National Vocation Awareness Week

November 2-8, 2025

“The way Jesus shows you is not easy. Rather, it is like a path winding up a mountain. Do not lose heart! The steeper the road, the faster it rises towards ever wider horizons.” St. John Paul II

ONLINE RESOURCES

RESOURCES FOR MASS

Six Good Ways to Observe Vocation Awareness Week

Ideas for priests

Vocation Homily—consider a message aimed primarily at young people on finding happiness in following God’s will alone.

Visibly promote vocations—place posters in the narthex or hall. Offer a handout at Masses.

Religious Education—work with your DRE so catechists can plan a special lessons on vocations.

Catholic School—suggest to the principal a poster or essay contest. Plan class visits from clergy and religious, if possible.

Youth Ministry—invite the Youth Minster to hold a vocations-themed meeting and offer to speak.

Young Adults—At Theology on Tap or similar program, invite a young priest to tell his vocation story and talk about discernment.

Note: Because Vocation Awareness Week begins on November 2, which is All Souls Day, it may be best to preach on vocations on Sunday, November 9, as a way to “wrap up” Vocation Awareness Week.

READINGS

Readings for November 9, 2025

First Reading: Ezekiel has a vision of water flowing from the temple, making all the surrounding lands fruitful.

“You shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

The Vocation Angle: Once a vision of Israel’s restoration, this passage now points to Christ as the true temple, with His grace flowing like water into the world. Today, the Church seeks to bring that life-giving grace back to places that once embraced the Gospel. This requires young people who are both keenly attuned to the modern world, and also knee-deep in the waters of grace.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:9-11, 16-17

St. Paul enjoins Christians to build their lives on the foundation of Jesus Christ.

The Vocation Angle: “Each one must be careful how he builds upon it.” Parents have the critical task of giving their children a foundation of faith to last a lifetime. Before seriously considering a vocation to priesthood or consecrated life, a young person needs to be firmly rooted in Christ as his or her foundation. When parents do their part, children will be well-prepared to lay their own stones, so to speak.

Gospel: John 2:13-22

Jesus drives the money changers from the temple.

The Vocation Angle: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” Jesus recognized disorder in the temple: the secular had overshadowed the sacred. His zeal was to set things aright, to make God the priority again. That is, of course, the aim of the new evangelization: to re-orient those who have already heard the Gospel, to renew a relationship with God that may have become habitual, cultural, or stale. To do this, we need priests and religious who have the zeal of Jesus into today’s reading—not to cause physical disruption, but to stir up renewed spiritual ardor. St. John Paul II wrote: “[It is an] absolute necessity that the ‘new evangelization’ have priests as its initial ‘new evangelizers.’” ~Pastores Dabo Vobis

PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL

During National Vocation Awareness Week, we pray for the thousands of parishes in our country that do not have their own priest. May more young men respond to the Church’s need. We pray to the Lord.
For those who accompany our youth as they discern their vocations. We pray to the Lord.
For single people who long for a spouse or who have not discovered their life’s calling, that God gives them guidance, consolation, and peace. We pray to the Lord.
That young men and women in our parish will seriously consider making vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in religious life. We pray to the Lord.
For the priests and religious who have served our parish and have passed from this life, that the Lord grant them eternal happiness. We pray to the Lord.

BULLETIN BLURBS

Today begins Vocation Awareness Week

During Vocation Awareness Week, please pray that young people in today’s culture will hear and respond to God’s call. And do your part to encourage them to consider the priesthood and consecrated life!

God Has a Plan for Our Lives!

As Catholics, we firmly believe that God has a plan for our lives! He calls some to marriage, some to the priesthood, and others to religious life or to live as generous single people. Fully living our own vocations—and teaching young people how to discern God’s call—is a serious duty, but also a joyful one.

Today begins National Vocation Awareness Week, which was instituted by the U.S. Bishops in 1976, and is now celebrated the first week of November. This year, the beginning of the week falls on All Saints Day—a happy coincidence, because a vocation, in its fullest sense, is our path to heaven and sainthood.

