National Vocation Awareness Week

This week (the week of 13-19 January) is National Vocation Awareness Week, a week dedicated to promoting vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and consecrated life through prayer and education; it is also a time to renew our prayers and support for those who are considering one of these particular vocations.

National Vocation Awareness Week began in 1976 when the U.S. bishops designated the 28th Sunday of the year for the beginning of the observance. In 1997, this celebration was moved to coincide with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which falls on 9 January (today) in 2012.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has set up a website, http://www.foryourvocation.org/, designed to help all members of the Church foster vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. They have also started a Facebook page to continue the outreach process.

In addition, many dioceses and religious orders have also set up a website or webpage designed to encourage vocations within the diocese or to the order. An example of this is the Diocese of Providence website, http://catholicpriest.com/.

“The discernment of a vocation is above all the fruit of an intimate dialogue between the Lord and his disciples. Young people, if they know how to pray, can be trusted to know what to do with God's call.” – Pope Benedict XVI