including for children should be places where, over

time, they feel comfortable. One of the most

responsibility of parents for their children's
education. The Family:
effective ways to assure this quality of generosity
is simply to have a large family and to treasure the
If need be, you may have to teach them the Faith
yourselves but in any case you must not send them
Seedbed of Vocations
children God has sent to you. This will help them off to college as innocent lambs ready for the
to place the person and not the pleasure or object at slaughter. Believe me, there are plenty of wolves out Father John McCloskey
the heart of their moral universe. The greatest gift there. Introduce them to the saints as their role
you can give to your children is more brothers and models while also encouraging them to imitate the We know that the core teaching of the Second
sisters. Persons are not things. Thus too they virtues of the great men and women of history. Vatican Council is the radical call of all to
will never see another person as a means or an Remember you are preparing them for a life of holiness. However, we also know that God
object but rather as another Christ whom it is their service and dedication to God and not necessarily in calls a chosen few, that should be many, to
privilege to serve. the convent, monastery, or rectory. You may also follow Him even more closely in a life of
4. Instill an appreciation of beauty, whether it want to encourage them, gently, to participate in apostolic celibacy for the kingdom of God,
be in nature, literature, music, or art. The books, Catholic programs for youth that are sound, whether it be as a priest, religious, or
magazines, compact disks, videos, musical demanding and fun. It may be there that they first layperson. The founder of Opus Dei once
instruments, and art that you have in your come in contact with those other mentors and remarked that those called by God owe
house, the television shows that you watch new friends who will introduce them more ninety percent of their vocation to their
together, and the family excursions that you take will concretely to the possibility of a life of total
parents. The family is the seedbed of vocations.
prepare them to appreciate the goodness of the dedication.
Saint John Bosco was reported as saying
material world that God has created and These are just a few ideas. You yourselves
redeemed. They will also understand and despise by that one out of every ten Catholic men has a
will have others. Nobody knows your
contrast the culture of death, which kills both the vocation to the priesthood. We could say that he
children better than you do or loves them more,
body and the soul. Beware of leaving your employed the word men in the inclusive sense
save God Himself. Vocations are a supply-side
children alone with the television or computer, and say that one out of every ten persons has a
phenomenon. Supply creates demand. If you
particularly as regards games and the Internet. specific supernatural calling from God. Perhaps
supply (offer) your children to God through your
They should be considered as dangerous this is the Lord's way of assuring a total tithing
prayer and careful preparation, He will match
substances easily subject to abuse and thus closely of His children. He has no interest in money
you by taking them and through His grace
supervised and controlled. All of this will prepare but has a total commitment to His children as a
and their collaboration. Don't forget the
them, as they mature, to be more reflective, and loving Father.
shortcut of entrusting them to Mary, the
contemplative thus more able to wisely discern and One of the greatest hopes of any
Mother of God. If our Lady takes a special
answer God's call. Catholic family should be to have one, or more,
Take special care with their formation
liking to them, her Son will form them into the
of their children to be chosen in a special way
outside the house. Encourage them to have a new evangelizers of the third millennium.
by God for His service. Traditionally, this has
wide variety of friends with whom they can You will lift a hymn of thanksgiving to God
meant a vocation to the diocesan priesthood or
share the joy of your own family life. By the for rewarding your generosity by calling one of
one of the religious congregations. In a specific
time they graduate from high school they should yours to be a special one of His. And if your
sense we are referring to the priesthood, the
have an excellent grasp of Catholic teaching in its children don't receive a divine vocation which
religious life, or to one of the various
doctrine and morality and be able to give an is unlikely if you follow the advice given
movements and institutions for laypeople that
account to others of the hope that is within above, don't worry, your grandchildren will.
enable them to dedicate themselves totally
them. This is your primary responsibility. You cannot outdo God in generosity.
