godiscallingyou

Vocation Increase

 
Zenit recently ran a story about a vocation increase in 20 countries. Monsignor Francis Bonnici reported the news at a conference of English and Welsh Vocations Directors. He did not mention all 20 counties but did mention that England and Wales were in the list of 20. Read the whole article here and keep praying for an increase in vocations, those prayers do have an effect.

Manhood

A priest, Fr. Larry Richards, recently published a book for men titled, Be A Man: Become the Man God Created You to Be. Important topic especially today since gender roles/identity have become so confused. Great read for those discerning a vocation; in order to be a priest it is essential to first have a proper understanding of being a man and what that means in relation to our faith in God. Read more about the book or purchase it from Amazon.

Fort Hood

Father Ed McCabe began his new post only 2 months ago. Fr. McCabe is the chaplain of the largest US army base, Fort Hood in Texas. As you can imagine due to the horrific events of this past week, Fr. McCabe has been extremely focused on bringing God's healing mercy to the army base at this difficult moment. Of the 13 who died at Fort Hood, Fr. McCabe anointed 11 of them. He recently spoke with Catholic News Service - read his thoughts on being in the midst of such an incredible tragedy.

Spanish Contemplative Boom

Its not everyday that you hear about a convent in Spain that is attracting tons of young sisters. Well that is exactly what is happening, and has been happening, to a group of Poor Clares in Spain. This new vocational boom is due, in large part, to Sr. Veronica the prioress. The women entering her convent are young professionals from Spain - many giving up lucrative careers and relationships to serve God as a Poor Clare sister. At a time when vocations are dwindling in Spain, the average age of sisters is very high, and most new sisters are coming from foreign countries, this trend of young, professional, native sisters is very promising. Read more from Catholic News Agency and enjoy the video below.

Raising Money

At 95 years old Brother Patrick Corr continues to raise money for the St. John of God Retirement and Care Center in California. The center does great work in caring for the sick, elderly and Alzheimer's patients. Much of the funding for the center has come from Brother Patrick's fundraising efforts, a job he has been doing since 1946. Brother Patrick agrees that fundraising is not fun, but he also acknowledges that it is about building relationships. People don't want to give unless they know what they are giving to and what the money is going towards. Read more about Brother Patrick's amazing life and work!

Steps to Priesthood

 

TrentonMonitor (the new e-edition fo the Diocesan newspaper) recently ran a story about the steps involved in becoming a Catholic priest. The e-strory was an interview with Father David Toups, associate director of the Secretariat for Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. In the interview, Father Troups walks through the process of experiencing a call to the priesthood, entering the seminary and eventually ordination to the priesthood. Father Troups provides a very practical time line of how that would take place. Read the article.

Funeral Mass

 
A Funeral Mass for Rev. Edward Hinds was celebrated this past Saturday in north Jersey. Fr.Hinds was brutally murdered in his rectory by the janitor of the parish. There was much coverage of his death and also the funeral - read more here and here. Pray for Fr. Hinds and his family.

Recession

As everyone knows the economy throughout the world has seen better days - many people are struggling financially. Priests in the Diocese of Lyon France are helping those in financial trouble. Priests in that Diocese have forgone a month's salary to help those who are struggling in this economic crisis. A bold and compassionate move on behalf of those priests - read more here.

Another Exorcist Speaks

 
Headline Bistro recently did an interview with Father Gary Thomas of California. Fr. Thomas is an exorcist and in the interview he spoke about his training to become an exorcist, how exhausting it is performing an exorcism, the 5 exorcisms he has performed and how the process unfolds. Fr. Thomas also spoke about how most cases that come before him are psychological problems and require medical attention, not an exorcism. He also spoke about the reality of evil and possession today especially since the occult has become a popular trend in modern society. A truly fascinating interview - read the whole thing here.

More on Exorcisms

 
Since we are approaching Halloween and we posted something about an exorcist yesterday, thought we would continue the theme. In case you want a good movie for this time of year, 2 great ones are The Exorcist and The Exorcism of Emily Rose. They are both based on true stories of actual exorcisms. However, they have also been highly sensationalized/exaggerated to meet Hollywood movie standards. But both still contain some kernels of truth concerning exorcisms. Read the US Bishops movie review of The Exorcist and The Exorcism of Emily Rose. The Exorcism of Emily Rose tends to be less sensational then The Exorcist. Again if you are looking for books on this topic take a look at yesterdays post for some recommendations.