New vocations drive seizes on World Cup fever

Young men urged to dedicate their lives to God, not just football
BY WILL GORE
As ENGLAND braces itself for the World Cup the National Office for Vocation has launched a campaign to try and persuade young men to bring the lifelong passion they feel about football into the priesthood.
The National Office has sent 5,000 vocation packs to schools, parishes and chaplaincies in the dioceses of England and Wales to promote the fourth Sunday of Easter, the annual day of special prayer for vocations to the ordained ministry, which coincides with the last weekend of Premiership football this season.
The pack contains a poster with two images of a young man, contemplating his destiny dressed both as a priest and as a footballer. The campaign has so far prompted a positive response. One school requested 50 posters so that one could be put up in every classroom. Fr Paul Embery. the Director of the National Office for Vocation said: "We hope to capitalise on the success of the World Cup. Reaching young people is the point of the campaign. Football plays a major part in young men's lives. The 'beautiful game' is not just a job, it becomes a whole way of life.
"It takes many years of training and dedication and perseverance to get to a professional standard. The support of your team is invaluable and it isn't just about a one off public appearance at the weekend.
"We want young men to see that some of the motivating factors for footballers are just as applicable to the Catholic priesthood and that being a priest is a very rewarding and satisfying vocation, and a lifelong one too."
The information pack also contains the story of how in 1907 trainee priests from the English college in Valladolid, Spain beat Real Madrid 6-2. Fr Etnbery said: "While a centenary re-match in 2007 would be a good idea, I am not sure we could guarantee the same result this time without a little divine intervention. However 1 think the English squad have a good chance if they come up against Spain at the World Cup."
Although professional footballers are not commonly renowned for their holiness, the sport shares many links Catholicism.
Pope John Paul II was a talented goalkeeper who enjoyed watching football matches throughout his life.
Pope Benedict XVI is less committed to the beautiful game. He recently failed to recognise the Brazilian legend Pele, widely considered the greatest player of all time.
However, Pope Benedict does appreciate
the magic of the World Cup and the moral integrity of sport. "The game is life," he once wrote. "If we examine it more carefully, the phenomenon — a world devoted to soccer — could give us more than mere amusement."
In 2002, Vatican City, the Vatican's own team, remarkably drew nil-nil against Monaco, who reached the Champions' League final two years later.
Many football clubs have strong Catholic connections. Recently Glasgow Celtic erected a statue of Brother Walfrid, a Marist priest, who founded the club in 1888 outside their ground.