Story by Mary Stadnyk | Associate Editor

As a way to involve and encourage parishioners in the Diocese to pray for vocations in their daily lives, Father Daniel Swift, an assistant diocesan director of vocations, has developed a Pray for Vocations program.

The program is modeled after the “Cup of Elijah” Pray for Vocations program in which a chalice is given to one household for a week to pray for vocations. Instead of using a chalice, Father Swift’s program uses an icon depicting an image of Mary, Mother of the Eternal High Priest, along with matching prayer cards.

Father Swift smiled as he told of how his Pray for Vocations version had already met with success in two parishes: St. Benedict, Holmdel, where he was pastor from 2005 to 2015, and his current assignment, St. Mary of the Lakes Parish, Medford, where he serves as pastor.

“We often talk about the power of prayer and often feel helpless in certain situations. The dearth of priestly vocations is possibly an example. As a man of faith, I have seen over and over again what the power of prayer can accomplish,” he said.

“It just makes good sense to broaden the opportunity for vocations. After all, 1,000 prayers are better than one,” he said.

Local Work of Art

While Father Swift purchased commercial icons for the program in St. Benedict Parish, the icon for the program in St. Mary of the Lakes was created by Nadine Haines, an iconographer and 24-year parishioner who has been active in various ministries in both the parish and as a parent in St. Mary of the Lakes School.

Haines said she was pleased that he allowed her to use her skills to create a prayerful image for the intentions of vocations. Though she presented several icons, Father Swift chose Mary, Mother of the Eternal High Priest which depicts Mary, The Theolokos or God-bearer, with her hands outstretched in a prayer position. Jesus is depicted as a young man, dressed in priestly vestments and holding the Holy Eucharist. Jesus is suspended in air, inside a heavenly blue and starry circle, in front of Mary. They are both contained within colorful surroundings.

“The main theme of the icon is an invitation to prayer,” Haines said. “We, as baptized Christians, like Mary, hold Jesus within the temple of our souls and can have communion with him through prayer and the Sacraments of the Church,” she said, adding how Jesus is portrayed holding one hand with two fingers raised, which represents the two natures of Christ – human and divine. In the other hand, Jesus holds the host and chalice, which when consecrated only by a priest, becomes the Body and Blood of Jesus.

“He gives himself to us in Holy Communion so we may share our lives with him and he may reside within our souls as our consoler and guide,” Haines said. “He will lead us through the storms and darkness of our lives into his love, joy and peace.”

Program Logistics

Explaining how the program may be implemented diocese-wide, Father Swift described how it is handled in St. Mary of the Lakes. He noted that there are multiple copies of the icon available so that more families can pray at a given time simultaneously. On the third, fourth and fifth Sundays of the month, families are encouraged to sign up to pray for vocations during the weeks of the following month. The sign-up sheet is located in a designated area in the church. When the family’s week arrives, the family signs out the icon and obtains holy cards with the intention of praying the prayer on the holy card every day that week. The family returns the icon to the church the following Sunday. In addition, he said that a weekly update of who is praying is published in the parish bulletin and then a new sign-up sheet is placed by the third Sunday of the following month.

Parishes looking to introduce the Pray for Vocations Program can contact Father Swift at 609-654-8208, ext. 115 or [email protected]. The icons are $20 each and prayer cards are 15 cents each.  Also available are sample bulletin announcements and sign-up and sign-out forms. Make checks payable to St. Mary of the Lakes Parish, 40 Jackson Road, Medford, N.J. 08055.