“Come, Follow Me!”

This was the theme of the Vocation Jamboree (VocJam) in the Diocese of Mati held in St. Therese Gymnasium, Clergy Compound, City of Mati. The VocJam was the culmination activity of vocation month celebration in the diocese which was participated by 153 young men and women from the different parishes, schools and organizations. There were 11 congregations who prepared in the exhibits for the vocation awareness carousel namely Order of St. Augustine (OSA), Order of the Ministers of the Infirm (MI), Salesian Order of Don Bosco (SDB), Society of Divine Vocation (SDV), Carmelite Missionaries (CM), Catechist of St. Joseph (CSJ), Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (MIC), Ursuline Sisters of Canadian Union (OSU), Sisters Ministers of the Infirm of St. Camillus (MI), Dominican Sisters of the Trinity (OP) and Pious Disciples of Divine Master (PDDM).

Every year the Diocese of Mati celebrates the month of vocation through the initiative of Vocation Director in collaboration with the Association of Religious in the Diocese of Mati (ARDM). It is celebrated in different ways through different activities such as vocation awareness through visitation in various school and parishes, vocation jamboree, search-in conducted or sponsored by the different congregations, and many more. For this year, as the year of the clergy and consecrated persons approach its conclusion, the vocation month celebration launched last August 30, 2018 in San Nicholas de Tolentino Cathedral and culminated with an overnight Vocation Jamboree.

This overnight Vocation Jamboree aims to give opportunity to young men and women to know the different charisms of religious and seminary life through vocation awareness. In this event, the youth of the Diocese could be helped in their discernment and hear the invitation of God, through His ministers, to consider religious and seminary life. This jamboree also intends to confirm the grace, love and mercy of God given to religious brothers and sisters and to the diocesan priests as they express their witnessing through words, actions and way of life.

The jamboree was blessed by the present of Most Rev. Abel C. Apigo, D.D., the Bishop of Mati, who became the main speaker of the jamboree. He narrated his vocation story and shared some experiences in his life on how God showed generosity, compassion and mercy as he follows the will our Lord, Jesus Christ. The sharing became more meaningful and interactive because at the end of the talk the participants were given a chance to ask personal questions to the prelate.

Other activities in the VocJam were: (1) small group sharing, answering the questions (a) What is your most striking experience in the Vocation Jamboree? (b) What is God telling you of your striking experience in connection with the theme: “Come, Follow Me!”?; (2) video-cation, a videoke challenge which the participants were given a chance to sing a song that explain their our vocation story and experiences in life; and lastly, (3) Eucharistic celebration led by the Bishop.

This Vocation Jamboree is an occasion and invitation of the Lord of the Harvest to bless young people with the gift of courage to respond to the call. It opens the hearts of the youth to greater ideals and greater things by God’s inspiration and grace through the examples of priests, nuns and ministers present in the activity. May the seed of vocation among the participants grow in their own family and in our Church and community which was planted in hearts of every human. (Fr. Antonio O. Nombrefia, OSA)