During this week, please pray about how God is calling you to live your vocation more deeply. Encourage the young people in your life—children, grandchildren, students, and friends—to be open if God calls them to priesthood or religious life.

BULLETIN INSERT

All-new for Nov 2, 2025!

Inspirational stories, awesome photos, and solid info on vocations, giving Catholics in the pew a fresh perspective on the priesthood and consecrated life. Stories include:

New Adoration Program for Vocations
Pope Leo speaks to seminarians
Reports from a “discernment camino”
New Marvel-quality comic about military chaplains (free download)
Saint John Paul II’s inspiring message to Catholic youth

There is also a DIGITAL VERSION of the bulletin insert for National Vocations Awareness Week.

Each order also comes with a free Priest Resource Page, which contains vocations-related themes for the readings, homily ideas, bulletin items, prayers of the faithful, and more!

ORDER BULLETIN INSERTS

BANNERS

For the Narthex

STANDUPS

For School or Faith Formation

HANDOUTS

For after Mass

RESOURCES FOR YOUTH

Vocation Curriculum Packet • Grades K-8

Equip Catholic schools and parish DREs with everything they need to effectively teach vocations in grades K-8. The packet includes worksheets for every grade plus other great classroom resources. Now includes The Unsolvable Problem by Mother Clare, CFR! Everything is presented in a sturdy 9×12 folder.

Get K-8 Packet

Vocation Curriculum Packet • High School

Robust vocations curriculum for Catholic high schools! Equip Catholic teachers (and parish Confirmation catechists) with everything they need to effectively teach vocations. Includes the Learn to Discern 40-page workbook for teens, plus several more resources. Everything is presented in a sturdy 9×12 folder.

Get High School Packet

FREE DOWNLOAD – VOCATION WORKSHEET

Our Children’s Vocation Worksheets are used by hundreds of parishes and schools.

FREE DOWNLOAD PAGE

Helps kids pray for people they know – priests, brothers, sisters, and married people.
Includes a simple lesson plan for teachers on the back page.
Original illustrations by fine artist Bernadette Carstensen

Or purchase grade-specific Vocation Worksheets for Pre-K, Grades 1-2, Grades 3-4, or Grades 5-6

Buy Grade-Specific Vocation Worksheets

ONLINE VERSION OF ‘VOCATION NIGHTS’

FIVE VOCATION-THEMED YOUTH MINISTRY MEETINGS

Access the newly-updated guide to help youth ministers lead easy-to-prepare but super effective meetings, including:

• Vocation Movie Nights

• Discernment Holy Hour

• Saint Stories

• Ongoing Discernment Groups

FREE VOCATION NIGHTS GUIDE

Or purchase the Vocation Nights Pack, with all the videos, handouts, and youth minister guides.

YOUNG ADULT VOCATION DISCERNMENT GROUPS

Discernment groups for young adults are the single most effective short-term method for ushering men and women into seminary or religious formation.

Consider partnering with nearby parishes to run a priestly discernment group for men and a religious life discernment group for women.

Learn More - The Melchizedek Project for Men

Learn More - Avow for Women

Both groups are structured as book-study groups, with excellent books and ready-made discussion guides. Six meetings per semester help participants dive deep into a “diligent discernment.”

HIGH SCHOOL

The “Learn to Discern” Workbook

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

The Little Convent Series

VBS ON VOCATIONS

For next Summer

PARISH COMMUNICATION ON VOCATIONS

SOCIAL MEDIA GRAPHICS

PARISH WEBSITE CONTENT

Consider adding a special page about vocations to your parish website.

THE VOCATION BASICS

“Vocation” means “call.” As Catholics, we believe God calls individuals to fulfill certain roles in the Church, both for their own holiness, and the good of the entire Body of Christ.

