Vocations to religious life and priesthood begin with parents

Excerpts from Bishop Vasa's column:

A recent issue of L’Osservatore Romano, the weekly Vatican newspaper carried this headline: “A key to holy priests? Holy parents.” That headline led into Pope Benedict’s reflection of May 7, 2006, in which, among other things, he said: “The priest’s mission is irreplaceable, and even if in some regions a scarcity of clergy is being recorded, we must never doubt that God continues to call boys, young men and adults to leave everything and dedicate themselves totally to preaching the Gospel and to the pastoral ministry.”
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Then we come to the paragraph that gives rise to the headline: “Moreover, let us not forget that Christian marriage is in all respects a vocation to holiness, and that the example of holy parents is the first favorable condition for the flourishing of priestly and religious vocations.”
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If it is true, as the Holy Father offers, that “the example of holy parents is the first favorable condition for the flourishing of priestly and religious vocations,” then clearly prayer for vocations needs to be coupled with a very strong emphasis on the vocation of parents to holiness. The home, with holy parents, without a doubt, needs to be a nursery of priestly and religious vocations. It is in the home where those first inklings of a call to service in religious life are received, heard and fostered. This necessarily involves parents who have a deep and abiding faith and who are eager to respond affirmatively and encouragingly to their sons and daughters when they hint that perhaps they would like to pursue a religious vocation.

We are reminded to pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life and to pray fot holy families.