Pope to Serra International: Keep moving forward with courage
(Vatican Radio) “Keep moving forward with courage, creativity and boldness.” Those were Pope Francis’ words to Serra International whom he met on Friday on the occasion of their 75th convention.
Listen to our report:
To quote St John Paul II, Serrans “accept as their responsibility the promotion of vocations to the priesthood and religious life”, and on Friday, his successor to the See of Peter, Pope Francis said that above all else a Serran, “is a special friend whom the Lord has brought into the lives of seminarians and priests.”
The Holy Father made the comment during an address to the 600 participants attending the 75th Convention of Serra International taking place in Rome this week.
Speaking about friendship, the Pope said friends stand at our side, they listen to us closely, and can see beyond mere words; they are merciful when faced with our faults; they are non-judgmental.
This, Pope Francis commented is, “also the kind of friendship that you seek to offer to priests.” The Serra Club, he added, “helps foster this beautiful vocation of being laity who are friends to priests.”
The Holy Father noted another phrase that is used to describe the Serrans, that is Siempre adelante! or Keep moving forward! Like you, the Pope went on to say, “I believe that this is a synonym for the Christian vocation.”
Vocation, Pope Francis said “is an invitation to go forth from ourselves, to rejoice in our relationship with the Lord, and to journey along the ways that he opens up before us.”
But he stressed, “we cannot make progress unless we take a risk, and have the courage to dare, not to let fear stifle creativity, not to be suspicious of new things, but instead to embrace the challenges which the Spirit sets before us, even when this means changing plans and charting a different course.”
In conclusion, the Pope invited those gathered to keep moving forward with courage, creativity and boldness. “Do not rest on your laurels, he said, but be ever ready to try new things.”