What can be done?

FR. GUY BRINKWORTH, SJ., outlines the progress of a vocation from childhood to the final decision and points to places where the first impetus can be unnecessarily lost through the failings of members of the Christian community at all levels.
"'THE lack of priests is making itself particularly more dangerous in the near future." Thus spoke Pope Pius XII some ten years ago: and despite these words the situation continues to deteriorate. And in its Decree "Optatam totius . ." the recent Council commences with the words "The task of fostering vocations devolves on the whole Christian corn m unity. .
The whole subject of the "mechanics" of vocation fostering is a vast and complex one indeed: and in a short article of this nature we can but treat of a few aspects only.
First we must try and rationalise the problem a little by thought and experience. It is clear that we can, logically at least, disentangle three stages in what we call a "vocation" — he it to the priesthood. to the religious life or the lay life, married or single. In this article we confine ourselves to the "vocation" to the priesthood and or religious life.
First there must be suitability both physical and spiritual.
Environmental factors in the home and school, education. academic and of the character. spiritual guidance and encouragement, sacramental graces—all can play their part in building up the "suitability" of the young persons. One wonders how many of our Catholic homes and schools are in any way consciously geared to the development of this specific "suitability".
One purely academic difficulty might be discussed as an example. Too many boys and young men who are in all other respects "suitable" are put off from any serious step towards the priesthood because they have never had the opportunity of studying Latin.
This whole problem of making the study of elementary 1 atin possible for all boys interested needs looking into and tackling in a realistic and more adequate manner. We are at present involved in a massive re-organisation of our secondary education and a golden opportunity has arisen to integrate into Catholic education more efficiently and realistically the "suitableness" of Pope Pius XI. First things first.
With regard to the spiritual side of this "suitability", let us take just one very important factor: the use of the daily sacraments. especially the Holy Eucharist, as our chief weapon in this part of the apostolate and work of character building. The other sacraments, as well as every ministry of the Church and every work of the apostolate. are linked with the Holy Eucharist and are directed towards it. . . Hence the Eucharist shows itself to be the source and the apex of the whole work of preaching the Gospel . . ." (Decree "Preshyterorum ordinis": Vat. Council II). The establishment of such organisations as the Knights or Handmaids of the Blessed Sacrament can be of a great assistance in the building up of a firm faith and "emotional stability" among children, both in the home and at school. parent, teacher or priest—can deepen, orientate and vitalise this objective interest of the child into an interest in a real and personal service to his fellow men through, with and in Christ, whose Body the Church is.
Nor must the "vocation promoter" be too impatient at this stage. Pressure to force a commitment or a specific decision at an early age (at a rough estimate, below 16) is • liable to do more harm than good—if only by bringing on mental and moral confusion and even positive "salesresistance".
The writer well remembers
a group of over-shrewd 12year-olds describing one overenthusiastic "vocations promoter" from a religious congregation as "a cradle snatcher". We must be content to develop the possibility as a possibility—to guide the boy along an escalation of grace which may, in God's good time, lead to the final and free "Adsum" "Here I am, Lord". Grace perfects nature we are told: and it is not for us to perfect grace but to work naturally too.
This deepening and widening "interest" is our main objective. Heaven knows that the whole subject, if tackled laboriously and imaginatively, can be a fascinating panorama: the hierarchical fabric, the great humanitarian and educational works, foreign missions, the work of countless dioceses, religious orders, secular institutes, lay groups and organisations—the canvas stretches breathlessly out.
And one still finds the majority of young men and women who have been brought up in Catholic homes and Catholic schools with . the vaguest ideas of that glorious day-to-day. work—not knowing even the distinction between a diocesan priest and a brother or nun except that one "says Mass" and the other does not.
Nor can one forget the group of over 100 senior Catholic boys and girls who had never heard of "V.S.0." still less that the biggest Voluntary Service Overseas. consisting of thousands upon thousands of volunteers, mostly "for life" and not for a year or two and working mainly on pittances. functioning under the guidance of Propaganda Fidei.
Much good work is being done in this field; but we have a very long way to go yet. How to get at these faceless, ignorant and therefore uninterested young people?
Catholic journals, yes. But parents need to introduce their children more to these journals within the family circle. And there are already existing many people, groups and organisations that work specifically within the ambit of the second stage we are at present discussing. But they need encouragement. sympathy and assistance from "the whole Christian community".
One thinks immediately of a religious institute of full-time "vocation promoters", the Daughters of Our Lady of Good Counsel — commonly known as the "Vocation Sisters". This is a recently founded (in England) congregation which professedly makes the fostering of vocations its "great apostolate"—and as far as the writer knows. is the only religious institute that does so.
Similarly, the Serra Club (which originated in the United States but which is spreading slowly in this country) consists of devoted lay-men who use every means to promote "interest" in the priesthood and religious life among young people.
One only wishes that there were very many more of them. "Vocation clubs" in schools and parishes, vocation study groups in schools (one large complex of these is organised from Beulah Hill), vocations exhibitions, national as well as diocesan and domestic. "work. shops", conferences: all help to foster the "interest" which spontaneously flowers into the final and grace-assisted third stage.
But these efforts and organisations, devoted and effective as they are, are as yet hopelessly inadequate to our growing numbers: they actually make an impact on a pitiably small proportion of our boys and girls and young men and women.
One wonders, indeed, whether there is not room and scope for an organisation of lay-women to work in parallel with the Serra Club and together with the "Vocation Sisters". Such an organisation might place an emphasis on mothers of families as members together with teachers and youth leaders. It might might well call itself "St. Monica's Action" and its main endeavour would he to take "vocation fostering" into the home where, according to the Council, it fundamentally belongs.
T would indeed very much welcome any inquiries or suggestions concerning the initiation and maintaining of something in the nature of "St. Monica's Action".