SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Some future priests of the Diocese of Springfield might, on their ordination day, say they were inspired by a bus.
As part of its ongoing marketing initiatives, the diocese’s Office of Vocations has begun placing advertisements on the backs and sides of area buses.
“We hope that it will generate some interest” and get people talking about vocations, said Father Gary M. Dailey, vocations director. “It is all part of the culture of vocations that we are trying to create throughout the Diocese of Springfield.
“So I thought buses would be fun and a good way to just try and get the message out,” he told The Catholic Observer, Springfield’s diocesan paper.
Both ads feature a priest’s Roman collar and a message. The ads on the back of buses state “Come Follow Me.” Those on the side read “If you’re waiting for a sign from God, this is it.”
“Many young men who come to me always say I wish I had a sign from God to know that he is calling me. Well, here it is,” said Father Dailey.
It might be just the sign some young man “boarding the bus or just seeing this ad” needs “to make a call to the vocations office,” the priest said.
In addition, the vocation’s office has updated its Web site, www.myvocation.com, by giving it a new look and making it more user-friendly, Father Dailey said. The changes have already generated several inquiries.
On the site are the vocation stories of each of the 25 current seminarians for the diocese. It also features the vocation stories of different priests in the diocese and those men and women who have chosen religious life.