Vocations

About Vocations

What is a vocation?

The word “vocation” is derived from the Latin word vocare, meaning “to call.” The primary call of all Christians is the call to holiness. This stems from our baptismal vocation, which is the fundamental vocation from which all other vocations are derived. When we speak of vocations there are three main categories: baptismal, state in life, and personal advocation. Our Baptismal and State in Life Vocation is more about being, while our personal advocation (professions) is more about doing in the world.

State in life vocations (Ordained, Laity, and Consecrated) are vocations that are discerned and chosen. Together these vocations strengthen and support one another, build up the Church and enable it to be fruitful.

How do I discern my vocation?

Your vocation is not a mystery to be solved, but a plan that God will reveal. This is an important time to grow in your prayer.

Keep you eyes on God. Share your heart with our Lord.
Talk with someone, such as your parish priest, other consecrated living the vocation, or the Delegate for Consecrated Life. [Insert Link to Click for form]
Preserve the gift of your purity. Give this gift to your future spouse or our Lord.
Pray: Lord, how do You want me to live my life?

God created you. He knows the desires of your heart and the best way to have them fulfilled. Ask Him.

“You are at the great crossroads of your lives, and you must decide how your future can be lived happily, accepting the responsibilities which you hope will be placed squarely on your shoulders, playing an active role in the world around you. You ask me for encouragement and guidance, and most willingly I offer some words of advice to all of you in the name of Jesus Christ. In the first place I say this: you must never think that you are alone in deciding your future! And second: when deciding your future, you must not decide for yourself alone.” – Pops St. John Paul II

Ordained (Bishops, Priests, and Deacons)

Their mission the mission that Christ gave the Apostles and is to be carried out in succession. The ordained have a particular service to build up the Church and to preserve its unity.

Laity (Married and Dedicated Single)

The laity share in the mission of the Church, which is the continuation of the priestly, prophetic, and kingly mission of Christ that they must fulfill in the Church and in the world. The four characteristics of a Christian marriage in the Catholic Church are free, total, faithful, and fruitful. Dedicated Singles receive a calling from God to make a permanent commitment to celibacy as a way of giving his/herself completely to Him.

Consecrated

The mission of the consecrated stems from the words of Jesus in Matthew 19, in which he acknowledges that some will choose not to marry for the sake of the kingdom of heaven and encourages anyone who can accept to accept this particular gift of God.” The various forms of consecrated life include religious sisters and brothers, religious order priests, cloistered nuns, members of secular institutes, and consecrated virgins living in the world.