Build a Culture of Vocations in your Parish

10 Ways to Foster Vocations in Your Parish

1. Foster a culture of respect and esteem for the priests and religious: Speak well of them, have them to your homes, encourage young people to seek them out for advice.

2. Organized prayer for vocations: General intercessions for Vocations; Holy Hours, Vocation Crucifix Program, Stations of the Cross for Vocations.

3. Vocations Bulletin Board: Featuring holy and happy seminarians, priests and religious, and how they discerned their call. (Hint: the Arlington Catholic Herald regularly runs vocational stories; the Meet Our Seminarians and Priests page has biographical info; ImagineSisters.org and CMSWR.org have great material.)

4. “Like” and “Share” vocation-related items from the Catholic Diocese of Arlington Facebook page; ensure this page links to the parish website.

5. Include websites with vocational information on the parish website.

6. Mention it to young people: Attendance at daily Mass, participation in parish activities especially the liturgy, service projects, etc. are good indicators of a young person striving to grow closer to God. Don’t be afraid to approach them, mention the qualities you see in them that could indicate God might be calling them to live a life devoted to Him.

7. Encourage parents to not be afraid should God call one of their children.

8. Celebrate National Vocation Awareness Week: form a committee from the parish and school to make the most of this week, the first full week in November (speakers, posters, contests, testimonies, etc.). VocationMinistry.com has great material for this.

9. Publicize quotes by the Holy Father and other Church teachings about vocations.

10. Use our Bulletin Blurbs and General Intercessions on vocational topics.

VocationsMinistry.org has a number of programs and ideas of ways to promote vocations in your parish, starting from the very basic to the more advanced.