Frequently Asked
Questions

What is a vocation? In short, a vocation is a call (from the word vocare meaning “to call”) from the Lord. First and universally, it is a call to the life of holiness and, second, to a particular call for you in one of three categories: Consecrated Life, Ordained Life, or Holy Matrimony. [For more information, go .] How do I know if I have a call? How do I hear it? You have a call. Period. Every person is called by God to live the life of holiness, and He has a particular path for every single one of us. To hear that call, you must go to and develop your relationship with the One who calls. It though that mature relationship with God that God then reveals to us our vocation. What do I do if I have questions? Who can I talk to? God doesn’t just call and expect. He prepares us and walks with us the whole time. He has placed people in our lives to offer encouragement, guidance, and support, and we can talk to any of them about what is in our hearts. It may be your parents or siblings, distant relatives, or friends. It could also be your parish pastor or priest, a religious brother or sister, your catechism teacher, your youth group or young adult leader, or someone you happen to know is Catholic. It could be someone you just met---God works in mysterious ways! And, of course, you can always reach out to your friendly neighborhood Vocation Director, Fr. Patrick Seo (rev.patrick.seo@rcan.org). How do I tell my parents? In the end, parents want their children to be happy. If your parents see the priesthood or consecrated life as a wonderful life to live, then it will be easy to share the good news with them! But sometimes parents have a different idea of what will make their children happy and may resist the idea of becoming a priest or religious (brother, monk, nun, sister). If this is the case, know that you are not alone. It is a cross to bear when family does not support you in what you believe is God’s Will for you, but many people have faced this situation---even some of the saints themselves! St. Francis was rejected by his earthly father. St. Thomas Aquinas was locked in a tower by his brothers. Know that you are not alone and know that you are accompanied by so many saints before you. Christ Himself was rejected by His hometown of Nazareth and crucified by His own people in Jerusalem. Know, also, that you can reach out to your Vocation Director and you can work with him through the thorny patches of the journey.

God doesn’t just call and expect. He prepares us and walks with us the whole time. He has placed people in your life to offer encouragement, guidance, and support, and you can talk to any of them about what is in your heart. It may be your parents or siblings, distant relatives, or friends. It could also be your parish pastor or priest, a religious brother or sister, your catechism teacher, your youth group or young adult leader, or someone you happen to know is Catholic. It could be someone you just met—God works in mysterious ways! And, of course, you can always reach out to your friendly neighborhood Vocation Director, Fr. Patrick Seo (rev.patrick.seo@rcan.org)(mailto:rev.patrick.seo@rcan.org).

In the end, parents want their children to be happy. If your parents see the priesthood or consecrated life as a wonderful life to live, then it will be easy to share the good news with them! But sometimes parents have a different idea of what will make their children happy and may resist the idea of becoming a priest or religious (brother, monk, nun, sister). If this is the case, know that you are not alone. It is a cross to bear when family does not support you in what you believe is God’s will for you, but many people have faced this situation—even some of the saints themselves! St. Francis was rejected by his earthly father. St. Thomas Aquinas was locked in a tower by his brothers. Know that you are accompanied by many saints before you. Christ Himself was rejected by His hometown of Nazareth and crucified by His own people in Jerusalem. Know also that you can reach out to your Vocation Director and work with him to get through the thorny patches of your journey.

For Men

With courage! I have spoken to many priests who have approached young men and women and initially feel discouraged because the man or woman does not immediately jump at the idea of entering seminary or a monastery. But take heart, as it can sometimes take time. From our own vocation stories, we too may not have been excited when that first person said something to us about becoming a priest. However, studies show (https://www.usccb.org/resources/Ordination%20Class%20of%202024%20-%20report_0.pdf)that most men and women who enter the seminary or religious order remember their pastor or priest approaching them and affirming them in their vocation. We are merely a part of the journey for each of these men and women, but we are called to play our part.

Starting a vocation ministry is easy—all you need are people willing to pray for vocations! While you can form an official group that regularly comes together to pray for and promote vocations, you can also tap into groups that already exist at your parish. For example, ask your rosary group to pray for an increase in vocations, or ask your pastor to hold Holy Hours for vocations. Ask the catechists to lead their students in a prayer for vocations at the beginning of each class. For additional resources and ideas, visit our Resources page, and visit our friend Rhonda over at VocationMinistry.com.(https://www.vocationministry.com/)

For Pastors

Yes! Remember, every person has a vocation. The question is which one. This is a question only God can answer. However, don’t underestimate the power of your own suggestion and encouragement. Not every man with a “priestly potential” wears the Holy Spirit on his sleeve! Sure, some men give off a priest or religious vibe, but many men discern quietly, and alone. Many men feel weird or unsure, and a little encouragement can go a long way. That said, while we can encourage, it is God alone who calls. Encourage the man to go to God in the way God has given himself to us most especially in the Eucharist. Encourage him to go to Eucharistic Adoration so he learns to spend time with the Lord and ask the Lord to guide him to whatever call the Lord knows will be the life in which the man will most fully and truly thrive.

