The family is the first school of discipleship or the “seedbed of vocations”. For the president of the Bishops' Conference, “God’s calling is easier to hear when it is made or heard in the context of a family that has faith.”
Davao (AsiaNews/CBCPNews) – Parents play a pivotal role in the discovery and promotion of religious vocations, this according to Archbishop Romulo Geolina Valles of Davao, head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference (CBCP).
Speaking at the ordination of three deacons yesterday at San Pedro Cathedral, the Archbishop said that the family is the first school of discipleship or the “seedbed of vocations”.
Whilst promoting vocations in parishes or schools is helpful, the prelate stressed that nothing beats the role of families as the “basic venue” to encourage vocations. “God’s calling is easier to hear when it is made or heard in the context of a family that has faith,” he said in his homily.
“Faith in the community is also very important. It makes easier for people especially today to appreciate the whispering of the holy spirit,” he added.
In the presence of family and friends, CBCP president gave three young men – Michael Ondras, Jr, Ruperto Jamili III, and Alfredo Bustamente, Jr – a welcome in the archdiocese's clergy. All three have completed their theological training. As deacons, he told them that they are called to be servants, performing “a kind of serving that requires us to be the last”.
For the archbishop, the deaconate is just a transition ahead of becoming a priest. Hence, “We will accompany the journey of our people to the kingdom of God. That is the signpost of the Church, the ministry of the servants of the Church.”