Vocation roadshow drums up interest

Aug 08, 2014

By Bernard Anthony
The seed of religious vocation needs to be nurtured in our children from a tender age in order for it to come to fruition. With this in mind, the Archdiocesan Vocation Promotion Team (AVPT) recently visited the Church of St Francis Xavier in Petaling Jaya to promote their ‘Vocation Roadshow’ on July 19 and 20.

The team comprised of Vocation Director, Fr Christopher W. Soosaipillai, accompanied by Sr Elizabeth Jothee FSP, Sr Angeline Poh and Sr Mary Soo FMM, Sr Santhamary IJ, Sr Christie Ho FDCC, Sr Angelina Peter, aspirant Theresia and Sr Paula RGS.

Religious Brothers Robert Teoh, Joachim and Anthony Cheng, John Chin FMS, Bro. Gasper SG and Lay Auxiliary Franciska Savarimuthu were also present.

In his sharing during all the Masses, Fr Chris spoke on the Gospel message about the seed: how the Word of God is within all of us. However, negative outside influences and our own inherent weaknesses ‘choke’ God’s word, very much like darnel (a poisonous weed). Therefore, we need God’s word and God’s grace, to nuture within us the Spirit of God, to make us His witnesses.

Fr Chris said that we need the Word to spread to everyone, including those people living outstation. Therefore, we need more priests and religious to continue this special mission. He invited parents to pray for their children and youths to be zealous in faith, to seek the Lord within their hearts and respond to His call. As for the youth, Fr Chris invited them to listen in the silence of their hearts to God’s voice in their lives and to respond with faith to His call. As Isaiah says: Don’t be afraid, for God goes before us in our response. With God’s inspiration and help, we will be able to touch many through our response and call to the priestly and religious life.

He then invited Sr Elizabeth Jothee to share her vocation story, on how God called her to be a religious Sister and how the Word of God, Jesus Himself, touched her. Sr Christie Ho, Sr Angeline Poh and Bro Gasper shared their vocation stories during the three morning Masses.

The AVPT team also met with some Sabahan and Sarawakian students after the Sunset Mass.

On Sunday, they met some 300 Sunday school students from Forms 1 to 5, catechists and parents in Loyola Hall.

First was an introduction to the various orders, their founders, when they were established and their mission. The religious and priests present shared a bit of their own personal vocation stories and the joy of being a priest or religious. Several questions about the vocation were posed to the AVPT team members. At the end, the students were given some ‘head-cracking’ questions for them to ponder further.

Fr Chris thanked the catechists, parents and priests for giving the AVPT the opportunity to share and to cultivate the seed of vocation to priestly and religious life among the children and more importantly, to touch their parents’ hearts. The AVPT, through this noble anointed ministry, has awakened the hearts of parents and children in the hope that they will hear God’s prompting and respond to His call. God willing, with prayers of St Ignatius of Loyola and St Francis Xavier, the AVPT hope to receive new vocations from this parish in the near future.

For those keen to know more, the next Vocation Roadshow will be at the Church of the Holy Family in Kajang, from August 16 to 17. You can also visit the AVPT website,www.klavpt.org.