On the first weekend in July – under, they hope, a blazing sun – hundreds of young people armed with tents, guitars, iPods and ear plugs will descend on a field in the Midlands, in search of fun, camaraderie, spiritual truths and the meaning of life.

If that sounds as though it could only be a description of one of the summer’s ubiquitous festivals, then you’re right – it is.  Only this event – Invocation 2010 – is a festival with a difference.  It’s about discerning vocation – both in the broadest sense, and in the specific sense that the young people in their Midlands field will be focusing on whether God could be calling them to a life devoted to his service.

young people in their Midlands field will be focusing on whether God could be calling them to a life devoted to his serviceAt a time when vocations to the Roman Catholic priesthood and religious life – in the west at least – are very low, there’s something very bold and brave about Invocation 2010.  Fr Stephen Langridge, chair of the Diocesan Vocations Directors for England and Wales, agrees that it’s an ambitious event – but he’s not afraid of being ambitious for God.  ‘It’s about making space for the Lord and listening to his call,’ he says.  ‘In any life that’s an extremely important thing to do, and for a young person it’s vitally important.’

‘Invocation’, he says, ‘has two distinct purposes: as well as giving people aged from 16 to their mid-30s the chance and space to think about what they’re going to do with their lives, it’s also aimed at raising awareness among teachers and others who work in schools about the need to work with young people to discern what their path in life is to be.  

‘This is the first time anything like this has been attempted in England and Wales,’ he says.  ‘And there are these two sides to it.  One, it’s a festival for young people; and second, it’s an occasion when teachers and others in education will be talking about vocations in the widest sense, and we’re also launching a new education resource for Catholic primary and secondary schools.  It’s going to be piloted in Birmingham schools over the next year, and the emphasis is on helping pupils to work out what path God wants them to take.

‘At the end of the day, there are only four paths open to us, and it’s important to think about which one is right for us.  One is a path as a lay person (a life of apostolic celibacy); a second is a life as a member of a religious order; a third is the life of a priest; and the fourth is life as a husband or wife in a marriage.

‘What we’d like is to put a theological framework around the choices that everyone makes – to get people to pull back and to think more about their vocation, and how to discern what it is.’

The festival was the brainchild of Chris Smith, who is the vocations promoter for Birmingham Archdiocese.  ‘I thought it was a good idea because until now, religious orders and diocesan vocations directors tend to operate independently, and I thought there was a need to get them all working together.  I thought that to bring together as many young people as possible who were open to the idea that God might be calling them, would be a very powerful event.  Especially when the Church is going through a difficult time, it’s a strong witness to a better future.’

Mr Smith said he already had around 400 bookings for the festival, and was hoping for many more.  ‘I think it’s really captured people’s imagination,’ he said.  ‘As well as the serious issues we’ll be discussing, and the opportunities for prayer and worship, we’re going to have plenty of music and a good time.’

Fr Paul Moss, vocations director for Birmingham Archdiocese, said the event – being held in the grounds of St Mary’s College, Oscott, from July 2-4 – was open to ‘anyone seriously interested in discovering their vocation and anyone who believes the meaning of their life will be found in working out what God wants them to do.

‘Anyone who’s genuinely receptive to the idea that they need to work out what God wants would inevitably be open to the idea that they might be being called to follow him in a radical way’, he explained.  ‘God doesn’t call most people to be priests or religious.  Most people aren’t called to that – the world isn’t a monastery and it’s obvious that only a small proportion of men and women will be called to follow him as priests or religious.

‘But for those who are called, one of the biggest problems is that they often find themselves isolated. They might be in a small parish, or there might be only one or two people in their class or peer group who go to Mass, and they have no-one to talk to about their vocation and how to move forward on it.  That’s dispiriting for them.  

‘What we hope is that by coming to an event like this, young people will be able to support one another, and that it will give them a confidence boost to realise that they’re not alone, that there are others just like them who feel called to a life of service in the Lord.’

Fr Moss said there was already a lot of activity on its Facebook page, and he was hopeful of high numbers. Festival-goers will either bring their own tents and camp, or sleep in giant dormitory marquees – or, for those who prefer more home-comforts, stay locally in B&Bs or hotels.

What we hope is that by coming to an event like this, young people will be able to support one anotherTwo of the main speakers at the festival have already captured the public imagination with their insights into both the religious life, and spirituality in the wider community.  They are Abbot Christopher Jamison of Worth Abbey in Sussex, and Sister Gabriel Davison, a Poor Clare sister from Arundel, also in Sussex.

Abbot Jamison, who is the author of books including Finding Sanctuary and Finding Happiness, which explore monastic wisdom and values and situates them in the modern world, rocketed to fame as a result of the TV series The Monastery.  He was head of Worth School for eight years, and has been abbot since 2002.

Sister Davison, who read engineering at Salford University before joining the Poor Clares, similarly found fame in the BBC series The Convent, in which she was seen mentoring the volunteers.  She has been a religious sister for more than a decade.

Other speakers include Dr Andrew O’Connell, who worked for Intel in Ireland and the US before becoming communications director for the Presentation Brothers in Ireland.  And Archbishop Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales will officiate at the festival’s closing Mass and preach the homily.