Like going to the moon

There were 23 of them in 2002. They doubled to 44 in 2006 and 2007. For the moment, the crisis in vocations hasn’t affected England or Wales, which have been experiencing a renewed interest for religious life. To learn more on the issue, SIR Europe interviewed three priests actively committed in the realm of vocations. The first, father Stephen Langridge, in charge of vocations in the diocese of Southwark, founded two “support groups” for those who discover their own vocation. The “Seekers” for those who are over-22, and “Quo vadis” for 16-year-olds. SIR Europe contacted also Father David Cain from the diocese of Nottingham, and father Luke Jolly, who organizes courses for those who wish to approach their vocation in the Benedictine Worth Abbey.Father Langridge, on the basis of your experience as animator, how important is the support of the group? “It’s crucial. I founded the “Seekers” four years ago, after having come across a research stating that 70% of the youth with a vocation relinquish it because they don’t know of anyone else in their same situation. Bonds are established in our groups that last throughout the years of the seminary and beyond. In a society that not only isn’t Catholic but is also anti-Christian, the solidarity and the support of others who share your same situation is crucial”. What is the activity of the support groups?“I present the various aspects of Christian life and give others the opportunity to discuss the matter person to person. The youth group “Quo vadis” was created after the World Youth Day, so as to give to those who had participated the opportunity of developing the themes of their calling”. Are the groups successful? “In our diocese vocations increased by 400%, passing from one-two a year, to eight or nine”. If the initiative is so effective, why is it not undertaken by all the dioceses? “Most of those in charge of vocations have a parish to run and devote to vocations their extra time. I think it would be important for Bishops to transform the contribution of those in charge of vocation into a full-time job, since a lot of time is needed to organize these groups and promote them in parish churches and schools”. Father Cain, what are the major obstacles preventing the youth from respond to a calling to priesthood or to religious life? “ God calls everyone in the same way, however, perhaps some are more timid. Our age is marked by a tendency to be attracted by ease; identified as money, power and fame. A religious vocation entails a difficult life that is devoted to serving others. I myself felt a strong calling when I was eleven – twelve, but it was hard for me to follow the calling, although my family was religious. Only after college did I manage to undertake this path”. Father Jolly, in your abbey you hold courses aimed at bringing possible vocations to the fore. Could you tell us more about these courses? “The course is held seven week-ends plus a week at Easter. We don’t take more than eight participants since the groups must be small. The program is for Catholics aged 20-25. We discuss the history of religious life, the vows of obedience, chastity and poverty, prayer, the traditions of spirituality in religious life. We try to promote team-spirit with moments of relax like communal cooking, going for walks, drinking tea and coffee and conversation. We devote a week-end also to self-understanding and for this we avail ourselves of the Myers-Briggs personality-test”.With which results?“We’ve been organizing this course for five years. Up to now, seven people have made the choice of religious life. We consider it an excellent result. Usually, those who have a religious vocation think they are alone, that nobody is having their same experience and that therefore is pointless to follow the calling. Our course enjoys the support of thirty-five religious orders, so that the youth don’t feel they are being pressed to enter a specific congregation. The Church of England and Wales has undertaken a number of programs in the past years to help the youth discover their own vocation. We realized that unlike in the past, contemporary culture doesn’t favour vocation. As one of the trainees once said, in contemporary society, seriously considering religious life is like wanting to go to the moon”.