The best thing you can do to promote the discernment of the will of God for your child is to model it yourself. Children can see when we ourselves do not do what we tell them is best for them. Thus, if we seriously desire the will of God for our children, then we must show them what a person who seeks the will of God for themselves looks like. Make God your top priority in life! Go to Mass every Sunday and on holy days of obligation, and take your child with you. Go to Confession regularly, pray before our Lord in the Eucharist, read Scripture, pray the Rosary. Show your child the peace and joy that comes only by living in daily relationship with God. Growing up watching you discern God’s will in your life will teach your 5 year old to seek the will of God in their own daily life and in their vocation as they grow up.

For Family/Friends/Others

Q: What’s the difference between ignorance and apathy? A: I don’t know and I don’t care. In all seriousness, though, the most important thing you can do in your classroom is to share your love of Jesus Christ! All too often, children go to class and are taught they must memorize lists and things: the commandments, prayers, when to sit and stand at Mass. But as soon as they leave the classroom or graduate, they forget everything because while they learned to do the right things, they did not care about what they were learning. Think of it like this: if you give a child who doesn’t care about dinosaurs a book about dinosaurs, they won’t read it or they will quickly forget what they read. If you give a child who somehow already loves dinosaurs a book about them, they will learn everything in that book and share everything they have learned about dinosaurs with everyone around them. It is the love that makes the difference in a child’s learning facts. It is the love that comes before the eagerness to learn. Thus, the best thing a teacher can do is begin by leading their students to love Jesus Christ. By demonstrating your joyful love for Jesus Christ, the hope is that your students will then love Jesus Christ themselves, and then they will want to learn and memorize everything they can about him and his life in the Church.

For Catechists/Teachers/Youth Group Leaders

As a prayer warrior, you have been given a charism by the Lord to want to pray more than the average Christian. And we are so thankful! Now, how do you direct your prayers towards the increase of vocations? One instruction from Jesus in Scripture related specifically to vocations: “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few; therefore beg the Lord to the harvest that he may send out laborers into his harvest” (Luke 10:2). The word for “beg” in Greek is δεήθητε [deēthēte], which has the connotation of need and desperation. This same word is used in another part of Luke’s Gospel, when a leper, whose body parts are falling off, who has been ostracized from his family and friends, and who can no longer go to the Temple, begs Jesus to cleanse him. This same word is used by a father who begs Jesus to remove a spirit of seizure. This is a strong word to evoke strong feeling, and it is with this high level of serious desperation that the Lord commands us to beg for vocations, to “beg the Lord of the harvest that he may send out laborers into his harvest.” Pray with that desperation—pray daily as you would for your son—and God who commands us to pray for vocations will call and inspire men to answer His call in their vocations.

For Prayer Warriors

guide to discernment

Frequently Asked
Questions

What is a vocation?

How do I know if I have a call? How do I hear it?

What do I do if I have questions? Who can I talk to?

How do I tell my parents?

For Men

How do I start a vocation conversation with a young man or woman?

How do I start a vocation ministry in my parish?

For Pastors

Should I encourage a vocation in others?

What can I do for my 5 year old?

For Family/Friends/Others

What can I do in my classroom for vocations?

For Catechists/Teachers/Youth Group Leaders

What can I do in my classroom for vocations?

How do I pray for vocations?

For Prayer Warriors

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a vocation?

How do I know if I have a call? How do I hear it?

What do I do if I have questions? Who can I talk to?

How do I tell my parents?

For Men

How do I start a vocation conversation with a young man or woman?

How do I start a vocation ministry in my parish?

For Pastors

Should I encourage a vocation in others?

What can I do for my 5 year old?

For Family/Friends/Others

What can I do in my classroom for vocations?

For Catechists/Teachers/Youth Group Leaders

What can I do in my classroom for vocations?

How do I pray for vocations?

For Prayer Warriors

Frequently Asked
Questions