How is God calling you to promote vocations?
Our office provides resources for educators, parents and parishes to help you help us (and ultimately help God) get young people asking the right questions and on the path of exploring God’s plans for them.
For Parents
Parents can have different outlooks on vocations in their families. Some might be actively seeking and praying that their son or daughter pursue a religious vocation; others might be a little fearful if one of their children shows interest in becoming a priest or sister.
The truth is that God has a plan for each of us, and each of our children. He wants them to be happy even more than we do! Just as you can’t “give” a child a vocation to a particular state in life, neither should you try to stand in the way of His plans for them. Discovering and living out their vocations is really where they will find their fulfillment and happiness.
Here are some excellent resources that can help you learn more about vocations and encourage your children to ask themselves, and God, the questions that really matter so they can discover His plan for their lives:
“I want to ask you, dear sisters and brothers, to pray for vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life in a very particular way. I am not asking you to pray for vocations in general, for example, “Dear God, please choose someone, like the person next door.” Rather, I am inviting you to pray this way: “Dear God, if you will, please choose someone from my family – my family – to be a priest, sister or brother. And if you do, I will support that person with my prayers and encouragement.” Admittedly, this is a more difficult prayer because it reaches the heart of each family. But it is also a more generous prayer and God responds to generosity!” –Bishop Emeritus Paul Loverde
For Educators
Teachers are called amidst already busy schedules to be more than knowledge transmitters. Students send out signals as they tackle academic and life issues. As a teacher, you have been gifted with the opportunity to respond to your students and to touch their lives by example, by listening, and by providing meaningful feedback. On these pages are some ways that you can encourage vocations to the priesthood, religious life, and other Church leadership without sacrificing time needed to complete your curriculum.
What is Discernment?
To say, “Yes” to God is more about answering a call, than initiating or manufacturing it. The process that leads to hearing the call, answering it, and later affirmation by the Church is called discernment.
In some ways, vocational discernment is similar to career planning. Both involve recognizing talents and personality traits suited to work tasks. However, a vocation is more than just a career in the Church.
A career is what you do; whereas a vocation is who you are.
As a teacher or school administrator or staff, you can help your students develop openness to the possibility of priesthood, religious or consecrated life. Their discernment might begin with you!
How Can You Help?
Research reported by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops had identified three stages of occupational decision making. Young children choose what they might like to be when they grow up based on adult role models or idols. Around age 11, children begin to associate occupational choices with their developing interests, talents, and values. By the time they become juniors or seniors in high school, young people engage in more realistic explorations of career and life choices.
Teachers, school administrators and staff are often role models to their students. It would be helpful to take some time to reflect upon your own call to holiness and your important mission as a Catholic educator and mentor.
For Parishes
If the family is the domestic Church, the parish is the local Church, where children and young people encounter Christ Himself in the Eucharist. Many of them receive their religious formation in the parish, and witness lives of faithful discipleship in the priests and others who work there.
Parish communities support vocations in a number of ways: praying for them, spreading the word about vocations events, and including instruction on vocational discernment in their religious education programs. Many parishes also financially support seminarians.
Vocations are everybody’s business, and there are many ways to get involved in the vocations ministry at your parish.
English Language Resources:
Spanish Language Resources:
For Priests
Seventy percent of those entering seminary in 2018 said they were encouraged to consider the priesthood by a parish priest.
When asked what influenced him in his vocation, one of our seminarians said, “I witnessed many joyful priests at my parish who made the priesthood seems important and appealing to me.”
Pastors and priests are key to young people, especially men, opening themselves to the idea of a life totally dedicated to God. We are grateful for your support and collaboration, and offer these two resources for you:
Lend your Own Voice to Christ
This booklet is a response to the annual survey of men being ordained to the priesthood. Consistently, 80 to 88 percent of newly ordained priests report that they first considered the priesthood upon the recommendation of a priest. However, only 30 percent of priests actually make the invitation! This booklet grew out of the question of how to encourage more priests to make this invitation to share in their life. Available from the Office of Vocations and the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors.
A Priest’s Prayer for Vocations
Lord Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest,
thank You for calling me, unworthy as I am, to Your sacred priesthood.
Bless our seminarians preparing to labor with me in Your vineyard.
Inspire them with the ideal of holiness and sacrificial service.
Make me a joyful witness of Your priesthood so that more men
from our Diocese may hear and respond to Your call.
I ask this in Your name, Who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.
Mary Immaculate… pray for us.
St. Thomas More… pray for us.
St. Elizabeth Anne Seton… pray for us.
