To celebrate and promote vocations during the Catholic jubilee year, Glenmary held a Vocations Fair Day at our mission in Macon County, Tennessee, on February 1.
The day began by sharing about Glenmary’s mission in bringing the Eucharist to rural America. Attendees studied maps that depicted religious population in the United States, watched videos on Glenmary’s mission, and venerated a prayer vessel that displayed a rosary and crucifix used by Glenmary’s founder, Father William Howard Bishop.
Eucharistic Adoration, opportunities for confession, and Mass followed. Mass was celebrated by Father Aaron Wessman, Glenmary’s vice president, Father Charles Aketch, pastor of Holy Family mission, and Father Samuel Mungai, associate pastor.
During his homily, Father Aaron spoke on how to cultivate a life open to vocations. He brought out a wilted plant and asked the children what is necessary for a plant to grow. They responded: soil, water, and sun.
“When we are not living our vocation in life, oftentimes we will feel like and look like this [wilted] plant,” Father Aaron said.
So, how do we cultivate our vocation? It starts with the soil, which is our family. “The prayer for all Catholics is that within the family, parents help their kids to ask the question, ‘What is God calling me to?’” said Father Aaron. That calling can mean priesthood, religious life, or marriage.
The water that helps us grow in our vocation is the parish. The parish, with its priests and religious Brothers, is there to help parishioners receive God’s grace and discern how to grow in holiness.
And finally, sun is necessary. “Jesus is the sun, the light of the world,” Father Aaron said, “and the more we can place ourselves in the presence of that light, the more we can ask the question, ‘Jesus, what are you calling me to?’”
After Mass, attendees enjoyed lunch and Glenmary student Angel Barocio led the children, and some adults, in games.
The day concluded with a vocations panel featuring Lorenzo Aju, Glenmary’s lay coworker; Father Charles Aketch; Hillary Ladema, Glenmary student; and Corey Soignier, Glenmary Brother-in-training.
The panel took turns answering the questions, “How do I know God’s call?”, “When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?”, “What’s your favorite color?” and more.
To continue the celebration of vocations, Glenmary’s Holy Family mission will keep the prayer vessel containing Father Bishop’s rosary and crucifix. It will be taken home by parishioners to pray for vocations to Glenmary and within their family. In the following months, the prayer vessel will travel throughout Glenmary’s mission counties before coming back to reside at Glenmary’s headquarters in Cincinnati.
