LAFLIN – Nearly 200 people from across the Diocese of Scranton gathered together Nov. 18 to hear speakers Rhonda Gruenewald and Leticia Ramirez teach them how to foster vocations in our parishes.
Pastors first heard from Gruenewald at the annual Priest Convocation in October and were encouraged to invite parishioners to the Hundredfold Vocation Ministry workshops given in English and Spanish at Saint Maria Goretti Parish in Laflin.
The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, led parishioners in prayer before the sessions began for the day. Rev. Alex Roche, Diocesan Vocation Director, then celebrated Mass and offered a commissioning prayer for the future vocation promoters present at the event.
Gruenewald, a Houston-based convert to Catholicism and founder of Vocation Ministry, shared the story of how her priest asked her and her husband to be part of their parish’s vocations committee. In turn, she said the nearly 200 parishioners in attendance at the workshop are now being called to do the same.
Once Gruenewald had established a foundation for vocation work in her parish, she was called to develop a plan to bring this ministry to the Diocese of Houston and now, after the release of her first book, Hundredfold: A Guide to Parish Vocation Ministry, to dioceses across the country.
At the Diocese of Scranton’s Hundredfold workshop, parishioners were given the tools to create an action plan for creating vocation-friendly parishes, discover programming opportunities offered by the Diocesan Vocations Office, and discuss possibilities for future vocation initiatives.
Gruenewald suggested that parishes host holy hours for vocations, encourage youth in the parish to write cards to their pastor for his ordination anniversary, implement a Traveling Chalice program, adopt a seminarian in prayer, and much more to promote vocations at the parish level.
Parishioners were also encouraged to promote Vocations Office events such as Quo Vadis Days, monthly XLT, and World Day of Prayer for Vocations.
To find out how you can help promote vocations in your parish and become part of this diocesan-wide ministry, please email vocations@dioceseofscranton.org or visit www.dioceseofscranton.org/vocations.