The World Day of Prayer for Vocations is observed on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, 26 April 2026, also known as ‘Good Shepherd Sunday’. The purpose of this day is to fulfil the Lord’s instruction: “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send labourers into his harvest” (Matt. 9:38; Lk. 10:2).
In his Message for this Sunday, Pope Leo XIV reflects on the interior dimension of vocation, responding to the discovery of God’s beauty: “Such a relationship is based on prayer and silence, and when cultivated opens us to receive and actively respond to the gift of vocation. It is never an imposition or a one-size-fits-all model to which one merely conforms; instead, it is an adventure of love and happiness”.
“A vocation”, Pope Leo XIV writes, “entails an intimate dialogue with the One who calls and invites us to respond, despite the deafening noise of the world, with true joy and generosity. …Through the intimacy of his friendship, you will discover how to give of yourselves, whether through marriage, the priesthood, the permanent diaconate, or consecrated life. Every vocation is an immeasurable gift for the Church and for those who receive it with joy. To know the Lord means above all learning to entrust oneself to him and to his providence, which is abundant in every vocation”.
Pope Leo XIV invites everyone – in families, parishes and religious communities, as well as bishops, priests, deacons, catechists, educators and all the faithful – to commit themselves more fully “to creating conditions that allow this gift to be embraced, nourished, protected and accompanied, so that it may bear abundant fruit”.
“Dear brothers and sisters, dear young people”, Pope Leo XIV concludes, “I encourage you to cultivate your personal relationship with God through daily prayer and meditation on the Word. Pause, listen and entrust yourselves. In this way, the gift of your vocation will mature, bringing you happiness and yielding abundant fruit for the Church and the world”.
On Good Shepherd Sunday, Pope Leo XIV will ordain eight new priests for the Diocese of Rome in St Peter’s Basilica.
The full text of Pope Leo XIV’s Message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations can be found here: https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/messages/vocations/documents/20260316-messaggio-vocazioni.html