Holiness is Our Common Goal
Holiness is everyone’s primary vocation. Holiness means trying to be like Jesus. It means being a “whole” person: striving for virtue, avoiding sin, and living a life of love.

After the decision to follow Christ and seriously pursue holiness, your vocation is the most important decision in life.

Holy Marriage
Most people are called to marriage—to wholeheartedly love their spouses and to joyfully welcome children. The purpose of marriage is for a man and woman to help each other get to heaven, and to teach their children to do the same. Like any vocation, marriage must be discerned, not assumed.

Consecrated Life
Both men and women can join religious orders such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Benedictines, etc. The life and work of religious orders varies greatly—some are primarily devoted to prayer; others work actively in schools, hospitals, orphanages, etc. Common to all religious orders are the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

Priesthood
Priests bring Jesus to people and people to Jesus through preaching and the sacraments. Priests are very active as they counsel people, teach classes, prepare homilies, administer parishes, and much more. Many surveys show that priests are among the happiest people in the world! Deacons, too, share in the sacrament of Holy Orders.

Dedicated Single Life
Some people serve God as single people, without marrying or making special vows. While not a “vocation” in a strict theological sense, single people “contribute greatly to the good of the human family” (CCC 2231). “Some live their situation in the spirit of the Beatitudes, serving God and neighbor in exemplary fashion” (CCC 1658). There are many single people who serve the Church with incredible generosity.

“Each of you has a personal vocation which He has given you for your own joy and sanctity. When a person is conquered by the fire of His gaze, no sacrifice seems too great to follow Him and give Him the best of ourselves. This is what the saints have always done, spreading the light of the Lord … and transforming the world into a welcoming home for everyone.” ~ Pope Benedict XVI

How Parents Can Foster Vocations

Imagine asking your son what he wants to be when he grows up, and he answers, “I want to be a priest!” What would your reaction be? Would you be worried or elated—or somewhere in between?

The truth is that God has a plan for each of your children; he wants them to be happy even more than you do! And their true happiness is found in discovering God’s plan for their lives—their vocation—and following it wholeheartedly.

So if you’re truly concerned about your children’s well-being, it makes sense to help them discern their vocations, whether to marriage, priesthood, or religious life. Here are some simple ways to foster openness to God’s call.

1. Snuggle up and read a story. Sometimes the simplest ideas are best! Add some books about famous saints to your bedtime reading. There are dozens of fascinating, age-appropriate stories of saints who were priests and religious. There’s even a comic book about St. John Paul II as a child!

2. Watch a better movie. When it’s time for family movie night, take a pass on Spy Kids 4 and check out A Mission to Love (the life of St. John Bosco). There are tons of other Catholic films that depict heroic and interesting priests and religious. The conversation afterwards is far more meaningful than which explosion was the biggest!

3. Set the record straight. Media depictions of dating and sexuality are often opposed to authentic love. So when a TV show sends the wrong message, set the record straight about what leads to real happiness. Especially around teens, defend the sacrament of marriage.

4. Play dress up! Just as children “play house” and pretend to be moms and dads, help them imagine the life of a priest, brother, or sister. A sheet or towel can serve as a sister’s habit. A Ritz cracker makes a good host for Mass. This kind of play normalizes what can otherwise seem to be an “other-worldly” vocation. Plus it’s a lot of fun!

5. Pray from the heart. In your family prayers, pray for more priests and religious. Let your kids hear you praying for their futures. “Lord, watch over Simon today and give him the grace to grow up to be a strong man of God. Keep him close to You, always in Your perfect will.”

6. Talk about vocations. Speak openly about vocations to marriage, priesthood, and religious life. From the earliest age, make it clear that happiness in life is following God’s plan. Tell kids that priests have an awesome job because they bring us the sacraments. Teach them that religious brothers and sisters make special vows to live like Jesus.

7. Befriend priests & religious. Invite a priest, sister, or brother to dinner at your home. Personal relationships are key. When kids are comfortable around Fr. John or Sister Margaret, they’re far more likely to be comfortable with the idea of a priestly or religious vocation when they grow older.

