Chalice for Vocations

So, I am working on a follow-up post to my last one about home schooling.  In the meantime though, I thought I'd tell you about something special going on this week at Casa Doyle.  Last Sunday at Mass, we received the Vocation Chalice and committed to spending an hour per day learning about and praying for vocations.  At first I thought an hour would be difficult for us to do but between watching the DVDs about vocations and saying the rosary, we have had no problem.  Because one of the DVDs was a talk by Mother Teresa, I started reading a children's biography about her life and her love for Jesus and the poor.  I plan to finish it before we return the chalice on Sunday so all in all I'd say that we are having no problem fulfilling our commitment.
I know that the girls are paying attention to what we are hearing and doing because there has been more talk this week about what God is calling them to do.  Today, Mia asked if she could make a visit to the adoration chapel after choir.  She told me later that she had spent part of the time talking to God about her vocation.  I asked her if God had told her anything.  She gave me an impish grin and shrugged her shoulders.



Just in case you want to join us by praying particularly for your own children and their vocations, here is a prayer we received with the chalice:

Gracious and loving God, you have blessed us with the privilege of becoming parents.  We ask that you provide us with all that we need in accepting this awesome responsibility.  We pray that we will be open to Your Spirit who is our source of strength as we witness to our children Your love for each of them and Your desire for them to be happy and to live a fulfilled life.  We ask Your help so we may guide and encourage our children to believe that they each have a special calling and to use their gifts and talents for others.  We pray, Heavenly Father, that our children will discover and respond enthusiastically to your desire for them whether it be to the vocation of single, married, ordained or consecrated life.  We offer this prayer in the name of Jesus through the grace of the Holy Spirit.  Amen

I'll leave you with this pic of Fr. TJ with his biggest fan
Thank you God for the gift of the priesthood!