Deo Gratias

Vocations Booming in Mexico

KOENIGSTEIN, Germany, DEC. 5, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Mexico is seeing a veritable boom in vocations to the priesthood and religious life, says an official of Aid to the Church in Need.

"There are about 12,000 young men preparing for the priesthood in Mexican major seminaries, while 15,000 active priests are serving the faithful," said Xavier Legorreta, head of Aid to the Church in Need's Latin America I section.

"In addition, there are some 32,000 religious sisters," the expert said today upon his return from a visit to the country, where he attended the general assembly of the bishops' conference.

"One of the fundamental reasons for the Church being lively and rich in vocations is the persecution it suffered during the 1930s, which 'helped' Catholics to defend their faith," Legorreta said.

The official said that "the formation of seminarians and support for contemplative sisters are priorities for our charity."

He added: "Today, Mexico is -- together with Colombia -- one of the countries that send out most missionaries to the world and especially to Europe."