Vocations

The Latest

Sacred Heart Cathedral in the Diocese of Thái Bình, Vietnam.

Catholic diocese in Vietnam builds new seminary amid rising vocations

Oct 2, 2020

By Courtney Mares

A diocese in northern Vietnam is expanding its seminary in response to an increasing number of priestly vocations.  Read more

Father Nick Adam. Photo courtesy of Father Adam.

News anchor-turned-Catholic vocations director embarks on 'Tour de Priest'

Jul 12, 2020

This Sunday, a Catholic priest will embark on a 320-mile, 5-day bike ride to recruit young men and women for... Read more

Potential postulants wait and see as COVID puts convent plans in question 

Apr 30, 2020

By Mary Farrow

If everything were going according to plan, Jessica would be entering the convent on August 22.  Read more

Pope Francis greets pilgrims in St. Peter's Square on May 31, 2017.

'Have no fear': Pope Francis calls Catholics to say 'yes' to vocations

Mar 26, 2020

By Courtney Mares

Acknowledging that discerning God’s plan is a daunting task, the pope said that trust in the Lord can overcome our... Read more

In Rochester, moms' group prays for vocations to come from among their families

Dec 31, 2019

A newly-formed group of Catholic mothers in Rochester, New York has committed to praying regularly for the flourishing of vocations... Read more

CNA

Discerning in, and discerning out: What happens when seminarians leave?

Dec 31, 2019

By Michelle McDaniel

Catholic journalists know that discernment stories are popular because they give readers hope. And they often follow a pattern: They... Read more

Sr. Mary Gianna Thornby, DLJC. Courtesy Photo.

After Columbine: How one survivor found faith, and a vocation

Dec 30, 2019

By Jonah McKeown

Many years before she entered religious life, Sister Mary Gianna Thornby was an ordinary high school sophomore at Columbine High... Read more

Missionary: Married priests in Amazon wouldn't get to the root of the problem

Oct 15, 2019

A South American missionary to Angola who is participating in the Amazon Synod at the invitation of the pope has... Read more

From Left: Fr. Dan Samide, Fr. Rich Samide, Fr. Anthony Simone, Fr. Patrick Schultz, Fr. Jeff Barnish, Fr. Ryan Mann, Fr. Ryan Cubera. Photo courtesy of St. Mary's Catholic Church Life Teen group.

7 priests ordained in 7 years: What's the 'secret sauce' at this Ohio parish?

May 26, 2019

By Mary Farrow

Starting in 2013, and every year since for the past seven years, one young man from the parish of St.... Read more

Deacon Drake McCalister, his family, and Bishop Jeffrey Montforton. Courtesy photo.

Deacon Drake: From Pentecostal preacher to Catholic priest

May 14, 2019

By Mary Farrow

Deacon Drake McCalister is many things that most men about to become Catholic priests are not.  Read more

Stations of the Cross at World Youth Day Panama Jan. 25, 2019.

Pope Francis: Heal the 'wearied hope' within a wounded Church

Jan 26, 2019

By Courtney Mares

Pope Francis said Saturday that he recognized the weariness felt in the priesthood and in religious communities due to the... Read more

Father Juan de Cáceres (right) during his priestly ordination.

From bartender to priest: 'God is very insistent!'

Dec 17, 2018

How do you go from being a bartender who has not attended Mass for 15 years to becoming a priest?  Read more

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

What a vocation to be a Holy Land Franciscan looks like

Sep 10, 2018

By Kevin J. Jones

A religious vocation to serve in the Holy Land is demanding, but there is nothing like walking where Christ walked... Read more

Juan Pablo Hernandez.

Seminarian: Despite devastation, faith has grown in Venezuela  

Aug 21, 2018

When Juan Pablo Hernandez returns to his home in the Archdiocese of Maracaibo, Venezuela next year, he will face a... Read more

Polish priest walking, as part of the "prayer of priestly hearts and feet" vocations pilgrimage. Courtesy photo

Why some Polish priests are on a pilgrimage 'relay' this summer

Jul 20, 2018

There are 900 priests and almost 100 seminarians in the Archdiocese of Czestochowa. But the people of this Polish diocese... Read more

Cover of the instruction on consecrated virgins, Ecclesia sponsae imago.

Read Vatican guide to consecrated virginity with discernment, canonist says

Jul 16, 2018

By Kevin J. Jones

A new Vatican instruction on the role of consecrated virginity has drawn criticism from an American group, which says that... Read more

Priestly ordinations in the Diocese of Wichita, May 26, 2018.

What’s the secret sauce in Wichita’s vocations boom?

Jun 7, 2018

By Mary Farrow

Father Chad Arnold, vocations director in the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas, is hesitant to dole out advice about how a... Read more

Twins consecrated to Virgin Mary in infancy become priest, nun

May 13, 2018

As infants, Monica and Cristian Moya were hovering on the verge of death. But after their mother consecrated them to... Read more

Father Javier Olivera and Sister Marie de la Sagasse.

They were going to get married. Now he's a priest and she's a sister

Apr 12, 2018

Before discovering their vocations, Fr. Javier Olivera and Sister Marie de la Sagesse were engaged and planning their wedding. God... Read more

Franciscan brother.

What is it like to be a religious brother?

Dec 26, 2017

By Mary Farrow

When Brother Jim Peterson, OFM Cap., was in middle school and high school, he felt like every time someone prayed... Read more