Vocations; evidence of good news!

I met a Priest from Kenya yesterday who will be visiting our parish for a weekend mission appeal. Fr. Christopher is a jovial man; a happy priest. We had a nice discussion about the zeal for vocations in Africa and Kenya in specifically. There is no vocation shortage in many emerging Catholic African nations. Fr. Christopher explained that his ordination class alone produced 48 new priests. WOW!

Praise be to God that this is happening with regularity in places like Africa, southeast Asia but generally not in western nations like the good old U.S. of A. Well, not so fast. In this amazing year that Pope Benedict has declared "Year for the Priest" we are also hearing of some amazing vocations here in America.

First, Newark NJ ordained 13 men to the Priesthood. Then came word of a great number of vocations in Atlanta. In fact, the growth of Catholicism in places like Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas and now Tennessee and South Carolina has caught the eye of the Catholic bishops.

Today I read with great interest of a strong ordination class in Memphis. And there is word of growing vocations in Little Rock. In our review of our new Archbishop of New Orleans, Gregory Aymond, most stories site the remarkable growth in the Diocese of Austin from less than 200,000 Catholics to now more than 500,000. Finally, we see the steady increase in vocations to the Priesthood in several various religious orders that tend to be classified as orthodox.

We must always remember that Jesus' promised a Church that would prevail and the even the gates of the netherworld could not overtake it. Tantamount to this promise is the ongoing renewal of the Priesthood so that across the world, in every age, the Mass can be offered and the bread and wine be consecrated becoming His body & Blood.

In this Year for Priests and in all years, pray for vocations, pray for the Priest, ask for intercession of St. John Vianney.