Vocations to The Sacred Priesthood in the Diocese of Shrewsbury
Called to the Priesthood
“The priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus. “
Saint John Vianney
“Without the Eucharist we do not exist … The priest can never reach fulfilment if the Eucharist does not become the root and centre of his life, so that all his activity is nothing but the irradiation of the Eucharist”. Pope Saint John Paul II
“The call to the priesthood may come at different times and in different ways but always bears the hallmark of the Eucharist.“
Bishop Mark Davies
The sanctuary of Shrewsbury Cathedral
A Prayer for Vocations to the Priesthood in the Shrewsbury Diocese
Eternal Father,
we thank you for every priest who has faithfully
given his life for the salvation of his brothers and sisters.
We give thanks to those priests who have brought us
your Word of truth, the grace of the Sacraments and,
above all, the supreme gift of the Holy Eucharist.
Father through your Son Jesus Christ,
who called the Apostles to follow him,
we ask you to raise up new and generous
vocations to the priesthood in our time.
Send forth the Holy Spirit to open the hearts of a new
generation to your call and enable not them to be afraid,
but to recognise the joy of giving their whole lives in love through
Jesus Christ, your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns forever and ever.
Amen.
Discerning the call to the Priesthood in the Shrewsbury Diocese
In Shrewsbury Diocese we are blessed with many men who have listened to God’s call to the Catholic Priesthood. A vocations group meets every two months for Eucharistic adoration, Holy Mass, food, and reflection. A house of discernment has been established between the Eucharistic Shrine of Perpetual Adoration in Stockport and Shrewsbury Cathedral to allow men to find a small community where discipleship and discernment can be lived and supported by a structured life of prayer centred on the Holy Eucharist and supported by spiritual accompaniment and study of the Scriptures, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the writings and lives of the Saints.
The Sacred Priesthood in the Diocese of Shrewsbury
About the Shrewsbury Diocese
The Diocese of Shrewsbury is privileged to serve the faithful of the parts of Merseyside south of the River Mersey, the southern parts of Greater Manchester, parts of Derbyshire, the counties of New Cheshire – apart from parts of Warrington and Widnes – and the whole of Shropshire. Most of the Catholic population is concentrated in the urban and sub-urban areas of the north of the diocese. Our Diocese serves over approximately 170,000 of the faithful in 89 Parishes, in 2,369 square miles.