800,000 kms and counting.....

As I travelled to Cork this past weekend, I noticed that the I had just passed the 100,000 km mark according to the odometer in my less than 2 year old car. It got me thinking about the amount of travel that I have undertaken over the past 12 years for vocations ministry. My conservative estimate is 800,000 km (that's road mileage and doesn't count air miles!).

Travelling is a feature of vocations ministry that is often overlooked, but is essential. Visiting candidates and enquirers all over the country and abroad, going to promotional events, attending endless but important meetings and being available at all times for this work means that a large proportion of time is spent 'on the road'.

While it can be tiring and exhausting, the benefits that accrue from travelling to all these events can be substantial. The opportunity to speak to people about vocation and the possibility of engaging in all sorts of conversation about the call of God to human hearts is a most humbling and enriching experience.

Vocation directors ought always be available, willing, and ready to give the time and energy necessary for this important aspect of a specialised ministry.