By: Edgar Fabian Cruz del Angel, Ecclesiastic Experience in the Vocational Center

Every year in February, our Monterrey Archdioceses makes the annual Seminary funds collection, which is just one of the activities organized to support the promotion and prayer for priestly vocations. In February, for one week mass intentions were especially dedicated to pray for priestly vocations.

In the last two weekends of February we – the seminarians – went out to the various parish communities to make the funds collection.  On behalf of all the seminarians, I wish to thank the whole community of Monterrey Archdioceses; through their generousness, they make it possible to develop each one of us who have answered God’s call to consecrate our lives to priestly vocation.  Being with you makes the heart of Jesus our Good Shepherd to grow within us.  Our vocation is for you! Thank you very much!

Finally, with the recent visit of Pope Francisco to Mexico, we know that his testimony will touch the hearts of many youngsters who will wish to consecrate their lives to a concrete vocation.  This is why I would like to invite you to keep praying for vocations because we are certain that “behind and prior to any vocation for priesthood or consecrated life, there is always somebody’s strong and intense prayer: a grandmother, a grandfather, a mother, a father… a community.  This is why Jesus said: “Ask the Lord of the harvest – that is, our father God – to send in workers to his harvest field!”  Let’s embrace Pope Francisco’s invitation in this Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy: “May you rediscover that Christian vocation, as well as particular vocations, are born in the heart of the People of God and they are gifts of divine mercy.   The Church is the home of mercy and it is the “soil” where vocation germinates, grows and yields fruit.”