Crosses go home for vocations

At Holy Family parish in Albany, people are carrying crosses -- not for penance, but for vocations.

The inner-city parish recently began a program of prayer by sending home three San Damiano Crosses with three families.

Each family keeps their cross for a week, daily praying for vocations. They use a Franciscan vocation prayer that comes with the cross.

San Damiano Cross

The idea for the project came from Mary Giordano, who told The Evangelist that she initially thought of having a statue of the Holy Family make the rounds.

When efforts fell short in locating such a statue, the pastor, Rev. Tony Kall, OFM Conv., suggested the crosses.

The San Damiano Cross is a 12th-century icon that, according to Franciscan tradition, hung in a small church in Umbria, Italy, where St. Francis was praying when he heard the call from God to rebuild the Church.

At home

Helen Sczcepkowski decided to take the cross home because "praying for vocations is important, especially now, with the shortage of priests.

"When this idea was presented, I thought it was a very good one. It must be difficult for those who feel they have a call to a vocation, especially in our society today. They need the strength to accept that call from God. Taking up such a vocation as the priesthood is a big step."

After she brought the cross home, she was surprised by the effect of its presence.

"I have it hanging on my dining room wall, and each morning I pray, using the vocation prayer we received," she explained. "It's funny how it stays with you all day. As I move about the house, all I have to do is look at it, and I'm thinking about vocations again."

Family matter

Lourdes Fabian of Albany said that bringing home the cross affected her entire family: her husband Louis and their five children: Joel (14), Michael (13), Angel (11), Emily (9) and Domarjs (6).

"My boys don't say anything about it, but I can tell that they have been affected by its presence," she said. "My oldest son says the prayer. We then all pray together."

The cross hangs in the middle of the house where it can be seen from the front door. But when the family gathers for prayer in the evening, Mrs. Fabian takes the cross down and holds it.

Need for priests

"Who knows how this will affect them?" Mrs. Fabian asked about her family. "I'm hoping that praying together as a family stays" a habit. "I believe that families should pray together, not just for vocations, but for everything.

"We need priests. This is a great way to feel like you are doing something to help make that happen."

(For information on the San Damiano Cross and St. Francis, go to www.franciscanfriarstor.com.)

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