Pope Benedict XVI’s Address to Participants of the Conference on Pastoral Care of Vocations in Europe.

(July 04, 2009) “The Year dedicated to the Priests offers a good opportunity to rediscover the profound sense of vocations, as well as its basic choices of method: the witness, simple and credible, and the communion, with concerted and shared routes in the local Church and the everyday, learning to follow the Lord in our daily life. This is possible by listening to the counsels of the Holy Spirit, to guide young people in search of God and lead them to true happiness, and finally to truth, which alone can generate inner freedom” said Pope Benedict XVI. He was addressing the participants, about 120 in number in Rome, on Saturday 4^th of July, at the Conference on Pastoral Care of Vocations in Europe, held from 2^nd to 6^th of July. The theme of the conference is "The Gospel of vocation for the young in European culture", which aims to infuse new momentum to your efforts for vocations. The Pontiff added that the care of vocations for the diocese is one of the pastoral priorities, which takes even more value in the context of the Priestly year that has just begun. At the heart of their work is the Gospel parable of the sower and the sower does not lose heart, because he knows that some of this seed is to find the "good ground", meaning that they able to accept the word with readiness and give back generously to the fruit benefit of many. The Holy Father then invited them to be sowers of trust and hope. This may be the hour of God: his call, mediated by the strength and the effectiveness of the word, it generates a path of hope in the fullness of life. He called them to follow the example of the Cure of Ars who has demonstrated to be a true master in the ministry of extending consolation to people and building the vocations.