During his recitation of the Regina Coeli earlier on in the year on Good Shepherd Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI said the following:
“On every continent Ecclesial Communities with one voice seek from the Lord numerous holy vocations to the priesthood, to the consecrated and missionary life and to Christian marriage as they meditate on the theme: “Vocations at the service of the Church’s mission." This year the World Day of Prayer for Vocations fits into the setting of the Pauline Year which will begin this 28 June to celebrate the bimillennium of the birth of the Apostle Paul, the missionary par excellence. In the experience of the Apostle to the Gentiles, whom the Lord called to be a "minister of the Gospel", vocation and mission are inseparable. He therefore represents a model for every Christian…”

Since the Holy Father spoke these words, he has launched the Pauline Year and made various international pastoral visitations including the one which brought him to Australia for World Youth Day. In doing so Pope Benedict has not only proclaimed the message of evangelisation, but also sought to put it into practice himself. “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and you will receive power and you will be my witnesses to the end of the earth.” Pope Benedict is a man on fire with the Holy Spirit and he has taken the “daunting journey” as he called it to bring the Good News to our shores and to confirm the brethren in the faith. This year’s Vocation Awareness Week falls providentially some time after World Youth Day. Many people and especially the young are asking questions: What does it mean to be a witness of Jesus Christ? How can I fulfill this mission?

Most people in Australia now know that World Youth Day is more than a day; it is an entire week. The Concluding Mass on World Youth Day proper, celebrated by the Pope, is the high point of a week of words, works and worship which aim to educate, refresh and confirm us in our Catholic Faith. Even though we celebrate National Vocations Awareness Week now, its hard not to feel that the week has already happened, and that it corresponded with those unforgettable days together in Sydney in July. There the whole world could see the living Church. And what did they observe? That the Church is alive; that the Church is young; that the Church is united under the successor of St Peter. When the Church becomes visible she also becomes accountable and calls us to responsibility for the mission that has been entrusted to her. Archbishop Hart in his pastoral letter for Pentecost took up Pope Benedict’s challenge to young people to “take this task upon yourselves”; that task being to be witnesses to the love of God to the farthest ends of the world.

I have written about the relationship between WYD and vocations elsewhere. More and more am I convinced that the vocations element of WYD is simply an expression of its authentic Catholicity. When people, especially the youth, are exposed to Mere Christianity they come face to face with the living tradition, which is eternally youthful. “Late have I loved thee o beauty so ancient and so new,” wrote St Augustine of Hippo, about 1600 years ago.

WYD has been described as a Catholic Woodstock and compared to a huge rock festival. Many in the media saw it as a Catholic version of what a large number of young people do to enjoy themselves: listen to rock music, go out to night clubs, form relationships, etc. Some of the participants of the latest WYD, and I’m sure, of some earlier ones did this. However, what is so striking about WYD is that it is anything but a Catholic Woodstock. Rather it is a return to authenticity, to our roots; a recognition of truth, goodness and beauty that find their expression in Catholic faith and life. As we saw in the streets and venues of Sydney, this in no way means that young people can’t enjoy themselves. In fact St Irenaeus once famously observed, “The glory of God is man fully alive.”

What WYD therefore consists of is a true celebration of Catholicism. Yes, there were concerts as part of the week-long activities; and while they were fun, these weren’t the main attraction. Those 100.000, 200.000, 300.000 young people from the world over, basically went to Sydney to go to Mass with the Pope; to have their sins forgiven; to adore God here on earth (even in Australia) in the Blessed Sacrament; to meet other Catholics; to find God and ultimately, to deepen or rediscover their faith in the Person of Jesus Christ.

In doing this they were made aware – very aware – of their vocation. Firstly, that in Baptism they are called to a life of holiness: they have a vocation to be a saint and to get to heaven. Secondly, that they are called by God to be Catholics in very concrete ways as Married spouses, as Diocesan Priests or as Consecrated Brothers, Sisters or Priests. A vocation is not a vague thing. It is something very real because it is a call from God to live his life in the depth of our being. It is also very personal, because God calls us each by name.

May we, like St Paul, sacrifice everything in order to listen to - and do - God’s will; seeking to be the saints of the Third Millennium as priests, married spouses or religious men and women. For more information visit: www.catholicvocation.org.au
Fr Anthony Denton is the Director of Vocations for the Archdiocese of Melbourne