Vocations

vocation promotion activities

  • Promote prayer for vocations to the priesthood and religious life in your parish through General Intercessions at Mass, and Holy Hours for Vocations.
  • Include "Vocation Blurbs" provided by the Office of Vocations in your parish bulletin.
  • Begin a "Vocations Crucifix Program" of prayer for vocations among the families in your parish. Use this "Vocations Crucifix Program Booklet" as a prayer aid to accompany the Vocations Crucifix. "Vocations Crucifix Program Booklet Explanation" in Spanish. "Vocations Crucifix Program Booklet" in Spanish.
  • Keep the parish pamplet racks well stocked with the wealth of vocation related material availabe from the Office of Vocations as well as display vocation posters in numberous locations throughout all parish and parish school buildings.
  • Participate in the Vocation Promotion Events sponsored by the Office of Vocations throughout the year and encourage others to join you.
  • Promote membership in the St. Therese Vocation Society, the Junior St. Therese Vocation Society, and the Serra Club of Arlington.
  • Actively encourage those, high school age and above, who exhibit the qualities and virtues you have admired in priests and religious who have been an influence in your life, to consider a religious or priestly calling from God. Invite them to consider joining the Men's Discernment Group, or Women's Discernment Group, for those 17 and older; or the Vianney Vocations Club or Faustina Vocations Club for those still in high school. Personal invitation can be the inspiration someone needs to contact a vocation director for further information and discernment.
  • Publish a listing of our seminarians, with names and seminary addresses. Encourage parishioners to send them cards and letters showing support and prayer without expecting a response from the seminarians, which keeps this activity supportive but not intrusive to their study time. Some parishes feature one seminarian's name and address in the bulletin each week, to keep this activity continuous.
  • Have Catholic School, Parish Religious Education, or Home School students send cards and/or care packages to seminarians and brothers and sisters in formation, especially at time of holidays, midterms or finals.
  • On All Souls Day, focus attention on prayer for deceased priests and religious, especially those who have served the people of God in our diocese. Publicize the month-by-month necrology for deceased priests and religious for specific prayer intentions. Ask these priests and religious to continue their work on earth.
  • Pray, especially in the Fall for new prospects and in the Spring for candidates and applicants who are being processed for entrance to seminary for the next year.
  • Parish Vocation Promoters can promise their own daily prayers and sacrifices for an increase of vocations for our diocese.