By David Karas | Correspondent

Dorothy Nocera and some of her fellow parishioners in the vocations ministry of St. Dominic Parish, Brick, have found a new way to make their Thursdays meaningful.

A new component of their still-growing ministry, “Sacrifice for Priestly Vocation,” asks parishioners to observe Thursdays as a day of sacrifice and service – perhaps skipping a meal or regular snack, or checking on a neighbor. And it is their hope that these deeds would be done with the intent of praying for vocations.

The call came about after several years of the growing parish ministry coordinating monthly Holy Hours on the last Thursday of each month - as well as showing films and hosting talks with students and parents in the parish elementary school.

“The Vocations Ministry felt it was time to step up our efforts,” said Nocera. “A proposal was submitted  that in honor of Holy Thursday and the great gifts of the priesthood and the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, the parish would be asked to ‘fast’ on each Thursday as a means of asking the Holy Spirit to inspire more men to enter the priesthood.”

The call would not mean a strict fast, she said, but rather a simple act of sacrifice. Some suggestions the ministry has offered include giving up something small, offering prayer or making a visit before the Blessed Sacrament.

 “It makes our faith community stronger by being aware of the needs, then uniting in one common goal – to pray, fast and offer sacrifices, so that young people in our community can respond generously with open hearts and willing spirits if the Lord calls them to the priesthood or religious life,” Nocera explained.

She said that the new initiative of the ministry is being promoted through a variety of means - including letters to homebound parishioners and parish bulletins and posters.

Nocera said that there are “continuious reminders and continual growth in the numbers of people attending the monthly Holy Hour for Vocations. People are amazed when they hear that we have not had any vocations from our vibrant parish in 50 years!”

That fact - despite the existence of an elementary school on the parish grounds - was a driving force behind the launch of the vocations ministry just over three years ago.

 “Our hope was to make all parishioners aware of the vital importance of the priest in the life of the Church and the urgent need to increase the numbers of priestly vocations,” she said, recalling the parish’s 50th anniversary celebration, which included discussions of the importance of vocations.

Nocera said that the ministry encourages parishioners to pray for family members in any vocation that God might call them to, including marriage.