FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Christine Schicker, 404-610-8871 or
cschicker@maximusmg.com
Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life Requires a Human Response
Omaha, Nebr., May 18 – Pope Benedict XVI addressed the “worrisome shortage of priests” in some regions of the world in his message for the 46th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, held this year on May 3. “While….the Church encounters difficulties and obstacles along the way, we are sustained by the unshakeable certitude that the One Who firmly guides her in the pathways of time toward the definitive fulfillment of the Kingdom is He, Who freely chooses persons of every culture and of every age and invites them to follow Him.”
This year’s theme for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations was “Faith in the divine initiative – the human response.” In speaking of the “human response,” the pope said “our first duty is to keep alive in families and in parishes, in movements and in apostolic associations, in religious communities and in all the sectors of diocesan life this appeal to the divine initiative with unceasing prayer.”
The Institute for Priestly Formation (IPF), located at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, is answering the pope’s plea to pray for and support vocations, and is dutifully already prepared for the celebration of The Year of The Priest. The Institute was founded to assist bishops in the spiritual formation of diocesan seminarians and priests as well as those who are responsible for diocesan priestly formation.
This summer, a record 175 diocesan seminarians will participate in a ten-week program of spiritual formation. “IPF’s programs exist to help diocesan seminarians and priests learn how to pray in a such a way that they meet God in the midst of everyday busyness thereby being able to help the people of their parish and dioceses,” says Father Richard Gabuzda, Executive Director of IPF. “We are now in our 14th year and IPF’s programs have served over one thousand seminarians from 130 different dioceses in the United States and across the globe. Many more priests and dioceses have benefited from IPF’s programs.”
In addition to the programs IPF offers, they have recently launched a publishing division, offering a variety of faith-formation resources including Reclaiming Our Priestly Character by Father David Toups, Associate Director of the Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the soon-to-be released Be Thou My Vision: Insight into the Heart of the Priest by Bishop David L. Ricken from the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin.
“The vocation to the priesthood or consecrated life is a special gift from God which becomes part of the great plan of love and salvation that God has for every man and woman,” reflected Benedict XVI. The Institute for Priestly Formation is working hard to support these vocations.
For more information about The Institute for Priestly Formation or their resources, or to schedule an interview with Father Richard Gabuzda or any of their author spokespersons, please contact Christine Schicker with The Maixmus Group at 404-610-8871.
