USCCB Launches Week of Prayer and Events to Support New Priests and Religious
The campaign runs through November 7 and includes specific guidance for parents on how to discuss religious calls with their children.
By Tomas Rahman ·
National Vocation Awareness Week began on November 1 and will conclude on November 7. During this period, dioceses, parishes, and schools across the United States host events to support individuals discerning a call to ordained ministry or consecrated life.
Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks of New York serves as chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. In a statement, he described the week as a reminder of the witness of those who answer God's call to serve.
“We thank God for all vocations and pray for a deepened spirit of joy in marriages, in the priesthood and diaconate, and in all forms of consecrated life,” Hicks wrote. He added that such a joy-filled witness inspires young people to follow their call with courage.
The USCCB provides resources in English and Spanish on its website. These materials include Holy Hours, prayers for vocations, and discernment tips. The website also offers tools for parents to talk about vocations with their children, such as the “ABCs of Fostering Vocations” and suggestions for “Building a Domestic Church.”
A top-10 list of actions to promote vocations encourages Catholics to pray for an increase in priests and religious. It also advises inviting active young adults and teens to consider such calls. The list emphasizes the role of silence in spiritual discernment.
“Silence is key to sanity and wholeness,” the list states. “We can only ‘hear’ the voice of God if we are quiet.” It suggests removing earbuds from devices like iPhones and iPods to listen to God.
The USCCB release quoted Pope Leo XIV’s message for the 63rd World Day of Prayer for Vocations, delivered on April 26. The Pope noted that a vocation involves an intimate dialogue with God, despite the noise of the world.
“Every vocation is an immeasurable gift for the Church and for those who receive it with joy,” Pope Leo said. He encouraged individuals to discover how to give of themselves through marriage, the priesthood, the permanent diaconate, or consecrated life.
The observance began in 1976 when U.S. bishops designated the 28th Sunday of the year for this purpose. In 1997, the date moved to the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. In 2014, the committee moved the observance to November to better engage Catholic schools and colleges with youth and young adults.
Source: The Catholic Sun
