Program of Priestly Formation (Ascension)

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Program of Priestly Formation

for any ecclesiastical entity essential in helping someone discern a call to the priesthood.

It is important for the vocation director, as much as possible, to enter into dialogue with the discerner and accompany him in this process. Listening is important as well: “Listening, in communication, is an openness of heart which makes possible that closeness without which genuine spiritual encounter cannot occur. Listening helps us to find the right 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 accompaniment are critical. GROWTH IN HISPANIC VOCATIONS As the Church in the United States continues to become increasingly Hispanic, promotion and discernment of vocations in this segment of the Catholic population of the United States is essential, as are vocation promotion and discernment in other populations present in an ecclesiastical 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 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. 99

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