National Vocations Forum, Worth Abbey
Spent Sunday 18th at Worth Abbey (Benedictine, where the wonderful BBC TV series "The Monastery" took place - see http://www.worthabbey.net/flash_index.html and http://www.worthabbey.net/bbc/index.html). I was there for a National Vocations Forum with other religious, priests and lay people, all of whom work in some way in the area of vocations. It was a wonderful time of shared experiences, wisdom and support, skillfully facilitated by Abbot Christopher Jamison of Worth. It didn't just deal with the burning question of religious/priestly vocations but also addressed the wider, more fundamental question of christian vocation and the discernment necessary to be able to hear God's call to whatever way of life; be it marriage, celibate single life, religious life, priesthood, etc... and to particular a apostolate within that life. I'll try to put together some of the ideas discussed during the day and put them here. An intiative which many religious orders together a...