It’s a New Year, new initiative for praying with the Diocesan Vocations Office.

For many years our Archdiocese has had a wonderful tradition of praying each day for Vocations, with every parish having a day of prayer each year. Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, some were finding this increasingly difficult to do and now seemed a good time to try something new to place prayer for vocations at the centre of parish life.

We are introducing Deanery Vocations Months, which give an opportunity to focus on vocations across a month, with Celebrations of Holy Mass, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Prayer for Vocations.

A new poster with Deanery Vocations Months 2023 has been sent to every church and school. It also highlights the traditional Catholic dedications for each month as a focus for prayer throughout the year.

A Deanery is a group of parishes which can cover a wide area. It enables the sharing of resources amongst parishes in those areas and a strengthening of fraternal support among the priests and people in those areas.

The Archdiocese of Birmingham is made up of 11 Deaneries:
Banbury & Warwick
Birmingham Cathedral & South
Birmingham East & North
Coventry & Nuneaton
Dudley & Wolverhampton
Kidderminster & Worcester
Lichfield & Walsall
North Staffordshire
Oxford (North)
Oxford (South)
Stafford

The Diocesan Vocations Office will be providing resources to make it as easy as possible for the parishes of each deanery and their schools to get involved in prayer for vocations.

Next month (February) the deaneries of Dudley & Wolverhampton, and Oxford (South), will be celebrating their Deanery Vocations Month (during the month of the Holy Family). Plans are already underway for liturgical celebrations and for priests to share their own vocation story in schools.

Deacon Owen Gresty, Diocesan Promoter for Vocations, said: "It has been encouraging to hear the enthusiasm for these Deanery Vocations Months, and how parishes have ideas to mark them.

"When we piloted this initiative in the Autumn, one group of parishes distributed 150 vocations prayer cards when visiting the sick and housebound. We hope prayer for vocations will be at the heart of parishes, homes and schools in the Archdiocese."

Fostering a culture of vocations across the Archdiocese of Birmingham is ongoing as the Diocesan Vocations Office works to accompany people on their continuing faith journey.

Diocesan Vocations Office