“Vocation: The calling or destiny we have in this life and hereafter. God has created the human person to love and serve him; the fulfillment of this vocation is eternal happiness. Christ calls the faithful to the perfection of holiness. The vocation of the laity consists in seeking the Kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and directing them according to God’s will. Priestly and religious vocations are dedicated to the service of the Church as the universal sacrament of salvation.”
— Catechism of the Catholic Church
Everyone on our pastoral team is happy to talk with groups and individuals about discerning and following God’s plan. Please feel free to call or email any one of our priests, deacons, or other staff members to make an appointment.
According to the Vatican Council II’s Decree on the Training of Priests: The duty of fostering vocations falls on the whole Christian community, and they should discharge it principally by living full Christian lives. The greatest contribution is made by families which are animated by a spirit of faith, charity and piety and which provide, as it were, a first seminary, and by parishes in whose abundant life the young people themselves take an active part.
Prayer for Vocations
Loving God,
You call us through our baptism in the Spirit
to continue the mission of your beloved Son, Jesus.
Open us to listen attentively for your invitation.
Empower us to respond to your call.
Inspire women and men
to follow the path of service.
Together may we build up the Church to be a
vibrant sign of your presence in our world.
We offer this prayer
in the name of your Son, Jesus,
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
© 2009 NCCV
Sacraments at the Service of Communion: Holy Orders and Matrimony
Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, leads all people to the Father through the Holy Spirit into communion with the Holy Trinity. This is the end toward which the Father’s eternal plan for salvation of humanity advances. To achieve this end, Christ pours out the Holy Spirit in the Church through the sacraments at the service of communion so that the baptized may bear witness to him and join themselves to his sacrificial offering of praise to the Father. Holy Orders and Matrimony are the sacraments at the service of communion because they ‘confer a particular mission in the Church and serve to build up the People of God.’ (National Directory for Catechesis, No. 36C)
The Consecrated Life
Christ proposes the evangelical counsels, in their great variety, to every disciple. The perfection of charity, to which all the faithful are called, entails for those who freely follow the call to consecrated life the obligation of practicing chastity in celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom, poverty and obedience. It is the profession of these counsels, within a permanent state of life recognized by the Church, that characterizes the life consecrated to God. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 915)
If you feel called to the priesthood or deaconate life (or would just like some more information), please stop one of our priests or deacon after Mass, give us a call at (248) 689-8380, or check out this website for other helpful information.