Devotion to Mary is a significant factor in discerning and sustaining the call to priestly and religious life, according to a new study.
On 16 July, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University made public a report titled “Impact of Mary, Mother of the Church, on Ecclesial Vocations” prepared in response to a request from the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan.
The survey, conducted between March and May through mailed paper forms and emailed questionnaires, represented responses from 1,091 respondents including US Catholic bishops, diocesan priests, permanent deacons, deacon directors, and major superiors of men and women religious.
Among those six groups polled, an average of 59 per cent said Marian devotion had either a “meaningful” or “great” impact on their discernment of a vocation to serve Christ and the church.
A majority of survey participants (74 per cent) said devotion to Mary has either “strengthened” or “very much strengthened” the living out of their respective vocations.
Marian devotion also enhances respondents’ current devotion to the Eucharist, with a total of 80 per cent saying that Mary has had either a “meaningful” or “great” impact.