Vocations Resources

Click Here for National Vocations Awareness Week Resources

General

“Diocesan Priest” is a website with lots of helpful information about diocesan priesthood

“To Save a Thousand Souls: A Guide for Discerning a Vocation to Diocesan Priesthood” by Father Brett A. Brannen is a great resource for Catholic men. Please contact Father Phil for a free copy.

Discernment

5 Common Discernment Traps and How to Avoid Them feat. Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P.

“Nine Secrets to Discovering Your Call” by Father Michael Scanlon, TOR

“Reflection and our Active Lives” by David Fleming, SJ explains the Exam prayer that is a helpful tool for growing in discernment in prayer

“Figuring Out Your Future: A Catholic Guide for Young Adults on How to Make Decisions with Confidence”.

“5 Ridiculous Things People Say About Discerning a Religious Vocation”

Praying with the Bible – Lectio Divina

Lectio Divina (Divine Reading) is a method Catholics have used for centuries to pray with the Bible.
It is a method that helps us experience God through the words of the Bible.

Where to begin? It is usually best when beginning to pray with the Bible to start with the New Testament. Pick a short story or a few verses from one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) and then use these 5 steps:

Reading (lectio) – hearing God’s Word in the Bible as we read it.
Pray about the question:What does the biblical text say? What is this text saying at a literal level?
Meditation (meditatio) – reflecting on the meaning of the text that we have read.
Pray about the question: What is God saying to me through this text? What is the spiritual message for me in this text? What words in the text speak to me most?
Prayer (oratio) – speaking with God in praise, thanksgiving, contrition, and petition in response to what I have read.
Pray about the question:What do I want to say to God in response to this text? Which of my ideas, fears, memories, plans, and experiences should I discuss with God because of what I have read in this text?
Contemplation (contemplatio) – spending time with God in silence, resting in God’s presence, and allowing God to love you through the words God has spoken to you in this passage.
Action (actio) – letting the encounter concretely affect our daily life and work in the world.
Pray about the question:How will I change what I do today in response to hearing this text?

“In the sacred books of the Bible the Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to meet his children, and talks with them.”
Dei Verbum#21 - Vatican II