VOCATIONS
In the simplest terms, “vocation” means a “call.” So, in general terms, your vocation is what God calls you to do with your life.
Everybody is called by God to know, love and serve him. The difference is how each one does this.
Individual vocations vary between being single, married, consecrated, religious or a priest. However, we usually use “Vocation” to mean a call to the consecrated, religious or priestly life.
In the one life God gave you to live, you have one overriding purpose, to fulfill the will of God, because this is the key to your true destiny, eternal happiness.
God gives each one of us a particular mission in life. As we grow and life progresses, he makes it known to us, usually in indirect ways, more as an invitation than an imposition.
Discovering and ultimately following your vocation gives the greatest glory and praise to our Creator. It is what we were meant to do.
If you are discerning the consecrated life, fill out the contact form here. Our staff would be happy to help guide you through the discernment journey.
Fr. Mark-Mary and Fr. Gregory Pine reveal five discernment traps we can fall into, and how to avoid them. The five common vocational discernment traps we tend to fall into are catastrophism, angelism, sensationalism, objectivism, and vocationism (names courtesy of Fr. Gregory). How do we avoid them? By recognizing these things:
1) The Lord loves your vocation more than you do, and is constantly working toward this goal. All we have to do is respond generously to him.
2) Humans were created to know our vocation step-by-step, not all at once. God is working slowly in our lives, and patience is essential in following his plan.
3) God works in ordinary ways, and just because they’re ordinary doesn’t mean they’re not marvelous.
4) The Lord loves you in a specific, particular way, and he’s going to encourage you towards a vocation that corresponds to your desires and who you are.
5) Your life doesn’t start when your vocation does. Your broader vocation is to glorify God and to strive towards heaven. It’s your specific vocation that shows how you’ll play your own unique part in God’s divine plan.
By breaking out of these limitations, we can draw our hearts and minds closer to Christ, which will only lead to greater discernment of his plan.
This is the film so many are talking about. In 18 minutes Fishers of Men easily does what hours of apologetic talks on the priesthood and Catholicism struggle to do. This film has even convinced non-Catholics of the importance of the priesthood, and allowed many to understand for the first time what the Catholic priesthood is all about. We believe that Fishers of Men is anointed and gives us a glimpse into God’s intentions, and an understanding of why the Catholic Church is here to stay until Christ returns. Mankind cannot exist without the Church, and the Church cannot exist without her priests.
This film beautifully and emotionally demonstrates what Christ meant when he proclaimed, “And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it [the Church].” Fishers of Men was developed by the United States Conference of Bishops’ Committee on Vocations. It is a film intended to renew priests’ sense of fulfillment in their vocation and to encourage them to draw on that satisfaction to invite other men to pursue the priesthood. But it is likely to have a much broader and global affect on Catholics of all ilks and non-Catholics of every stripe. Fishers of Men, produced by Grassroots Films of Brooklyn, NY, is a fast-paced, emotionally-charged video that reveals the many facets of a priest’s daily life, and demonstrates why only real men can become priests.
Sisters are a powerful witness to the world, and a film must be made to showcase the lives and service of these amazing women. Following boldly in the footsteps of great vocations films like Fishers of Men, Light of Love will tell the beautiful story of five sisters from across the United States.
Sister Maris Stella tells the story of how she found her vocation with the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in Nashville. Beforehand she had a comfortable life with many friends, was in college and had a boyfriend. But when she chose the religious life, she began the greatest adventure of her life. She shares how she was attracted to the genuine joy of the sisters in Nashville, and how giving her life to God in such a way is more than worth the sacrifice.
Sister Bethany Madonna of the Sisters of Life speaks to pilgrims about listening for God’s call and discerning a vocation.
Made by God, Made for God presents the beauty of living life according to Church teaching, which the Church received from Christ, and it doesn’t shy away from tough topics. Have you ever wondered how to explain the Sunday Mass obligation, why exactly we fast, or what the logic of Catholic sexual ethics is? This is the book for you.
Read Made by God, Made for God to discover that Catholic morality is:
ConfusingBoringComplicatedFor theologians- About a relationship with God
- Encouraging
- Steeped in Scripture
- Steeped in Catholic Tradition
- For everyone!
“This eloquent and luminous book, inspired by the best spiritual and intellectual traditions of the Church, makes Catholic moral teaching accessible to all, in a universal language that preserves the fullness of the truth, and communicates it with warmth and humanity. It is highly to be recommended!“
— Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P.
A new, beautifully laid-out pocket edition of Thomas à Kempis‘s classic Christian devotional work, The Imitation of Christ. Originally written in medieval Latin c. 1481-1427, The Imitation of Christ is one of the most enduring works of late medieval Christian piety and remains ] the most widely read Christian devotional after the Bible. Divided into four books and dozens of bite-sized subchapters, The Imitation of Christ focuses on providing practical and spiritual advice for cultivating an interior life that mirrors the virtues of Jesus Christ. This edition is based on the English language translation by William Benham (1831–1910).
