Program of Priestly Formation 6th edition

30 | PROGRAM OF PRIESTLY FORMATION

gesture and word which shows that we are more than simply bystanders. Only through such respectful and compassionate listening can we enter on the paths of true growth and awaken a yearning for the Christian ideal: the desire to respond fully to God’s love and to bring to fruition what he has sown in our lives.” 99 Although he does not serve as a spiritual director for the discerners in his care, the vocation director should have training in sound principles of vocational discernment to be able to assist them in their discernment in the external forum. A joyful witness by the vocation director makes the reality of the priesthood attractive to the one who is called to this vocation. For all discerners, listening and personal accompa niment are critical. As the Church in the United States continues to become increas ingly Hispanic, promotion and discernment of vocations in this segment of the Catholic population of the United States is essential, as are voca tion promotion and discernment in other populations present in an eccle siastical entity. 100 At this historical moment, particular attention should be given to US-born Hispanics, who constitute the majority of young people within this population. 101 It may be desirable that a vocation director himself be able to speak Spanish and be well acquainted with specific Hispanic cultures present in his ecclesiastical entity, because vocations recruitment in these cultures often entails building relationships not only with discerners but also with their families. Vocation directors and admission boards must embrace a missionary spirit in their own ecclesias tical entity, with the goal of encountering Hispanics where they are and accompanying them on their discernment journeys. Such commitment sometimes requires offering academic assistance, counseling, and tutoring to help those discerning a priestly call to prepare for formation. Pastoral leaders and communities fostering vocations among Hispanics must be attentive to cultural differences, which will vary greatly across the broad segment of the Hispanic Catholic population in the United States. GROWTH IN HISPANIC VOCATIONS 53.

99 Evangelii Gaudium , no. 171. 100 For more information on culturally diverse populations in the Catholic Church in the United States, see Mark Gray, Mary Gautier, and Thomas Gaunt, SJ, Cultural Diversity in the Catholic Church in the United States (Washington, DC: Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, 2014). 101 See USCCB, V National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry Working Document (Washington, DC: USCCB, 2018), 150-155.