During November we celebrated National Vocation Awareness Week. For me, it is a golden opportunity to preach on the universal call to holiness, visit middle school students, and even share my story on a local podcast. The goal is to present each of the vocations in the Church – priesthood, religious life, heroic marriage and the single life – as invitations from God to engage in Christ’s mission.
With Vocation Awareness Week come and gone, the question arises: How do we promote vocations throughout the year? Since I am the Diocese of Gary’s vocation director, I will offer my own perspective on promoting the priesthood and religious life as viable lifestyles for young people in the parishes.
Since outside the family unit, the parish tends to be a key place where vocations are nurtured, here are some ways that parishioners in the pews can engage in vocation promotion:
1) Consider starting a parish vocations team – Find others in the parish who, like you, are interested in promoting vocations, and make it a group effort. The diocesan vocations office would be glad to work with you on getting started.
2) Team up with the Youth Ministry – Contact the youth minister(s) of your parish and see how you can assist young people in praying about God’s plan for their lives.
3) Include the students – If your parish has a school, work with them to make vocations a regular part of the religion curriculum. If you don't have a school, see if you can partner with the Faith Formation program.
4) Get a priest and seminarian prayer schedule from the Serra Club – the Serra Club of Northwest Indiana issues a quarterly calendar, with each day dedicated to praying for a local priest or seminarian.
5) Take home your parish’s Vocation Cross – Pray for the seminarians whose pictures are on the cross. If your parish does not have a Vocation Cross, reach out to the vocation office (769-9292, ext. 221) to obtain one and recruit parish households to take the cross home for a week.
6) Don't reinvent the wheel – You don't have to create new events. Simply insert vocations into things that are already happening at the parish. For example, if you have parish prayer groups, invite them to make vocations a regular prayer intention.
7) Invitation is most important – (Gently) invite young people in the parish to consider their vocations. From personal experience, as a teenager I didn't think I was cut out for the priesthood. Then a good number of people approached me and told me I should consider it.
Without that encouragement, I likely would not have responded to the call. Similarly, some young men and women in your parish might be waiting for others to encourage them to explore their vocation. Let them know the qualities you see in them that would make a great priest or religious.
While these strategies and initiatives are helpful, they are dependent, first and foremost, on a culture of prayer in the parish. The Holy Spirit is the driving force behind discernment, so prayer is essential to opening our hearts to the grace of God. Please know of my prayer and accompaniment as you support vocations to the priesthood and religious life in your parish.
Father Nate Edquist is the vocations director for the Diocese of Gary. He also serves as pastor of Holy Family Parish in LaPorte.