"I don’t recognise my own cathedral any more," commented the bishop’s spokesperson when on the Sunday afternoon more than 4,000 young people crammed into ancient and venerable cathedral of Münster in Westfalia. They came from all over the diocese, but also from other parts of Germany, from Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark.

They had come at the invitation of the bishop, Reinhard Lettman to hear a talk on a theme which is quite unusual in today’s world: vocation. Unusual too, were the sounds that filled the majestic building and the activity taking place: a dance in three parts. In the centre of the nave, three young actors played the three famous monkeys: one covering his ears, another his eyes and the third his mouth. From this, one could understand that a vocation requires listening, looking and responding.

Then there was a resounding "Hey, you!" which echoed round the whole cathedral at great speed, to which the young people themselves responded: "Who? Me?" and the reply came back: "That’s right!" No one could hide in the crowd.
Then, other young people who had a contribution to make on the theme of vocation got up and spoke. Some had already found their "way": a priest, a religious, a married person. Others explained how they felt drawn in one direction or another.

Next, an unusual procession: the bishop, with Chiara at his side, entered the cathedral. Chiara’s presence added a touch of freshness to the solemnity of the ceremony. Bishop Lettman, with great joy, then invited Chiara to "contaminate" the young people with her desire to give her life for God.
The invitation was immediately accepted. After the first few sentences Chiara laid aside her prepared text and addressed the young people directly: "Vocation is not just something for experts, or for perfect or pious Christians. The God’s call to follow him is for everyone."
Her reply to the question "How can you hear this call?" was disarming: "Just love."

As she had done on the previous two days in Aachen cathedral, offered them the Gospel "art of loving". She asked them to look at the world with different eyes. She said that no one should be excluded, that they should make the first move towards the other and put themselves the shoes of the other person.

She made a passionate appeal to the young people: "Whoever gives first place in his life to God, whether in family life, or as a priest, or by entering a convent, finds true happiness - and not only in the next life." Aim high. We only have one life. It’s worth spending it well".

The never-ending applause gave only a small indication of what those young people had experienced within. Their impressions of the gathering gave one clear message: it is no longer enough just to talk about vocations in the Church; young people want to see witnesses. "After seeing and listening to that woman," said a young man from Munich, "I am convinced of this: sanctity is for everyone. Even for me."

(19-02-2001)