Meet The Hands Of Mary Vocation Committee: Bringing Love To The Church

Without laborers to take care of the “vineyard” of Our Lord, the vineyard will grow dry, become unfruitful, and eventually die out. Without priests, there will be no Sacrifice of the Mass, and without the Mass, the world will not survive. As St. Padre Pio once said, “It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do without Holy Mass.”

Thanks to ministries such as the Hands of Mary Vocation Committee, our vineyards still have a chance at prospering.

“The purpose of our ministry is to promote vocations, and we need good priests and nuns now more than ever, especially considering what is going on in the Church and the world,” says Kerri Baunach, who has volunteered with the committee for the past eight years. “We need more holy priests, both locally and on a worldwide scale, because we can't have the Mass without priests.”

And by bringing more religious sisters, nuns, monks, and brothers into the Church, the vineyard will be more fruitful than ever.

“We really need the prayers of religious nuns and monks, as well as sisters to teach catechism and other subjects,” Kerri says.

The Hands of Mary Vocation Committee organizes an effort to pray for vocations by giving people an opportunity to sign up to take home a special crucifix for a week, in order to pray for vocations.

“I have had people tell me they enjoyed taking home the crucifix every time, and they appreciate it because it is a replica of the crucifix at our parish,” Kerri says.

Those who participate in this ministry find that it is a wonderful way to educate their children about the importance of religious and priestly vocations in the Church today.

“It is a great way to talk about vocations with their children,” Kerri says. “We had one parishioner who would sign up to take the crucifix home when her grandchildren's birthdays were. My children always enjoyed having the vocations crucifix in our home, and they memorized the prayers we would say with it. Being part of this committee has made me more mindful of the importance of promoting vocations, and praying for them.”

The committee also places a vocation prayer in the bulletin and occasionally holds a Rosary for vocations after daily Mass. Furthermore, they make Christmas cards for various priests and seminarians.

A new leader is needed for this ministry. For further information on how to fulfill this role or volunteer with this ministry in any way, please contact Deacon Tim Weinmann at 859-266-9314.

St. Therese of Lisieux's Prayer for Priests

O Jesus, eternal Priest, keep your priests within the shelter of Your Sacred Heart, where none may touch them. Keep unstained their anointed hands, which daily touch Your Sacred Body. Keep unsullied their lips, daily purpled with Your Precious Blood. Keep pure and unearthly their hearts, sealed with the sublime mark of the priesthood. Let Your holy love surround them and shield them from the world’s contagion. Bless their labors with abundant fruit and may the souls to whom they minister be their joy and consolation here and in heaven their beautiful and everlasting crown.