Pastoral Letter
Good Shepherd Sunday 2016

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today on Good Shepherd Sunday we join Catholics around the world in praying for Vocations to the Priesthood and Consecrated life.

We celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday at an historic time in the life of our Diocesan family as we begin Our Paisley Synod on the ‘Laity and the New Evangelisation’. Our Synod reminds us that Jesus asks everyone to help Him be a Good Shepherd of His Church and work with Him to recover His lost sheep. When we were baptised God made all of us missionary disciples and sent us into the world to share His Good News.

To help us live our Christian vocation Jesus raises up Priests to guide us in love, to teach us with God’s word and to nourish us with His Sacraments. We are going need our priests more than ever to help our diocese become a community where the laity really flourish and our Church reaches out in evangelisation to bring home the lapsed and welcome the poor and the lost. At our Chrism Mass I saw, in the renewal of our priests’ promises, the hope of a renewal of our diocese. They will be our Shepherds of renewal and we thank God for their continued devotion in service of our flock.

For years we have been praying for more vocations to the priesthood and have been wondering why the Lord has seemed deaf to our plea. At last God is answering our prayers and we look forward to ordaining Matthew Carlin in June as our first Paisley priest in twelve years, to be followed next year by Jonathan Whitworth, please God and, hopefully, there will be two more not long after that.

The truth is that Jesus is still calling as many of our young people as ever but we have to listen out for His voice! We live in a noisy world, full of distractions that drown out the call of the Good Shepherd!

Over many years as a University Chaplain, as a Vocations Director and now as a Bishop I have met many young men who were call to be priests. I watched them discern their call in silence, in quiet prayer before the Eucharist, or during a retreat, or in a silent moment on a youth pilgrimage - like a night visit to the Grotto at Lourdes- or in the Sacrament of Confession at World Youth Day. Jesus’ call never came as a yell, or in panic, or when they were in a crowd. It came softly and gently into their hearts when they were alone in silent prayer.

The best way to promote vocations is to promote silence – prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and meditation on the Scriptures. To hear the Lord’s voice we have to be quiet. To let Him talk, we have to stop talking. Our first vocation is to know Jesus the Good Shepherd so well that, when He whispers, we recognise His voice and find courage to follow His call. From silent prayer all vocations will follow - priesthood, diaconate, religious life, marriage, lay ecclesial ministry and the single state.

Thank you for all the encouragement and support you give to our priests. Those who serve you so well appreciate your love and care.

Please pray for them, and pray for me, your chief shepherd!