VOCATION PROMOTION

Vocation is God's gratuitous gift and persons respond to this call freely and consciously. Pastoral work for Vocations is the first phase of formation during which our efforts are directed to discover and to foster God's call in a person. “The vocations the Lord sends to us are the visible signs of God’s approval of our Congregation and its mission. The presence of numerous vocations speaks of the fervour of religious life in the Church. In fact the vocations and their success are fruits of a flourishing spirituality” (UPS I, 21 & 17).

Vocation promotion is the duty and the responsibility of every member and it should become a priority carried out with love and dedication by all. The vocation promoters help the candidate to discern and accept the call of God.

“The goal of vocation promotion is to search, identify and select genuinely motivated young men for Pauline life in order to evangelize the people of today through the means of Social Communication” (PC XVI, p. 56).

A team of vocation promoters for every state/region is constituted in the beginning of every scholastic year. Their work is co-ordinated by the Co-ordinator of Vocation Promotion of the Province with the support of his council. At the very outset, the prospective candidates are introduced to the unique Pauline vocation with its two-fold expression: Priest and Brother. The team ensures that this two-fold Pauline call is clearly specified in all the vocation promotion materials.

Once a candidate is identified, vocation promoters follow him up through personal contacts, and enquire about the candidate from parish priests, catechists, teachers and neighbours. The candidates who wish to join us are selected to the camps organized by us in a suitable place or in any one of our communities. This is in view of making known to the candidates our way of life, Charism, founder, spirituality, community life and apostolic life, and for us to gain a better understanding of the personality, the aptitude and the motivation of the candidate. Those who qualify are admitted to a year of Aspirancy.