Vocation Promotion
- Qualities to look for in potential candidates for priesthood
- Qualities to look for in potential candidates for religious life
- Forming a Parish Vocation Committee
- 100 Parish Vocation Projects to try
- The Serra Club
- Prayer campaign (Adobe pdf file - prints like a booklet)
- Student Prayer campaign (Adobe pdf file - prints like a booklet)
- What parents can do to foster vocations
- Que pueden hacer los padres de familia para fomentar las vocaciones
- Oraciones de Vocaciones
- 100 General Intercessions for Vocation Awareness
Qualities to look for in candidates for priesthood
(Excerpted from Operation Andrew, ©1997 National Coalition for Church Vocations & Priest as Inviter Video Workshop)
It is clear that some of the traditional structures that provided candidates for the seminary are often lacking today. Not so many years ago, most candidates arose from a strong Catholic school system, and traditional families that were active in parish life. Also, candidates tended to surface during junior high or high school, and to enter a high school or college seminary.
God continues to call men to the priesthood. Vocation ministers know from experience that candidates come from varied backgrounds, are often older, and often lack some of the knowledge of faith and of the church that would have been taken for granted in the past. Often prospective candidates do not come forward on their own initiative, but must be identified, invited and nurtured through a discernment process.
The following is a list of qualities to look for in potential candidates for the priesthood. This is not an exhaustive list. If some of these qualities are in evidence, though the individual may not fit the traditional image of a seminarian twenty or thirty years ago, it is still worth asking if he has ever considered priesthood.
17 – 19 years old:
- well-rounded, energetic individuals
- interest in the faith, demonstrated through regular Mass attendance, active participation in religious education programs, participation in parish youth activities, or other parish or Catholic school activities
- leadership qualities
- average or better school work
- evidence of dependability, concern for others
- commitment
- leadership
- positive self-image
20 years and older:
- prayerful sense of prayer and interest in faith
- interest in people and a concern for the welfare of others; an ability to relate well to other people
- demonstrated desire to serve others
- character and virtue demonstrated in honesty, reliability, sound moral values
- personal stability—in relationships, school, occupation
- average or better intelligence
- good health and adequate energy for active ministry
- flexibility
- ability to collaborate with both women and men
- openness to the realities of a multicultural church
Where to look for potential candidates
Future priests can be found everywhere. But most often they might be:
- Teaching in a religious education program or in a Catholic school
- Lectoring at Mass
- Singing in the choir
- Serving as a Eucharistic Minister
- Volunteering in church or civic projects
- Participating in parish study groups or Newman programs in college
- Attending Mass regularly
- Participating in a scouting program
How to Invite
- Ask if he has ever thought about priesthood.
- Invite him to consider priesthood.
- Tell him why you think he would make a good priest. Give examples of what you see in him.
- Introduce him to the vocation director.
- Pray for him.