John Paul II Vocations Ministry Biloxi
Chrisifidels Laici, Lay Ministers of Christ's Faithful People
Welcome! What's Inside this web site -see below
Our Mission is to promote Vocation committees in Parishes; Elijah Cup and Eucharist Adoration Devotions. Our Goal is to bring vocation awareness to the home, parish and pulpit.
We are seeking dedicated parishioners to assist in implementing programs after pastor approval. Guidelines have been distributed to Pastors at Deanery meetings.
John Paul II, "Pray for Vocations" - in Pastores Dabo Vobis he stated :
" vocations are everyone's business ".
~Artist Michael Borgatt
What's New Inside this web site
( Language translator bottom of page)
''Think Globally, Act Locally ''
Nativity Cathedral , Adoration Chapel ,Biloxi, Ms. offers one hour of Eucharistic Adoration petitioning our Lord for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life. This adoration takes place on the second Thursday of every month from 6 PM until 7PM.
The World Day of Prayer for Vocations or Vocations Sunday will be celebrated on Sunday 21 April 2013. The theme chosen for 2013 is: “Vocations as a sign of hope founded in faith”.
This is the 50th World Day of Prayer for Vocations and it also coincides with the Year of Faith, which is marking the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. While the Council was sitting, Pope Paul VI instituted the World Day of Prayer for Vocations which is a worldwide day of prayer to God, asking him to continue to send workers for his Church
WHY Become a Priest - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnaLVE4ayDs
Role of the Laity :An article entitled '' The Role of the Laity in the Mission of the Church Today'' by Rev. William Goh , writes, '' The laity plays an important role in the mission of the church today. Today,both priests and laypeople are called to be co-workers of Christ, bearing equal responsibilities but in different ways. Our Holy Father ( Emeritus ) Pope Benedict XVI challenged the lay faithful to take their important role in the life of the church, alongside the clergy and to participate fully in her mission to the world . Co-responsibility requires a change in mentally particularly with regard to the role of the laity in the Church, who should be considered not as collaborators with clergy,but as persons truly co-responsible for the being and activity of the church''.
"U.S. BISHOPS CALL TO PRAYER FOR LIFE, MARRIAGE AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY In this Year of Faith, the Catholic Bishops of the United States have called for a nationwide effort to advance a movement for Life, Marriage, and Religious Liberty through prayer, penance, and sacrifice. Catholics are encouraged to pray for rebuilding a culture favorable to life and marriage and for increased protections of religious liberty. This call to prayer is prompted by unprecedented challenges to the Church and the nation, particularly the HHS Mandate and current trends in government and culture toward redefining marriage. The goal of this call to prayer is twofold: (1) to increase awareness of these challenges and (2) to build spiritual stamina and fortitude among the faithful so that we can be effective and joyful witnesses of faith, hope, and charity and agents of the New Evangelization. Beginning on the Sunday after Christmas, the Feast of the Holy Family, the Call to Prayer for Life, Marriage and Religious Liberty has five components: - Monthly Eucharistic Holy Hours in cathedrals and parishes - Daily Rosary by families and individuals - Special Prayers of the Faithful at all Masses - Fasting and abstinence from meat on Fridays - A Fortnight for Freedom in June/July 2013 Join the movement! Pray for our nation. Pray for life, marriage and religious liberty."
Your faith is being rewritten !!
Religious freedom is our first American freedom. It is a founding principle of our country, protected by the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights. It’s a fundamental human right, rooted in the dignity of every human person—people of any faith or no faith at all. It’s not a Catholic, Jewish, Orthodox, Mormon or Muslim issue—it’s an American issue, a civil rights issue . Today, religious freedom is under threat throughout the United States—at all levels of government, federal, state, and local—and abroad.
Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York president of the U.S. Bishop's conference challenged the bishop's ( and all ) to undergo their own conversion and renewal from the heart through the sacrament of penance. Cardinal Dolan posed the question what's wrong with the world and church is not politics,the economy,secularism, global warming but quoting G.K. Chesterton ''The answer to the question is just two words,''I am''. Archbishop Lori chairman of the U.S. Bishop's Ad Hoc committee for Religious Liberty has a new web site to explain church teaching, as well as providing materials to parishes organizations as part of the new evangelization . Archbishop Lori stated '' initial efforts have demonstrated the need for greater formation , especially to reach young people to open their hearts to their (faith) heritage teachings on religious liberty. To reach web site click on Religious Liberty .
PRIESTLY & RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS IN DIOCESE OF BILOXI
The search for local priestly and religious vocations is best accomplished at the parish level. Each and every Catholic can effectively assist in calling forth vocations by recommending priesthood and religious vocations to key individuals in our parishes. Pastors are especially encouraged to recommend two or more individuals to join the John Paul II Ministry and represent your parish in making aware religious and promoting religious vocations in the home, parish and from the pulpit.
To read about the John Paul II Vocations Committee Conference held at the Biloxi Diocese click on conference.
To view a listing of Priests serving in the Biloxi Diocese, keep them in your prayers , click on Biloxi Priests
Benedict XVI: New Technologies Are a Resource for the Faith to hear click on NEW TECHNOLOGIES
John Paul II Lay Ministry Board Member Patricia Houghton shares her Secular Franciscans lay ministry spiritual life . Go to media above click on MESSAGES
Dates to remember in 2013
National Vocation Awareness Week- January 7-13, 2013
World Day for Consecrated Life : February 3,2013
World Day of Prayer for Vocations : April 21, 2013
Daily Prayer Day 1 -- Feast of the Assumption Novena of Masses-go to media top of page click on prayer requests
The New Media will FOCUS on the MASS : The Church does not have to change its teachings to reach young people, but we must deliver it to them in a new way. Click to read more
To read about the religious who support the Diocese click on Deanery Parishes on top menu and cursor down to Support Religious Orders.
Encourage and Support Priests : click on Encourage
Encourage Priests and Religious , send a Spiritual Bouquet click on Bouquet
Did You Know :A former priest in the Diocese of Biloxi , now a Bishop, encourages US Bishops to use “NEW Media”. ..."I am here today to suggest that you should not allow yourselves to be fooled by its appearance. Social media is proving itself to be a force with which to be reckoned. If not, the church may be facing as great a challenge as that of the Protestant Reformation". To read more go to top menu MEDIA click on messages .
To hear the President talk about God, a man of faith, click on Ronald Reagan
Catholic Student Association established at Gulf Park Campus Click on above. To read about other Campus Ministries click on Campus Ministries bottom of page.
Pope Urges Students to Grow in Holiness
When addressing the Catholic students of England, Scotland and Wales during his recent visit, Benedict XVI said: " I want the very best for you. And by far the best thing for you is to grow in holiness." click Holy
The Paulist Fathers web site Busted Halo uses new media to reach young adult Catholics.
The Holy Father will issue a pastoral letter in observance of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. The theme of this year's prayer for vocations day is "Proposing Vocations in the Local Church." The Pope says this "means having the courage, through an attentive and suitable concern for vocations, to point out this challenging way of following Christ which, because it is so rich in meaning, is capable of engaging the whole of one's life."
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Celtic Cross lapel pin embraced by
the John Paul II Lay Vocations Biloxi Ministries
The Irish Catholic priest will have no hesitation telling you that the circle of the Celtic Cross is a symbol of eternity that emphasizes the endlessness of God’s love as shown through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. That is unless he says the circle is a halo. He may go on to explain that the crucifixion is important not just as an event at a certain point in time but, as the circle symbolizes, as the unending mystery of how through the crucifixion and resurrection Christ continues to offer the hope of salvation to the faithful throughout all time.
To read about the Mississippi Coast Heritage and the Catholic Church go to the top menu “ Deanery Parishes “.
