Vocations Archives

Finding grace in singleness: How being single is still part of the Church
- Interviews
- August 14, 2017
For Christians, there are two states of life that are permanent: marriage and vowed religious life. But single people have a baptismal vocation, too – and we all should expect to live out seasons of singleness in some way or other.
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Serra: When remembering the saint, don’t forget the man
- Church in the US, Commentary
- July 1, 2017
Saint Junípero Serra is known today by many monikers — Patron of Vocations, Father of the California Missions, Apostle of California, Evangelizer of the West, a Founding Father of the United States, and the first Hispanic saint of the United States. However, it seems that some historians are politicizing their craft again, with the California missions and its first father-president in their crosshairs.
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Living the Gospel is risky, embrace challenges with courage, pope says
- Catholic News Service, Vatican
- June 24, 2017
Speaking to a lay organization that seeks to promote and foster vocations, Pope Francis said that Christians “need to have the courage to dare, not to let fear stifle their creativity, not to be suspicious of new things, but instead to embrace the challenges which the Spirit sets before them.”
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Pope urges that the best priests be sent to the peripheries

May 2, 2017

During an unexpected visit, Pope Francis met with novices of the Salesian order and offered some advice on vocations and discernment . The pope stressed that the criteria for selecting novices is that “they be normal” and added that “in the peripheries we must send the best!”

Why married priests won’t really fix the shortage

The priest shortage has been a major concern for the Catholic Church as today there is only one priest for every 1,800 Catholics in the U.S. But married priests may not provide the necessary solution. This article explores the reasons that led to celibate priests and the possible alternatives to foster vocations.