don’t have to make sacrifices, or never feel lonely”. But what about priests who fall in love? “Responding in an appropriate way to our emotions and controlling our desires does not mean repudiating them. The purity founded on sexual repression is a deception”. Lastly the fear of loneliness. “Many people think that priests are very lonely. Yes, often they are. It is possible, however, to feel lonely in the midst of a crowd or in marriage. Celibacy is not the cause of loneliness…”. VOCATIONS IN MATURITY. One fact is certain: those who are evaluating the path of a vocation are generally persons who are “ready”, prepared, that is, “for something important in their life”. “Those who are considering the priesthood or the religious life – explained Father KEVIN DORAN, Irish priest and coordinator of EVS – are nowadays persons who have seriously reflected on the meaning of life and have recognized the value of relations with Jesus. They are often discouraged from following him more closely by cultural factors and by personal fears. The role of those who work in the vocational ministry is not to press people into the priesthood or into religious life against their will, but to help them – through dialogue, friendship and prayer – to follow Jesus wherever He may lead them”.