To read Biloxi Seminarian Vocation Stories: go to top menu " About "
To view or post a prayer request go to media top menu , click on prayer requests.
For the newsletter of K of C Council 5654 Ocean Springs, go to Media above top menu and click on Council 5654 K of C.
For a Video of a Star Athletic currently in discernment for the priesthood click on Soccer Star.
Spread the Faith : Spread the Faith in a Bold, New Way. Your "calling" as an Ambassador is to bring people closer to Christ and to His Church by linking your parish or community. Establish or join your parish Vocation Committee . To become an informed Catholic click on Word On Fire .
-Nominate a Future Saint . For a Novena go to Media cursor down to Prayer Requests .
“New Evangelization,” reawakening a missionary spirit in the church. - Pope Benedict XVI has dedicated the next Synod, a gathering of bishops from all over the world, to the theme of the “New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith.” The lineamenta, or draft working document, for the synod, to be held Oct. 7-28, 2012. Pope Benedict stated " In the modern world we are to use all resources available to us, including the modern (social) media. The " new evangelization" to encourage people to come and know Jesus and His Bride the Church." The John Paul II Vocation Ministry Biloxi consist of lay men and women in the Diocese of Biloxi who promote religious vocations by reawakening vocations to the ministerial priesthood and consecrated life and reaching out to young people BY PROMOTING AND ESTABLISHING PARISH VOCATION COMMITTEES IN OUR RESPECTIVE PARISHES WITH PASTOR APPROVAL, encourage ELIJAH CUP and EUCHARISTIC ADORATION Devotions. For more information on these go to top of menu Ministries .
Nominate a Future Saint -click on Media top of menu to view .
Pope Benedict XVI announced that he would canonize seven new saints in 2012. , among them two Americans: Marianne Cope, a member of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Syracuse, N.Y., who cared for lepers on the island of Moloka’i, Hawaii, in the late 19th century, and Kateri Tekakwitha, a 17th-century Mohawk Indian from upstate New York who converted to Catholicism and will be the Catholic church’s first Native American saint.
One of the devotions to increase vocations by the John Paul II Vocations Ministry of Biloxi is the Elijah Cup or Traveling Chalice ( see Ministry top menu) . This a devotion to bring vocation awareness in the home, various parishes in the diocese are currently offering this easy to administer devotion. . Some churches just say call the parish to sign up for a week while others may have a vocation committee which assists the pastor in “ Proclaiming the Good News “ . Where a parish has a school the religious teachers could coordinate by class and offer at the weekly children mass in addition to the masses on Sundays
Diocesan youth urged to let their light shine
A small sentence for insertion in parish bulletin each Sunday : Pray for Vocations : For more info go to www.JohnPaulVocationsBiloxi.com
To obtain mass times in the USA and the world click on Mass Times
To view various " forms " on this site click on highlighted links below :
To Blog on K of C's Councils or HS Alumni,leave a message or prayer request :
1) Click on “ Media “ in top menu ; 2) Click on “ Local K of C’s “ - that lists council’s that participate . Informs what other councils are doing if you click on their site ie St Elizabeth Seaton Council or St Alphonsus , etc. ; 3) Click on “ Council 5654” your particular council ; 4) Click on “ Stay in Touch “ and read blogs for your council or HS Alumni. Leave a general “message “ ; or request a prayer . To go to K of C web site click on "Lay Support Ministries" below
YouthMinistry |
High Schools &Alumni |
CampusMinistries |
AdultCatholic Singles |
Lay VocationalSupport Ministries |
SeminaryDiscernment |
www.JohnPaulVocationsBiloxi.com
This past week visits by the U.S. 91%; Western Australia 1%; Canada 1%;Columbia 1% ;Germany 1%;United Kingdom 1%; Hong Kong 1% ; Mexico 1% ; Indonesia 1% ;Italy 1%
Contact us with suggestions & comments on this web site to adminvocations@cableone.net
