Hacking pastoral ministry
Practical tools to inspire Claretian vocational ministry
The world doesn’t stop. Neither do missionaries. Even less so laypeople. As Claretian missionaries, we are invited — freely compelled — to pause our schedules once a month to reflect on our lives in the light of the Risen One, in the setting of a community retreat.
In the Claret community of Seville, where the PJV_Spain Team is based, it’s not always easy for everyone to be present at those retreats. And if stopping our schedules is hard, calming our hearts is even harder. We live so fast!
But when we do stop — when we truly pause — we see life differently. We realise that in this fast-paced and complex world we live in, with a shrinking Church and Congregation, we need to focus on what really matters.
The phrase that gives this text its title — hacking pastoral ministry — may sound unusual. But it has something to say. In the digital world, a hacker is someone who manages to access a closed system (a government website, a client’s computer, a president’s phone…) to transform it from within: insert an unexpected message, delete content, reprogramme applications, steal or release information.
And that, precisely, is one of the most fruitful challenges of vocational ministry: to shape culture, disrupt the everyday, make space for new questions. It means entering the environments where young people — and those who accompany them — live and presenting the vocational call. Not by forcing, or making grand promises, or following rigid methods. Simply by being there, suggesting, interrupting, planting a seed.
Concrete ways to hack the everyday
Sometimes, vocational ministry doesn’t require big plans, just small interruptions of the Spirit in daily life. Here are some real scenes that show how the Claretian charism takes root in the ordinary:
Hacking homilies
At a Confirmation Mass, a vicar general asked an unexpected question: “Who am I for?” Weeks later, a young man said that question had stayed in his heart. Sometimes, one phrase is enough to spark a search.
Hacking encounters
A young person shared that, although a Claretian wasn’t always present in his catechesis group, whenever they met, the Claretian would say a vocational word or offer a look that reminded him where he could be heading. Presences that guide.
Hacking farewells
After each catechesis session, a Claretian would invite three young people with vocational stirrings to a short time of prayer and dialogue. Just twenty minutes are enough to broaden horizons. Vocational ministry doesn’t add to the schedule — it serves it.
Hacking youth retreats
During an Easter retreat, Claretian students shared their vocational testimonies. Their stories challenged others, and their doubts gave courage. Witness is always more powerful than theory.
Hacking downtime
Missionaries who are already present when young people arrive for catechesis — ready and available. Their presence — quiet but constant — sustains processes without many words. Vocation spreads through presence.
Hacking school corridors
A Claretian shared that, at the end of the day, he asks himself: “Did I give any time today to speak with students?” That question helps him prioritise what matters over what’s urgent. The corridor becomes a pastoral space.
Hacking the summer
An older Claretian used to keep track of the young people from his area who attended the Claretian summer camp. On their return, he would greet them by name and ask about the experience. A simple gesture that opens and accompanies.
Hacking finances
A community makes it easy for a young person to take part in a vocational experience. Money is not a barrier. Finances can also be vocational.
Hacking the family
A mother encourages her son to attend a vocational gathering. The home becomes, sometimes miraculously, a place where vocation takes root.
Hacking prayer
Each Claretian, in their personal or community prayer, can intercede for young people and their searching. Pray with their names. Vocational ministry also begins in the unseen.
And sowing through witness
God is still calling. Our mission is to sow, spark questions, create an atmosphere. Vocational ministry is not imposed — it is shared. And it starts with the everyday.
To hack vocational ministry, then, is not to sabotage it but to awaken it. To open cracks where the Spirit can slip in. To let the everyday speak and the small bear fruit. As Juan Carlos Martos said to the PJV_Spain team in a conversation in September 2020: may the encounters we have with young people each day be meaningful, and speak to them of God.
Let us care for our lives, so our witness is true. And let us ask ourselves: “When today can I spark a vocational flame?” May the Spirit enkindle us in the love of the Father, and may Jesus and Mary support us in our own vocation.
Martín Areta Higuera, CMF
