CALLED TO SERVE AS DEACONS AND PRIESTS

N AN ARTICLE in New Directions recently (March 2006) I wrote about calling young men to a lifetime's ministry as priests of the Church. This subject is particularly topical at this time of year. As I write, Vocations Sunday is coming into view (7th May) and preparations are well in hand for the June and July ordinations. One correspondent, in response to my New Directions article, reminded me of the need to acknowledge equally the call of older people and the call to minister as deacons and priests without a stipend. Another correspondent suggested that, before too long, it may be necessary for most deacons and priests to engage in a little tent making: Acts 18:3 tells us that St Paul supported himself as a tentmaker. Perhaps clergy in the future will be given a house and half a stipend.

A couple of years ago (August 2004) I called for vocations to the Sacred Ministry, in the following words:

"What we need are five young men, centred on God, and eager to do his will. Has your parish got someone like that? Your ordinand should be reasonably able - able enough, perhaps, to be a primary or secondary schoolteacher - and fairly good socially - without having to be the life and soul of every party. He will already know and love the Bible and the Mass - but he doesn't have to have to be able to swap texts or show a fascination with ecclesiastical paraphernalia.

As well as these young men, there are others: older people who have had other callings - or dodged the call; people who can serve without needing a stipend; people drawn into different forms of Christian service…there is no doubt that local ministry will be of growing importance. It is the sheer variety of gifts that makes up the richness of the Body of Christ, what the Prayer Book calls 'the blessed company of all faithful people'."

Numbers coming forward continue to be low. We shall be ordaining three deacons this year (only one of whom is young and needing stipend) and three priests (all stipendiary). There are two or three other others who wanted to serve in our parishes but dioceses could not afford to pay them and they had to go off to other parts of the country. That in itself shows how vital it is that PEVs are given the opportunity to place their own clergy in title parishes. But the real challenge to us is in mission and evangelism with young people. Where parishes have young people, there we find young vocations. No wonder that, for me, nothing is more important than the outreach we do through the Ebbsfleet Children and Young People's Eucharistic Festival at Brean (10th June this year) and the Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage (6th-11th August). Is your parish supporting these major initiatives? There should be 500-600 youngsters at each of these, some of whom, on previous occasions, have expressed real interest in training as priests.

Pray, then, for our work with young people, pray for vocations and pray for those to be ordained. May God bless you in his service.

+ Andrew Ebbsfleet



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