to God in the middle of the world. These
Every family has different financial
Used with permission new institutions are highly favored by the
circumstances and choices. It may be home
schooling, the parochial or private school, or Church as a means of complete dedication to
even the public school. It is not simply a question of Pope John Paul II Society of Evangelists the apostolate. Nowadays, it is more and
choice, however. Christian parents have a serious P.O. Box 5584, Bakersfield, California 93388 more recognized that the vocation to
E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 661 393-3239 apostolic celibacy for the kingdom of God is
responsibility to improve all varieties of www.pjpiisoe.org
education, always insisting on the primary also a viable choice for the layperson. Indeed, the
Pamphlet 046
Church has made it quite clear through its
enthusiastic endorsement of the need and adult Catholics and family persons who will build positively about the Church and the greatness of
efficacy of specific vocations to the various up the Church, society and culture. being called to a life of dedication in it. Never
movements and institutions of the Church that are Catholic parents who want to produce vocations speak negatively about persons who have
lay-oriented. However, it is no secret that for the Church have to be ready to be heroically dedicated their lives to God no matter what their
generally, with some few notable exceptions in counter cultural. As the old Beatles song put it, human failings might be. Your children
some few dioceses and religious congregations, "It don't come easy." Putting it mildly, the world should know that you pray for them every day,
vocations have been in sharp decline in appears designed at the moment to thwart people, that they be holy and happy and generous to
Europe and North America over the last forty particularly young people, from even what-ever God calls them. They must know that
years while on a steady but unspectacular rise entertaining the thought of complete dedication while you are concerned with their education,
to God. I like to speak of three particularly health, achievements, career prospects, these
throughout the rest of the world during the
strong influences on young people today: One, are all secondary to their being virtuous and
pontificate of John Paul II. There are a variety of
the general culture; two, the educational system; happy in this life and saved in the next.
reasons for this decline in the West. We could three, the family environment. Hopefully, at least 2. Fost er a simpl e lif e of piet y i n the
cite contraception producing smaller families, two out of three would be positive influences to home adjusted to the condition and ages of
general affluence resulting in the bourgeois spirit create a favorable environment for young men and the children. It should leave the children
producing a consequent lack of generosity, lack of women to commit themselves totally to God. asking for more, not begging for less. The Cure
catechesis, the general confusion in the Unfortunately this is not the case. The secular of Ars was once asked by parents what they
Church, the sexual revolution and the educational system, from top to bottom, as could best do for their children. He said
consequent loss of innocence resulting in presently constituted, represents the ideology of simply to bring them frequently to Jesus in the
cynicism and hedonism among young people secular humanism as the norm; the general Eucharist and in the Sacrament of Penance.
where ideals should be high, the sad example of culture appears designed by a demonic Figure out how you can do this, respecting their
tens of thousands of married couples and intelligence to destroy any notion of beauty or freedom yet making it attractive.
priests and religious who have not been faithful truth in any young mind or heart. This leaves the What is most important is their seeing you
to their commitments to God, the Church, and each family which is under unprecedented attack by lead a more devout life than they. They will
other. However, the example of holiness is a the aforementioned forces and others watch you pray, go to Mass, go to confession,
much more powerful influence on young apparently left alone to fend for itself. However, read the Sacred Scripture, pray the Rosary, and
people if they are brought up in such a way as to John Paul II told us that as the future passes through so on. They will see that the liturgical calendar is
appreciate it. Witness the impact of John Paul II, the family, I, with him, bet on the family. It has a the most important one for their family and that
Mother Teresa, the new Doctor of the Church long track record of survival. Be sure to read his you celebrate accordingly. They will also see
Saint Therese of Lisieux, Blessed Josemaria Letter to Families for some hopeful and helpful you make sacrifices in order to do so.
Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei and so many advice. Pleasing God, not men, will thus become the
others. Look at the World Youth Days in What can parents to do to create an environment priority in their life also.
Czestochowa, Denver, and Paris with their where one or some of their children will 3. Teach them to value poverty and
millions of young people united in prayer and discern a specific call from God to follow Him detachment. Keep them short on money. Do not
sacrifice, and apostolic zeal with the Holy Father completely? They should want to foster a let them indiscriminately acquire things or to
and the Church. family life where it is natural to be generous measure people by the amount of their
The family atmosphere in which vocations are and to make a sincere gift of oneself to others. possessions. Teach them to make things
bred, nourished, and readied for fruition really is Here a few ideas: last and how to go without happily. Teach them
no different than what any serious Catholic parents 1. Parents must be their children's best how to share cheerfully. Make sure they spend
would want to create for their children in order friends. To win and keep children's friendship is their summers productively. That oftentimes
to prepare them for holy marriage and to give a a daunting but joyful task. You must show will mean they work and/or spend time in
Christian witness in the world. As the noted family your trust for them and respect for their generously serving others less fortunate than
expert Jim Stenson has remarked, parents should freedom from an early age trusting that the themselves.
form their children with their vision pointed into Holy Spirit is already at work in their soul Expose them according to their age and
the not too-distant future when their children will from Baptism. You may sometimes be ability to "take it," to misery. Soup kitchens,
marry and have children of their own. They are disappointed but your children will realize nursing homes, and hospital for incurables
preparing their children to be responsible, faithful that your love is unconditional. Speak often