Pope Francis has noted that many young people “feel dismayed as they look to the future,” and says “a call to leave ourselves behind [in a vocation] and embark on a journey of love and service.”

Although still in hospital, the pope’s prepared message for the May 11^th 62nd World Day of Prayer for Vocations was released on March 19.

“Often they experience insecurity about their prospects of employment and a profound identity crisis, a crisis of meaning and values, which the confused messages of the digital world only aggravate,” the pope’s statement says.

“The unjust treatment of the poor and vulnerable, the indifference of a complacent and self-centred society, and the brutality of war all threaten the hopes for a fulfilling life that young people cherish in their hearts. Yet the Lord, who knows the human heart, does not abandon us in our uncertainty. He wants us to know that we are loved, called and sent as pilgrims of hope,” Francis continues.

The pope said adult members of the Church, and priests in particular, are called to acknowledge, discern and accompany the young on their vocational path.

“You, young people, for your part, are called to set out on that path, together with the Holy Spirit, who awakens in you the desire to make your lives a gift of love,” he writes.

Francis writes every vocation is “inspired by hope, marked by confident trust in God’s providence.”

“For Christians, hope is more than mere human optimism: it is a certainty based on our faith in God, who is at work in each of our lives. Vocations mature through the daily effort to be faithful to the Gospel, and through prayer, discernment and service,” the pope says.

Francis says the world pushes young people to make “hasty decisions” and “bombards” them with a constant blare that prevents the young from experiencing “a silence that is open to God who speaks to the heart.” “

Have the courage to pause, to listen to what your heart tells you, and to ask God about his dreams for you. The silence of prayer is indispensable if we are to learn how to hear God’s call amid the specific circumstances of our lives and to respond consciously and freely,” the pope writes.

He says prayerful recollection helps Christians to realize that all can be “pilgrims of hope” if they make their lives a gift, “above all by placing ourselves at the service of those who live on the world’s material and existential peripheries.”

“Those who heed God’s call cannot turn a deaf ear to the cry of so many of our brothers and sisters who feel excluded, wounded and abandoned. Every vocation confirms us in our mission of being Christ’s presence wherever light and consolation are most needed. In a particular way, the lay faithful are called to be the ‘salt, light and leaven’ of the Kingdom of God through their social and professional commitments,” Francis says.

A Vatican document last year said the number of priests around the world decreased by 142 from 2021 to 2022, going from 407,872 to 407,730.