Catholic dioceses across mainland China marked the World Day of Prayer for Vocations with coordinated campaigns over April 25 and 26, as Church leaders and institutions responded to a shortage of priestly and religious vocations.
The Diocesan Seminary of Beijing urged the faithful to take an active role in fostering vocations. “All of us can become guardians and promoters of vocations, cultivating together the fertile ground of the call, so that more and more people may hear the invitation ‘Come and follow me’ and, with courage, enter the Lord’s vineyard, becoming laborers alongside Christ,” the message said.
According to the Vatican’s Fides News Agency, initiatives were carried out across parishes, dioceses, and seminaries to promote discernment and raise awareness on vocations during the annual observance, also known as Good Shepherd Sunday.
In Beijing, parishes distributed formation materials, including a booklet of “Questionnaires on Sacred Scripture” prepared for the Year of the Word of God convened by the diocese. Cloth bags bearing the image of the cathedral were also handed to parishioners.
In the Diocese of Ningbo, four priests were ordained during a liturgy presided over by Bishop Francis Xavier Jin Yangke at the Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary. He pointed to the urgency of addressing the decline in vocations.
“Our time is marked by a shortage of priestly and religious vocations. Therefore, we must not only pray for vocations, but also carefully discern our hearts, be willing to offer our lives, and entrust even our children to the Lord,” the bishop said.
Following the ordination, Bishop Jin assigned the newly ordained priests to their pastoral posts through an episcopal decree. The liturgy drew a large number of faithful, including relatives and friends of the ordinands.
In Jiangxi province, the parish of Jiujiang urged the faithful ahead of the observance to pray and offer for vocations in the diocese.
In Shaanxi province, the Philosophical and Theological Seminary organized vocation gatherings involving more than 70 participants, including seminarians, priests, teachers, and religious sisters, who visited parishes to share their formation journeys and daily life.
A priest who spoke during the visits reflected on discernment and perseverance in responding to a vocation, encouraging families to support and promote vocations through their witness of faith.
The range of initiatives reflects a Church-wide effort to involve local communities in nurturing vocations, as dioceses respond to continuing shortages by turning to families, parishes, and seminaries to sustain future ministry.
