WASHINGTON – The Catholic Church in the United States will observe National Vocation Awareness Week from November 1 to 7. Each year, national Catholic organizations, dioceses, schools, and parishes host events and provide resources that raise awareness of vocations and support those discerning God’s call, particularly to ordained ministry or consecrated life.
“As we draw near the busiest time of the year, a season marked by thanksgiving and joy, National Vocation Awareness Week reminds us of the beautiful witness of those who have responded to God’s call to serve in ordained ministry as priests and deacons, and men and women who serve in consecrated life,” said Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. “This National Vocation Awareness Week, 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. Your witness to a joy-filled vocation inspires young people to follow God’s call with courage.”
In his message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Pope Leo XIV said, “God dwells in our hearts. A vocation entails an intimate dialogue with the One who calls and invites us to respond, despite the deafening noise of the world, with true joy and generosity.” He later continued, “Through the intimacy of his friendship, you will discover how to give of yourselves, whether through marriage, the priesthood, the permanent diaconate, or consecrated life. Every vocation is an immeasurable gift for the Church and for those who receive it with joy.”
Resources for National Vocation Awareness Week are available on the USCCB’s website in both English and Spanish.
Prayer for Vocations
God our Father, we thank you for
calling men and women to serve in your
Son’s Kingdom as priests, deacons, and
consecrated persons. Send your Holy
Spirit to help others to respond generously
and courageously to your call. May our
community of faith support vocations of
sacrificial love in our youth and young adults.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives
and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
© 2014, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.