May 2025: Editorial

                                                                                                        Ask the Lord of the Harvest

In his message for a three-day Congress on vocation in Spain in February which marked the conclusion of the Spanish bishops pastoral plan, Pope Francis invited us to always make our talents bear fruit. This is the ultimate purpose of existence, he says: ‘Wherever God sends you, bring him along: to your office, to your family, to your apostolate.’ He emphasised that ‘we are all stewards of the gifts of grace and nature that the Lord has given us. Our talents must be invested and yield interest; our possessions must be shared so that their benefits reach others.’ Few lived out this vocation better than the Church’s newest young saint, Carlo Acutis.

During this month we have a day (Sunday, 11 May) dedicated to prayer for vocations, to the work of service in the Church. Vocations in life take many forms yet there remains an urgent need for people who are prepared to dedicate their lives to this work of service in the Church for the sake of the Gospel.

The latest Vatican statistics reveal that throughout the world there is a growing Catholic population but fewer pastoral workers. There are more permanent deacons and bishops and the rate of decline in male and female religious orders has slowed down but there are also fewer seminarians and priests. Unsurprisingly perhaps Europe fares worst whilst other parts of the world such as the Americas (where almost half of all Catholics now live) and Africa, Asia and Oceania continue to grow.

The harvest continues to be rich therefore, but the labourers remain few. In that situation Jesus has already given the blueprint for our response ‘so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.’ (Lk 10:2)

Fr Paul Clayton-Lea

Editor