Quo Vadis 2026: Young People Gather in Faith, Prayer, and Vocation Discernment

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Quo Vadis 2026: Young People Gather in Faith, Prayer, and Vocation Discernment

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Quo Vadis Vocation Rally and Faith Formation 2026: “Come and see.” — John 1:39From September 25 to 27, 2026, the Archdiocese of Monrovia convened the annual Quo Vadis Vocation Rally and Faith Formation at the Don Bosco Youth Center in Matadi under the theme “Come and See” (John 1:39). The three-day gathering brought together 87 participants, including 10 major seminarians ( St. Paul College Seminary), 2 aspirants preparing for the St. Charles Lwanga Pre-Major Seminary, and 15 dedicated animators from the Archdiocesan Youth Secretariat.The rally provided the young people with an opportunity to come, see, listen, pray, discern, and discover God’s call in their lives through prayer, reflection, formation, recreation, and youth fraternity.Day 1: Friday, September 25 — Arrival and Welcome-The rally commenced on Friday evening as participants arrived at the Don Bosco Youth Center between 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM. The young people were welcomed into an atmosphere designed to foster spiritual growth, prayer, youth fraternity, and openness to God’s call.The words of Jesus, “Come and see,” set the tone for the weekend, inviting every participant to take a step closer to Christ and to become more attentive to the ways God may be calling them.Day 2: Saturday, September 26 — Faith, Discernment, and ReflectionThe Opening Holy MassThe day began at 8:00 AM with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass celebrated by Rev. Fr. Philip, SDB. In his homily, Father Philip welcomed the youth and reflected on the day’s Scripture readings from Ecclesiastes 11:9–12:8, Psalm 90, and Luke 9:43b–45.He challenged the young people to dedicate their youthfulness, energy, talents, and time to God’s service, reminding them that earthly pursuits are passing.“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth. Whatever you do as a young person, all is vanity without God. Our ultimate purpose is to be with God, and we are called to live and work for Him. Do not ‘dance to the tune’ of the world; dance only to the tune of God. Use what you have today for His glory and remain unmoved by the material world.”Session I: The Universal Call and Consecrated LifeAt 9:30 AM, Sr. Richelle of the Sisters of the Holy Family Sisters (Diocese of Cape Palmas), a native of St. Edward Parish in the Archdiocese of Monrovia, led the first formation session.Focusing on vocation as a personal call from God, Sr. Richelle shared her own journey to consecrated life. While affirming the sanctity and beauty of Holy Matrimony, she reflected on her decision to follow Christ through the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity (celibacy), and obedience.She highlighted the various ministries of religious missionaries in supporting the mission of the Church and emphasized the strength and joy found in communal life.Her testimony encouraged the youth to “come and see” the beauty of giving oneself completely to Christ.Session II: The Four Pillars of Formation and Priesthood The second presenter, Seminarian Tonny Tubman Saydee of the Archdiocese of Monrovia, explained the four essential pillars of formation:A. Human Formation: Building mature, relatable, responsible, and authentic character. B. Spiritual Formation: Cultivating a deep and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. C. Intellectual Formation: Understanding the truths of the Catholic faith and theology. D. Pastoral Formation: Learning to serve and shepherd God’s people with love.Seminarian Tonny explained how these four pillars prepare young people for the mission entrusted to the Church by Christ.He also clarified the distinction between diocesan priests, who make promises of celibacy and obedience and commit themselves to the daily recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours, and religious priests, who make vows within their particular religious communities.He encouraged the young people to make themselves available to God and to allow Him to use their lives for His glory.During the question-and-answer session, Sr. Richelle responded to the question, “How can I know that God is calling me?” She shared how her own vocation journey was sparked by a simple inspiration she received through seeing the religious habit worn by the sisters.The Saints Reflection GroupsFollowing the plenary sessions, participants divided into seven named after seven saints . The groups to reflected more deeply on faith, vocation, Christian life, and social responsibility.St. Thomas Aquinas Group — Headed by Tyrone D. Garyon and Agnes BeityTopic: The Positive Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) — How can modern technology be used as a tool for truth, evangelization, and the promotion of human dignity without losing our values?St. John Vianney Group — Headed by Margaret C. Mulbah and Blamo N. Blamo Topic: The Sacrament of Reconciliation — Overcoming fear and approaching the confessional regularly to receive God’s mercy and healing grace.St. Charles Lwanga Group — Headed by Dedonnie Soniaka Wesley and Princess M. FallahTopic: Receiving Holy Communion Worthily — Preparing our hearts with reverence, awe, and a clean conscience to receive the Real Presence of Christ.St. John Paul II Group — Headed by