NORWICH, Conn.—Jesus instructed his followers to pray to the “master of the harvest to send out laborers” to gather in the “abundant” harvest.

David and Bridie Craig believe in praying for that intention—for more priests to bring souls to Christ—and doing so in the presence of the Lord.

For eight years, the East Lyme, Conn., couple has been active in Eucharistic adoration for vocations in the Diocese of Norwich, Conn. It seemed only natural for them to launch a diocesan perpetual adoration for vocations program this fall.

David Craig believes Norwich now “has become the first diocese in the country to have perpetual adoration for vocations.”

The catalyst came in Rome in November 1996, when the Craigs attended a convention for the Promoters of Adoration for Vocations, sponsored by Regnum Christi, the international apostolic movement founded by Legionary of Christ Father Marcial Maciel. Since the event coincided with the celebration of Pope John Paul II's 50th anniversary to the priesthood, the attendees gave the Pope 120 monstrances to be used for adoration for vocations in 20 countries.

“This is the greatest gift I've been given for my 50th anniversary to the priesthood,” the Pope said as he blessed the monstrances. “May Jesus bless you and your prayers with many vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.”

As guardians of one of these special monstrances, the Craigs, members of the Norwich diocesan vocation committee, brought it to various churches for adoration, but the practice was random because 60 of the 86 parishes in the diocese had some kind of adoration on different days and hours.

“When we brought the monstrance back,” David Craig said, “we had no perpetual adoration chapel.” It took only two weeks for that to change, when an existing side chapel in Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Gales Ferry was turned into a perpetual adoration chapel.

Within 18 months, the Marian Friary of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Griswold opened an adoration chapel, and St. John's in Cromwell built a chapel onto the church.

“When we got the third chapel going, Bridie came up with the idea they could rotate doing a week praying for vocations,” David Craig explained.

That occasioned the need for a fourth chapel. When St. Mary's in Putnam converted an existing building into the fourth perpetual adoration chapel recently and agreed to set aside one week for this single intention, he said, “we closed the gap.”

Official Beginning

Bishop Michael Cote formally initiated perpetual adoration for vocations in the diocese Sept. 27 when he used the monstrance blessed by the Holy Father in a solemn benediction in St. Mary's in Putnam. The church draws adorers from 13 parishes.

“When they see the different monstrance,” Bridie Craig said, “the adorers know they're praying that whole week for vocations.”

Roger Beliveau, coordinator at St. John's Church in Cromwell, finds that adorers “always comment on the beauty of the monstrance. It reminds me of the importance to pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.”

Even rotating the monstrance from one chapel to the next has taken on a special significance. “The Knights of Columbus as an honor guard move it,” David Craig said.

Along with the gold and onyx monstrance as the foremost visual sign, the chapels display large pictures of the Pope blessing the monstrances and elevating one of them, and make available special prayer books, Pray to the Lord of the Harvest by Father Maciel.

David Craig points out that it really boils down to each adorer praying only one hour a month specifically for vocations.

Results started to appear from the earliest days. “In 75 years we've never had a vocation in our parish of St. Matthias,” Bridie Craig said. Yet two weeks after the monstrance arrived, two men from the East Lyme parish came forward to explore a vocation.

That was seven years ago. Father Kevin Reilly, the first of those two men, was ordained May 31 and is a parochial vicar at St. John in Old Saybrook. The other is studying for the priesthood in a monastic community.

“Prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament had a significant part to play in my vocation and in my ministry,” Father Reilly said. “I think the prayers for vocations, especially perpetual adoration, is the greatest thing we can do.”

‘I think the prayers for vocations, especially perpetual adoration, is the greatest thing we can do.’

David Craig notes that in the last 15 months, four new priests were ordained, nine from Poland transferred into the diocese, one seminarian transferred from another diocese and two priests decided not to retire.

The Craigs said they were inspired by Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, who said vocations increased after her sisters spent an hour a day praying before the Blessed Sacrament.

Using the special monstrance to pray for vocations is part of a larger picture. According to Father Edward Burns, executive director of the secretariat for vocations and priestly formation at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, “Eucharistic adoration for vocations is an active part of vocation efforts in the country.… Ultimately we're finding it is indeed creating a vocation culture.”

That's an environment whereby young Catholics “will feel encouraged, nurtured and supported as they respond to God's call to ordained ministry or consecrated life,” he explained.

Not far from Norwich, the St. John Fisher Seminary Residence for young men discerning a vocation to the priesthood is in the Diocese of Bridgeport, Conn. Father Christopher Walsh, vocation director, said it is the only seminary in the country with perpetual Eucharistic adoration.

“And the centrality of the theme of it is praying for vocations to the priesthood and religious life,” he said.

With a fifth chapel on the horizon in Norwich, the Craigs want to get another monstrance blessed by the Pope. In fact, “we're recommending to everybody to have a special monstrance” blessed by him, said David Craig, who suggested he could help others attain one.

Because “our main thrust is to encourage other dioceses to do the same,” he added, “if anyone wants to start perpetual adoration for vocations in their diocese, we will tell them how we did it and if needed will come out to help them start it.”

Joseph Pronechen writes from Trumbull, Connecticut.