The annual celebration of Derry Diocesan Vocations Week has been extended this year to a nine-day festival of prayer, beginning Saturday, 17th April and concluding on Good Shepherd Sunday, 25th April. Parishes and schools are encouraged to participate in the schedule of daily prayer. A Vocations Programme has been designed to be adapted to daily and weekly routines. The programme includes daily introductions and Prayers of the Faithful for daily Mass, as well as devotional reflections based on the Angelus, Daily Examen and the Mysteries of the Rosary.
The theme for this year’s Vocations Week is based on “Patris Corde” (‘With a Father’s Heart’), Pope Francis’ recent publication for the year of Saint Joseph. Included are a series of daily reflections based on the themes, which Pope Francis highlights in his document.
Furthermore, on the evenings of Monday, 19th April - Friday, 23rd April, Bishop Donal will host a series of interviews with guests from throughout the diocese discussing how they have answered God’s call and how they understand their life as a vocation. These twenty-minute interviews will be broadcast live online every evening at 7pm, followed by a broadcast of the celebration of the Daily Examen. At 8pm, after evening Mass (Monday - Friday), Bishop Donal will lead the Rosary before concluding with night prayer. The live broadcasts can be viewed at derrydiocese.org and derryvocations.org.
Please find attached a resource created by the Catechetical Centre to help our children, staff and families celebrate this week.
