(ANS – Rome) – Thursday, 29 November, a seminar was held on "Pastoral guidelines for the promotion of priestly vocations" at the Pontifical Salesian University (UPS) in Rome. The event was organized in collaboration between the Pontifical Work for Priestly Vocations, which drafted the Document, and the Institute of Vocational Pedagogy of the Faculty of Education at the UPS.

The seminar had various and qualified speakers:

• Fr Mario Oscar Llanos, SDB, Director of the Institute of Vocational Education at the UPS., who presented the current context of the promotion of priestly vocation;
• Mons. Paul Selvadaggi, Consultor of the Pontifical Work for Priestly Vocations, who spoke of the theological and pastoral structure of the document;
• Mons. Nico Dal Molin, Director of the National Centre for Vocations of the Italian Bishops' Conference, who dealt with the theme of "challenges and perspectives for the National Vocations Centres";
• Fr Jesus Pulido Arriero, Vice-Rector of the Diocesan Priests who spoke on vocational commitment of consecrated persons.
• Fr Ubaldo Montisci, Coordinator of the Department of Youth Ministry and Catechesis at the UPS, who focused on the involvement of Youth in the promotion of priestly vocations;
• Bishop Angelo Vincenzo Zani, Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, who presented the tasks of the Pontifical Work for Priestly Vocations.

Through the various interventions the complexity of the priestly vocation emerged, including the stimuli in the document and various active projects and groups at various levels: specific vocations Ministry, Youth Ministry and general ministry.

The discussion that followed tackled the issues of formation of priests as vocation promoters in the broad sense; treatment of priests who have left their vocation; vocation of pre-teens or teens; methodological differences or similarities in the Document under consideration compared with other texts on vocations.

As part of the comparison they were reminded that all specific vocations in the Church are responsible for one other, in witness and in joyful and creative fidelity for their lifetime, and that in the commitment for the New Evangelisation all are called to give of their best for the transmission of the Christian faith. At the same time it was reaffirmed that the promotion of priestly vocations is a topic of vital interest for the whole Church, that does not end in simply adding programmes and proposals, but requires an integrated and pastoral support of Christian communities in their entirety.

Published 07/12/2012