National Vocation Awareness Week invites Catholics to discern God’s call
The 48th annual National Vocation Awareness Week starts Sunday, Nov. 3, inviting Catholics nationwide to reflect on God’s call in their lives. This weeklong celebration, first established in 1976, encourages prayer and support for vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life within the Catholic Church.
National Vocation Awareness Week highlights vocations to Holy Orders—including bishops, priests, and deacons—and consecrated life, encompassing monks, nuns, brothers, sisters, hermits, consecrated virgins, and missionaries. Through events, prayer, and resources, the Catholic community is encouraged to support individuals discerning God’s call and pray for an increase in vocations overall.
Father Patrick Seo, Director of the Office of Priestly Vocations for the Archdiocese of Newark, sees Eucharistic Adoration as essential for discernment. “God alone calls to vocations, so to whom do we go to hear our vocation? To God! And where has God left himself, most especially? In the Eucharist!” Father Seo said. “Go to him regularly, build a relationship with him. He wants to and will lead you to the life that will make you truly flourish and thrive.”
Although Adoration is a key practice, personal prayer, reflection, and guidance from a vocation director are also vital for discernment. “Nothing important is ever meant to be done alone,” Father Seo said. “Having someone to walk with on an uncertain and confusing journey can be extremely important, and being that someone is a vocation director’s purpose.”
Encouraging others to consider their vocation can be as important as discerning one’s own. Many priests began their journey after being invited to consider the priesthood, especially by another priest. “Prayer warriors,” or laypeople who commit to prayer for vocations, are encouraged to offer Rosaries and intercessions for an increase in vocations or for those currently discerning, including seminarians.
This year, the Archdiocese of Newark published the names of its 60 seminarians, along with a vocations prayer available in nine languages, shared with all parishes for publication in their bulletins and digital platforms. Father Seo emphasized the Archdiocese’s hope that Catholics will lift up seminarians in prayer and develop a personal connection with those preparing for the priesthood. “We want everyone to know and pray for our seminarians by name,” Father Seo said, “and to pray for them by face when the latest annual seminarian poster arrives at parishes, schools, and religious institutions across the Archdiocese.”
Though National Vocations Awareness Week is observed during the first week of November, vocation support is a year-round mission for many parishes. St. Bartholomew the Apostle Parish in Scotch Plains has a dedicated vocation ministry. Programs such as a young men’s group, Holy Hours, and a parish-wide traveling chalice initiative – set to begin on Sunday for National Vocations Awareness Week – demonstrate the ministry’s commitment to fostering vocations in the local community.
“Our mission is a simple one: to help those in our community live out the reality that they are made, loved, and called by God with a purpose,” said Father Matthew Gonzalez, parochial vicar at St. Bartholomew’s.
To learn more about vocations within the Archdiocese of Newark, visit online:
- For the Priesthood: www.NewarkPriest.com
- For Religious Life: www.rcan.org/delegate-religious
- For the Permanent Diaconate: www.rcan.org/permanent-diaconate
Click here for National Vocation Awareness Week resources from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
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.
Samantha Cappuccino serves in the Office of Priestly Vocations for the Archdiocese of Newark.
