The crisis of vocations in Europe is a "major problem" and a cause of "great concern" for the Church. Vocations are actually essential to "ensuring the announcement of the Gospel in Europe today". These are the words of father Jean-Pierre Leroy, director of the Office for Vocations of the Belgian Bishops Conference, as he introduced the yearly meeting of the European Vocations Service (Evs), due at Zadar (Croatia) from 28th June to 1st July. "The European cultural scenario explains father Leroy is not favourable to vocations, mostly because the young are not too inclined to commitment. A religious and priestly vocation is a lifetime commitment to God". The subject chosen for this year’s meeting is "The family: a place of vocation". "In the seminaries and in the religious congregations, we see explains father Leroy that many vocations are born within the family". But the family must be a "place of meditation", where "the young can find stability, their parents’ love, a spirit of fraternity", and a "place of mission", where they can learn "serving, helping others, opening up to the world". All "prerequisites to open up to the vocation and respond to the call. In other words, it takes human qualities that can certainly be largely learnt within the family".