Sr. Rochelle and Terry ToeTopic: The Priesthood and Religious Life — Reflecting on the beauty of giving one’s life in spiritual service to the Church.St. Mulumba Group — Headed by Isaac Marcus Carter and Nedeh J.K Williams Topic: Married Life and Single Life as Vocations — Understanding both states of life as holy paths of self-gift, love, service, and Christian witness.St. Francis of Assisi Group — Headed by Tonny Tubman Saydee and Marthalyn Gongbeye Topic: Stewardship — Caring for God’s creation, our communities, and the time and talents entrusted to us.St. Martin de Porres Group — Headed by Ann-Maria Williams and Karbee Michael Dweh Topic: The Common Good and Human Dignity — Living out Catholic Social Teaching by defending the vulnerable, the poor, and the marginalized.Group Presentations and Sharing- Following the small-group reflections, few minutes were given to each group to present a brief summary of its discussion and reflections.The presentations gave the young people an opportunity to share the insights they had gained with the wider group and to help one another grow in faith and understanding.Each group highlighted core points from its assigned topic, offering practical lessons and reflections that contributed to the overall faith-formation process of the rally. The sharing also encouraged participants to listen to one another, learn from different perspectives, and recognize that our journey as catholics is strengthened when faith is shared within a community.The Sacrament of Reconciliation- Following the group presentations, the participants were given an opportunity to encounter God’s mercy through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.The young people were encouraged to examine their lives, seek God’s forgiveness, and experience the healing and peace that come through the sacrament. For many participants, this became an important spiritual moment of the rally, allowing them to renew their relationship with Christ and continue their journey of discernment with a clean and renewed heart.Recreation and Fraternity After the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the afternoon continued with opportunities for recreation and youth fraternity. The atmosphere gradually became one of joy, with sports, social interaction, and friendly competitions.The day concluded with a community dinner, allowing participants to strengthen their bonds of friendship, share their camp experiences, and celebrate their journey of faith together.Day 3: Sunday, September 27 — Eucharistic CelebrationThe Culminating Mass The Quo Vadis Vocation Rally concluded with Holy Mass at Holy Innocents Parish, the host parish for the final celebration. The young people actively participated in the liturgy, a couple of them served as altar servers.The Mass was celebrated by the Archdiocesan Vocations Director, Rev. Fr. Johnny-Clement Kombo. Concelebrating priests included: Rev. Fr. Charles N. S. Makara Rev. Fr. Dennis Cephas Nimene, Secretary General of CABICOL Rev. Fr. Solomon Gboike, SDB, Principal of Mary Help of Christians School.Homily and Exhortations- In his homily, Father Solomon encouraged the youth to rely constantly on God’s mercy and to seek His forgiveness without judging others.“We must avoid looking down on others’ moral struggles, for every single one of us is striving toward moral conversion each day.”Following the homily, Father Johnny-Clement, the Vocations Director, encouraged the young people to maintain a vibrant prayer life, ask questions about the priesthood and religious life, and seek spiritual accompaniment from priests, sisters, and seminarians.He reminded the young people that the invitation “Come and See” is not simply an invitation to attend a rally, but an invitation to come closer to Christ, see His way of life, listen to His voice, and discern where He is calling them.Addressing the wider parish community, Father reminded parishioners that vocations are nurtured within the parish family. He therefore called upon families and parishioners to support young people who are discerning their vocation through prayer, encouragement, guidance, and material support.Expressions of Gratitude- Before the final blessing, Seminarian Tyrone expressed heartfelt appreciation on behalf of the participants to the priests and parishioners of Holy Innocents Parish for their warm hospitality and support.Special recognition and gratitude were also extended to the benefactors whose generosity made the rally possible:Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) St. Kizito Parish Sacred Heart Cathedral “Come and See”: An Invitation to Discern The “Come and See” theme remained at the heart of the three-day gathering. Like the first disciples who responded to Christ’s invitation, the young people were encouraged to take the first step: come closer to Jesus, see His love, listen to His voice, and discover the path He has prepared for them.The Quo Vadis Vocation Rally therefore served not only as a formation event but also as an opportunity for young people to encounter Christ and to begin asking the important question: “Lord, what are You calling me to do with my life?”The Vocations/Youth Office invites the entire Archdiocesan family to continue praying for an increase in vocations Priesthood and Religious Life.Let us kindly pray for our priests, religious men and women, seminarians, aspirants, and married couples who faithfully witness to God’s love in the world.Thank you.Office of the Vocations DirectorSeptember 27, 2026