Vocation awareness week set for Jan. 9-14

The Catholic Church in the United States will celebrate National Vocation Awareness Week, Jan. 9-14. The celebration heralds a week dedicated to promoting vocations to the priesthood, diaconate and consecrated life through prayer and education.

The vocations director for the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Father Joseph Lopez, is collaborating with the Office of Catholic Schools to make visits to as many of our parochial and diocesan schools as possible to talk with students about both priestly and religious vocations.

Father Lopez encourages pastors and administrators that have schools in their parishes to call him to set up a date and time for him to visit the school.

This distinctive week gives Catholics an opportunity to renew prayers and support for those who are considering one of these particular vocations.

“It is our responsibility to help children and young people develop a prayerful relationship with Jesus Christ so they will know their vocation,” said Archbishop Robert Carlson of St. Louis, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations.

“Through a culture of vocation in families, parishes, schools and dioceses Catholics can nurture an environment of discipleship, commitment to daily prayer, spiritual conversion, growth in virtue, participation in the sacraments, and service in community. Without this environment, promoting vocations becomes simply recruitment. We believe we have much more to offer our young people,” the archbishop said.

Father Lopez also said that the Office of Vocations and the Office of Youth Ministry is sponsoring an essay contest in celebration of Vocation Awareness Week, The essay contest is open to all Catholic students in the Diocese of Corpus Christi.

Topics for the essay include, “What is your understanding of the priest today?,” “What does it take to give your whole life to Christ?,” “Which priest(s) do you most admire and why?” and “Which priest(s) have most influenced you and how?”

The deadline for all essay entries is Jan. 9 and the winners will be announced at the Centennial Jubilee Ministry Conference on Jan. 14. Winning essays will receive from $100 to $500, depending on category.

For more information on the contest download the contest rules from http://southtexascatholic.com/EssayContest.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/usccb) provides examples of clergy and religious vocation efforts.

Reflections on vocations are also available under the Vocation Retreat Tab where each day a scripture passage, reflection and prayer will be posted.

Resources for promoting National Vocations Awareness Week, such as prayer cards, Holy Hour materials, prayers of the faithful and bulletin-ready quotes, are available on the USCCB vocations Web page at http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/vocations.

The vocations Web site for the Diocese of Corpus Christi, located at http://vocationscorpuschristi.org/, also provides valuable information.

National Vocation Awareness Week began in 1976 when the U.S. bishops designated the 28th Sunday of the year for vocations. In 1997, this celebration was moved to coincide with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which falls on January 9 in 2012.