“It Is Not Uncommon for a Vocation to Fade Because No One Supported It”: The Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Address the Clergy and Monastics
This year, the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church devoted special attention to the pastoral care of vocations to the priesthood and religious life. In their post-synodal message, the bishops called on priests, monks, and nuns to accompany young people more actively on their journey of discerning God’s call and to bear witness to the joy of their ministry with their own lives.
“The Holy Spirit always enriches the Church with workers in God’s vineyard, even in the most trying times. All we need to do is be open to the gift of a vocation, seek this gift, and pray unceasingly: ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out laborers into his harvest’ (Mt 9:37–38),” the members of the Synod of Bishops encourage.
It is precisely priests who are called to discern the work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of young people, to support them with kind words, shared prayer, and involvement in parish life.
“It is essential to support a young person’s vocation through attentive listening, encouragement, and guidance. The personal example of your faithful life, your joyful and zealous service in a spirit of self-sacrifice, encourages young people to follow in your footsteps,” they emphasize in the document.
Read also:
“Follow me!” (Mark 2:14). Pastoral Letter of the 2026 Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church
“It is not uncommon for a young person’s vocation to fade simply because no one recognized and supported it in time,” the bishops advise the clergy.
The bishops also urge them to meet regularly with young people, organize pilgrimages and camps, invite seminarians and consecrated persons to share their personal journeys, and above all—together with parish communities—to pray unceasingly for new vocations.
The Synod of Bishops has addressed consecrated persons with a request to be closer to young people, to share the joy of their vocation, and to provide spiritual guidance.
“Dear brothers and sisters in Christ! Know that the call to priestly ministry and consecrated life is a sign of the Church’s vitality. For she ceaselessly brings forth new workers for Christ’s vineyard. A vibrant parish is the place where a young person can encounter the living Christ and hear His call: ‘Follow Me!’… So let us all be vigilant in safeguarding this great gift and accompany those who are called with our prayers,” urges the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
The UGCC Department for Information
