Filipino Rogationist priests and brothers encourage a culture of vocation

By Rechilda Estores

Fr. Jose Roque Arreza, a Filpino priest and vocation director of the Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus, has shared his thoughts on a recent initiative of the Rogationist Fathers and Brothers in Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish, Parañaque City, Philippines.

The parish marked the 60th World Day of Prayer for Vocations with a prayer vigil entitled “Let’s Go, Generation, and have Vocation Discernment” (in Tagalog: Tara, G, Magbokasyon).

The Filipino Rogationist priest conveyed that his congregation’s mission is connected to the prayer vigil event, which aimed to cultivate each person’s prayer life and urge people to think about a vocation to the priesthood or religious life.

“As Rogationists, this event is very close to our hearts because rogate [from the Latin “to ask” or “to pray”] is our identity and mission; to pray and promote for more Holy Vocations for the Lord,” he said.

Prayer for Holy workers

In an interview with Vatican News, Fr. Arreza shared his enthusiasm in educating people about how to pray to God. “Being blessed with the charism of understanding and zeal for the Rogate, I'm excited to share the importance of praying for more laborers in the harvest,” he continued. “Specifically, we teach them to recite a prayer of "Send O Lord, Holy Apostles into your Church!" as a regular part of their prayer.”

Aside from teaching young people about faith, Fr. Arreza emphasized that the occasion “aims to inform the individuals about the scarcity of holy workers in the Church and highlighting the necessity of petitioning for Good Laborers.”

He also said that the event is connecting the people to God, because “some people are getting bogged down in the humdrum of life and losing sight of their faith,” he added. “The Church event helps to identify ways of collaborating effectively to promote vocations among the different generations.”

Fr. Arreza hopes that the parish events will “help people to be transformed to become a Holy Apostle.”

Prayer vigil event of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish (courtesy of Marian Pizarra]

He added that Filipinos have evident faith in the Lord. “Filipinos have a strong inclination towards religion and truly believe in God and those who are sent by Him,” he continued. “The event was attended by 850 individuals from the Diocese of Paranaque, Archdiocese of Manila, and Archdiocese of Lipa.”

The Filipino Rogationist priest also discussed various parts of the event, such as “testimonials on vocation and participants' personal sharing of encounters with God.”

Fr. Arreza shared a participant's experience from the event, a young lady named Angela Naag, who spoke about how her relationship with God has grown.

“The booths facilitated by the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ allowed her to socialize, meet new friends, and restore her faith in God,” he narrated. 

Fr. Arreza concluded the interview by expressing the hope of the congregation to help connect people with Christ and spread the Word of God in the world.

“It is our intention to transform this activity into a meaningful experience for the congregation, fostering a deeper connection between the sheep and the Good Shepherd. Our aspiration is to propagate this culture of Vocation to other dioceses in the country, and potentially, overseas,” he said.