These are four key words for anyone who wishes to sponsor the priests of tomorrow.

Pray

The starting point is prayer, because God is the Lord of the harvest, and we are humble laborers who answer his call, "so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest." The end point is also a time of prayer, when we give thanks to the Lord for those who answered the call.

How should you pray? We have two suggestions for you this year on how to pray specifically for vocations:

1. Alone or in a group, pray the "24 days for priestly vocations," thus joining the "Invisible Monastery." You can sign up officially by calling us at 514-523-3338.
2. Attend the masses for priestly vocations, presided by our Archbishop, on the following Fridays: January 27, April 21 and October 27, 2017, at 7:30 pm, at the Grand Séminaire de Montréal. You are all cordially invited!

In this way, you become the spiritual sponsors of the priests of today and tomorrow!

Evangelize

After prayer, it is action that is required. We must make it possible for the youth to encounter Jesus Christ in our parishes and families. We must be his witnesses and strive to know him better and help others to do so, so that the vocations of tomorrow may take root in the hearts of many. Each vocation is important, including the priestly vocation!

Engage

Christ chooses those whom the Church of today needs. Some of the youth are in our churches and families; others are on the outskirts. In order to reach more young people, the seminarians who minister for vocations decided to play in a soccer tournament with young people from various communities and groups and to exchange views with them on the meaning of life and the search for happiness. Yes, God still calls today! He may wish to call you or someone close to you. But how does one discern this calling?

During the month of February 2017, three meetings will be offered to those who wish to discern a vocation or to be admitted to the Grand Séminaire next year: a film on vocations, a meeting with discussions and testimonials from priests and seminarians, and a weekend during which the candidates could visit the seminary, meet the seminarians and their superiors, and get a better grasp on what a vocational journey entails. To begin or pursue a vocational journey towards becoming a priest, please phone Father Silvain Cloutier (vocation director for the French sector and multicultural communities) or Father Gerry Westphal (vocation director for the English sector) at 514-864-5626.

Support

After having striven to inspire others to find their calling, we wish to support those who embark on the path to answering the Lord's call. During the new fundraising campaign, you could spiritually (prayer) and financially (donations) sponsor the priests of tomorrow. For more details, please visit our Œuvre des Vocations du Diocèse de Montréal website. Some of the seminarians will be visiting the parishes in the coming days. Also, campaign flyers have been distributed in all the parishes of our archdiocese.

In 2016, three new priests were ordained for our Archdiocese! Thank you for the prayers and financial support you provided for them. Thank you for your support for all those who will become priests, with the grace of God, over the next few years.