Pope’s May Prayer Intention: For the formation of men and women religious

By Francesca Merlo

Next May, Pope Francis invited us to offer our prayers for “the formation of men and women religious and seminarians.”

In his video announcing his prayer intention for the month of May, Pope Francis recalls that each vocation is a “rough diamond” that must be polished, worked and shaped from all sides.

The Holy Father emphasizes that “a good priest, a good sister or a good nun must above all be a man or a woman formed, shaped by the grace of the Lord”. They are people aware of their own limitations and willing to “lead a life of prayer, of devoted witness to the Gospel.”

In his message given to Pope's Global Prayer Network, the Pope recalls that from the seminary or the novitiate, their preparation must develop entirely in direct contact with the lives of others. This, he added, “is essential.”

It is important to note that training does not end at a specific moment, like ordination, but continues throughout life, integrating the person intellectually, humanly, emotionally and spiritually.

Preparation continues towards that of community life. “Community life is so enriching, even if it can sometimes be difficult.”

“Living together is not living in community,” adds the Pope.

Finally, Pope Francis asks us to pray so that “religious and seminarians grow in their own vocational journey through human, pastoral, spiritual and community formation, which leads them to be credible witnesses of the Gospel”.