The Church has always taken particular care of vocations to the ordained ministry, in the knowledge that it is a constitutive element of the Church’s identity and is necessary for Christian life. Hence she has always devoted special attention to the formation and accompaniment of candidates for the priesthood. The concern of many churches for their numerical decline demands a renewed reflection on the vocation to the ordained ministry and on the pastoral care of vocations so as to convey the fascination of the person of Jesus and of his call to become pastors of his flock. Likewise the vocation to the permanent diaconate calls for greater attention, because the full potential of this resource has yet to be tapped.
TheoFonsAt the sources of the faith