Dear Brother Priests, Deacons and Subdeacons, Consecrated Men and Women, Lay Faithful,
In the Catholic Church in the United States, National Vocation Awareness Week is celebrated November 3-9, 2024. It is an annual week-long dedicated to promote vocations to ordained ministry and consecrated life through prayer, invitation, education, and to also renew our prayers and support for those who are considering these vocations.
This year we have the Consecration and Dedication of the Church on November 3rd and 10th. During these two Sundays I would like each parish to focus on the four different vocations in our Church, the priesthood, religious life, marriage and the generous single life.
Below are some suggestions and resources to assist you in preaching on vocations.
In your homily, share on the four vocations in the Church, and in particular offer some practical tips on hearing God’s call to the priesthood and religious life.
Read and share the Vocation curriculum (K-3, 4-6 & MYO) with your catechists, families and MYO leaders to help them to understand and teach on the different vocations.
Share the vocation video created by the Eparchy on your different social media platforms and encourage young people to think about their own calling and gifts. Ask them to take quiet time each day to listen to God and to discern how he might be inviting them to follow and serve him.
Invite clergy, married people and religious to come and visit your parish on these two weekends to share their vocation story with your children, MYO and MYA.
Encourage families to learn more about the different vocations, and invite them to take the icon of the Holy Family home for a week to pray daily for vocations as a family.
Promote the different religious communities in our Eparchy of Saint Maron: the Maronite Monks of Adoration in Petersham MA and the Maronite Servants of Christ the Light in Dartmouth MA. Encourage them to visit and contact them with their questions.
Offer a weekly Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament for vocations, along with Confession.
Let us continue to faithfully witness and cultivate vocations to the holy priesthood, religious life, married life and the generous single life in our Eparchy. Thank you for your prayerful support and especially for those discerning their vocations.
+Gregory