A message from Bishop O’Connell on World Day of Prayer for Vocations

This Sunday, April 25, is World Day of Prayer for Vocations, a day that coincides with Good Shepherd Sunday.  As Catholics, we are all asked to encourage young people in particular to consider dedicating their lives to follow the Lord Jesus in a special way through priesthood, diaconate, and consecrated religious life … and to pray for them.  But, in order to “consider,” to “dedicate,” to “follow” the Lord, you must first listen for his call.

It comes in the ordinary moments of your daily life when you recognize something deep inside urging you to do more with your life to demonstrate God’s incredible love for his people. Perhaps it is serving the poor; perhaps it is teaching the young; perhaps it is making the Gospel and your faith more concrete by your personal witness. There are so many ways the Church offers you to make God’s grace and presence felt among God’s people. Is God calling you to pursue a vocation in the Church?

For his full message click here.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In the early weeks and months of the pandemic shutdown, Catholic families and parish communities turned to digital technology to stay connected to their faith and one another.  With so many eyes on digital screens, the Diocese of Trenton began to encourage the faithful to share video reflections on how they were coping with COVID-19 and where they found hope during the crisis.

That outreach resulted in a special curated series titled “Stories of Hope,” which the Diocese first launched nearly a year ago. Nineteen videos have been included in the series to date, which together have garnered 9,000 views and more than 1,000 engagements on social media. For the full story click here.