Vocations and Discernment

“Vocations Cross Information and Signup”
Click this Link

Priority: Vocations & Discernment, Especially Diocesan Priesthood

For our Parishes to maintain a focus on the celebration of the Eucharist and become true centers of the New Evangelization, we need both faith-filled disciples and dedicated parish priests. Vocations in the Church include marriage, religious life, ordained ministry, and other personal callings to serve the Lord in the Church or in the world. Building a culture of vocations – awareness of God’s calling and discernment of each of our personal vocation – is critical to our future and to encouraging members of Page 5 our parishes to respond to the call to diocesan priesthood to serve our parishes, requiring us to be intentional about vocation ministry in our collaborative.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." -Proverbs 3:5
“The harvest is great, but the laborers are few. Ask the master of the vineyard to send more laborers to the harvest.” Luke 10:2

Goal: Collaborative Vocation Team – Train a Collaborative Vocation Team (CVT) consisting of at least five and no more than ten members (including at least one priest or seminarian, and possibly other Pastoral Team members) by February 1, 2018.

Some important milestones and strategies that will aid in the fulfillment of this goal are:

o Clergy, Pastoral Staff, and Key Volunteers identify potential candidates for the CVT for the Pastor to invite to serve on this team.

o Collaborative Clergy, with assistance from the Pastoral Staff, develops plans to train the new CVT in the three foundational areas (marriage, religious life and ordained ministry) of encouraging vocations, especially diocesan priesthood.

o Pastor and representative(s) from the Plan Writing Team assemble the CVT in the autumn of 2017 to discuss their mission and schedule meetings for training and planning of an initial activity proposed by the Pastor, which focuses on diocesan priesthood.

Goal: Christian Discernment – Collaborative Clergy, with assistance from the CVT and consultation of the Collaborative Pastoral Council (CPC) and pastoral staff, develops plans to catechize the parishioners about Christian discernment in general and discernment of life vocation by Feb 15, 2018.

Goal: Vocations Initiatives – Implement two to three activities in each of these key areas: (1) Prayer for Vocations, (2) Vocation Awareness, and (3) Vocational Invitation by June 30, 2020.

Some important milestones and strategies that will aid in the fulfillment of this goal are:
 

o CVT studies available resources and best practices for each key area.

o Annually (ideally each September), CVT proposes two possible activities from each key area to the Pastor, who in consultation with others will choose one in each area to be implemented that academic year.

o Plan the activities chosen for that academic year, including communications (with parish leadership groups and all parishioners), catechesis, and implementation.