Vocations in the domestic church

Some of us have heard that vocation promotion is not just for the vocation office. The truth is it is the duty of every member of the church to promote vocations.

In particular, as the primary teachers of their children, parents have a primary role in forming their sons and daughters to be open to and pray to discover their own vocations. Not all parents are aware of this privilege and responsibility, and not all who are aware of it have knowledge of the many things they can do to fulfill their role. But the domestic Church is well equipped to encourage the vocations of young people with a little understanding and effort.

Fortunately, there are some great resources available to help families. One resource is the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Web site, which provides a page with some great tips. Here are five of the more important tips for us to make use of, whether you are a parent, or are in the position to pass these along to parents to help promote vocations:

1. Begin praying as a family and reading from Sacred Scripture daily, certainly before meals, but also first thing in the morning or before bed. Find a time that works for your family. Use the liturgy of the church as a model for prayer, and try to include heartfelt unstructured prayer as well. Pray a family Rosary for vocations (each member leads a decade, and everyone shares intentions).
2. Begin family traditions based on the seasons celebrated in the liturgical calendar.
3. Make worshiping God a priority. Make the sacraments a regular celebration–take the whole family to confession and Mass. Never miss Mass, even while traveling–go to: www.MassTimes.org to find a church near you.
4. Welcome into your home and support priests, brothers, sisters, deacons and lay ministers in the church.
5. Allow your children to witness you in private prayer. Encourage your children to pray daily on their own, to listen for God’s call, and if heard, to respond.

These are only a few of the things recommended on the USCCB Web site. You can see the rest, as well as many other resources to help families promote vocations at usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/vocations/.