Listen Attentively to Young People, Indian Archbishop Tells Vocation Formators

The Church must listen attentively to young people and accompany them patiently as they discern their vocation, Archbishop Vincent Aind of Ranchi told vocation promoters and formators at a seminar in eastern India.

“Listen attentively to young people,” Archbishop Aind, secretary general of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI), said in his keynote address during a three-day National Zone Seminar-cum-Workshop for Vocation Promoters and Early-Stage Formators of the Bihar-Jharkhand Region.

The Aug. 12-14 gathering at the Social Development Centre in Ranchi brought together 57 participants under the theme, “Strengthening Vocation Promotion through Pastoral Mission Orientation.” It was organized by the CCBI Commission for Vocations, Seminaries, Clergy and Religious (VSCR).

Archbishop Aind presented vocation promotion as a responsibility of the entire Church, calling for a pastoral approach rooted in listening, discernment, accompaniment and missionary engagement.

He said vocations flourish when young people encounter a Church that is welcoming, participatory, missionary and attentive to their hopes, questions and struggles.

Bishop Anand David Xalxo, auxiliary bishop of Ranchi, welcomed the participants, while Fr. Charles Leon, executive secretary of the CCBI VSCR Commission, led reflections on understanding contemporary young people and developing effective approaches to vocation accompaniment and formation.

The seminar encouraged participants to move beyond traditional approaches to vocation promotion and foster a culture in which young people are helped to discern God’s call and become missionary disciples.

Fr. Jaison Vadassery highlighted the need to accompany marginalized and migrant communities, emphasizing that vocations can emerge from diverse social and cultural settings.

Fr. Valerian Lobo explored the use of digital platforms and communication technologies to engage young people and present religious and priestly vocations in ways relevant to today’s culture.

Participants also reflected on formation as an ongoing pastoral journey. Vocation promoters and early-stage formators were encouraged to become attentive companions who recognize young people’s gifts, vulnerabilities and aspirations while helping them discern their vocation in Christ and in service of the Church and society.

The seminar concluded with renewed commitment to the CCBI Mission 2033 Pastoral Plan and its call for a more pastoral, missionary and synodal approach to vocation promotion in Bihar and Jharkhand.

The gathering emphasized that vocation ministry is not simply about recruiting candidates for priestly or religious life, but about helping young people discover God’s call and respond generously as missionary disciples in the Church and the world