This page offers simple things your faith community can do to promote vocation awareness during this week of national recognition and all year long.

vocation bulletin blurbs Cycle A (doc)

vocation bulletin blurbs Cycle A (pdf)

How can we encourage and empower the people of our diocese to create a "culture of vocations"? By inviting every faith community in the diocese to be an active participant in the vocation effort. Fostering a “culture change” is an impossible task without animated vocation initiatives at all levels of ministry. The following are some simple things that you can do:

• Encourage people to participate in an online retreat.
• Start a Parish Vocation Committee (call the vocation office, we can help)
• Include Vocation Awareness in your pastoral planning
• Publicly recognize and give thanks for the vocations you have in your faith community (lay, consecrated, ordained, married, single)
• Include our seminarians in your weekly prayers of the faithful
• “Adopt” a seminarian. Pray for him and keep in touch (the vocation office can provide you with information on our seminarians)
• Host a panel discussion during a coffee hour – invite a married couple, single professional, lay minister, deacon and/or religious, and a priest to share their stories – invite questions. Nothing moves people like a personal story!
• Use the vocation prayer cards that were provided to you and pray for vocations, together as a community, every week (let us know if you need more)
• Think of the people around you. Is there someone who possesses qualities that would serve well in Church ministry? An invitation to consider it might be just the spark they need
• Insert a vocation announcement in your parish bulletin – regularly, or at least often – it could be as simple as a prayer and invitation to visit this website or it could be a reflection from the pastor or someone else on his/her vocation.
• Use the “Parents for Church Vocations” easy-to-use program for any gathering of parents or grandparents (sacramental prep meetings, school parent gatherings, men’s club, lady’s guild, etc.) If you don’t have the materials, we can provide them.
• The DVD given to all parishes, “Come...follow Me” is a ready-made tool to help with vocation awareness. Use it at any number of gatherings to invite discussion.
• Include any of these petitions (17kb .pdf - opens in a new window) in your weekly prayers of the faithful
• Support diocesan efforts to encourage our young people to discern God’s plan for them by encouraging their participation in retreats, young adult education, youth ministry, campus ministry, service opportunities, etc.
• Invite young people to become more involved in parish ministry
• Celebrate “Vocations Awareness Week” and “World Day of Prayer for Vocations” when they come around each year. We’ll remind you of them.
• Contact the Vocation Awareness Office to find out who your Vocation Awareness Team representative is and keep in touch with them.
• Institute a “Traveling Chalice” or “Traveling Statue” or "Family Prayer" program for families to pray for vocations – we can help.
• Host a Holy Hour or Rosary for Vocations
• Make sure the vocation posters you received are posted in your parish