Vocational Discernment

This month we celebrate two Ordinations to the Priesthood at St Eugene’s. Do you ever wonder if there are some things that you can do to help promote vocations to the priesthood? Well, it turns out that there are some practices that do seem to help. It's helpful to remember that the number one most important practice is our active practice of the faith that includes an active prayer life and support for vocational discernment in general. Looking at data from men getting ordained over the last decade, there do seem to be some common threads. They are much more likely to come from larger families where they attended Mass every Sunday and occasionally daily Mass also. Additionally, families that partook of regular confession, the recitation of the Rosary, Eucharistic Adoration, altar serving, and regular prayer were more likely to produce a vocation. Other practices that appear to help produce vocations are home schooling, attending a Catholic grade school, attending a Catholic high school or college, and having a relative who is a priest. Let's all keep our youth in prayer as they discern their calling.