An Open Attitude

If your child expresses interest in the priesthood or religious life, be supportive. If you’re excited, don’t push too hard. If you’re apprehensive, trust in God’s plan. The best thing you can say is, “Whatever God wants for you, I want for you, too.”

This content is from the brochure entitled “Seven Ways Families Can Foster Vocations” from Vianney Vocations. Also in Spanish

Joy Mixed with Reluctance

Many Catholic parents have some reluctance about their children becoming priests or religious—at least at first. Typically, parents’ concerns fade as they witness their child’s vocation mature, and his or her happiness grow.

Parents Speak Their Minds

“When my little boy plays Mass, it brings joy to my heart. His older sisters play along, even though they’re trying not to laugh. Who knows if he’ll ever be a priest? It’s just great that his little heart is in the right place. I love that.” ~ Amanda C.

“It almost broke my heart when Julie joined the convent. But when I visited her a year later, I could see the happiness and joy just radiating from her. My sadness melted away in an instant. I knew she had found her way in life. In retrospect, I’m glad my plans didn’t work out. As hard as it is for me to admit, God had a better plan for her.” ~ Carl R.

“Our son joined a religious order right after college. We were happy for him, but then he left, saying it just wasn’t his call. But I think it was good that he explored it… He was peaceful when he went in, and peaceful when he left. His mother and I are fine with his decision either way.” ~ Salvatore S.

“I wanted grandchildren so badly. I hid my disappointment when Colin went to seminary, thinking his interest probably wouldn’t last. By the time his ordination came along a few years later, God had really worked on me. I couldn’t have been prouder. His priesthood has been the greatest gift God has ever given our family.” ~ Jenni P.

Young Catholics: The Most Important Decision You’ll Ever Make

If you were about to make one decision that would dramatically impact the rest of your life, how would you go about it?

If you were contemplating a cross-country move, you’d probably learn everything you could about the new city. If you were choosing a career, you’d visit the career counseling office at your college. Heck, even if you were buying a new flat-screen TV, you’d do some serious research.

But there’s one decision that’s far more important than any of these. In fact, it’s so important that it can’t properly be called a decision.

We’re talking about your vocation—your God-given mission in life. God etches our vocations into our very souls, and thus a vocation is not just a matter of choice, like choosing a career, but rather more like a discovery. Finding your vocation is like realizing something about yourself that has been there all along.

But God plants your vocation so deep in your soul, sometimes it’s hard to see. In fact, many people—even Catholics—never even consider looking for it at all. Sometimes marriage is assumed to be the “default” vocation. But God calls some people to a different life—a life committed solely to serving God’s people as a priest.

Discovering your true vocation takes careful deliberation—a process the Church calls “discernment,” which is derived from the Latin word meaning to “sift through.” All vocations—marriage, priesthood, or the religious life—require a diligent discernment.

Here are ten tried-and-true ways to discern God’s calling for you:

Pray and Listen asking the Lord daily to show you his will.
Pray the Rosary asking for the intercession of Mary, Mother of priests.
Pray a Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament regularly.
Attend Mass frequently (daily if possible) and receive Communion.
Go to Confession on a consistent basis.
Read Scripture and meditate on God’s Word.
Talk to a priest you find approachable and ask for spiritual advice.
Contact the Vocation Director.
Talk to seminarians when they come home for the holidays.
Become involved in your parish.

These are practical ideas that really work. You’ll notice that by doing these things, not only will you hear God’s voice more clearly, you’ll begin to grow in holiness–which is everyone’s primary vocation.

But the best thing you can do to discover your vocation is to simply be open to the will of God. Stop asking what you want out of life, and start asking what God wants. Remember that Jesus wants you to be happy even more than you do. And if He calls you to priesthood, trust that He will bring you fulfillment.

Discerning your vocation—the state of life that God is calling you to for the rest of your life—is truly the most important discovery you’ll ever make.

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