By Father Joshua Nevitt
This weekend begins National Vocation Awareness Week. It’s a time for you to consider if you, or someone you know, is feeling drawn to the life of a priest, deacon or consecrated sister or brother.
The Latin word vocare means “to call.” A vocation is a call – a call from God. In the past, it was common to use the word “vocation” to refer to a call to the priesthood or religious life only. Even today, some people come to me as associate director of vocations and say, “You should talk to that man, I think he has a vocation.” By that, they mean they think he has a vocation to the priesthood.
In reality, we should probably move away from that way of thinking, as if people can only be called to the priesthood or religious life. Every person has a call from God.
Going forward, let’s consider using “vocation” in three ways. I once heard a religious sister use the acronym UPS – like the brown delivery trucks – to help remember these three ways. She shared that she first read this acronym in a magazine, and told me I could steal it for my own use:
• “U” stands for Universal Vocation. All humans share in common a call from God to be holy. The Second Vatican Council clearly teaches the Universal Call to Holiness is a vocation from God to be in relationship with Him.
• “P” stands for Personal Vocation. God has a call for you; He has a call for me, and each call belongs to you or me alone. As Saint John Henry Newman, the British theologian and cardinal, wrote, “God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me, which He has not committed to another. I have my mission.”
• “S” stands for State of Life. As each of us lives out his or her Universal Call to Holiness and personal vocation, each will inevitably do so in a particular state of life. These states of life are what most think of when they hear the word “vocation”: priesthood, diaconate, consecrated religious life, marriage or the single life.
National Vocation Awareness Week, which is Nov. 5-11, is dedicated to promoting some of these states of life: priesthood, diaconate and consecrated religious life. It does so through prayer and education, calling all Catholics to renew our prayers and support for those who are considering one of these particular vocations.
Perhaps you are a young person questioning to know whether God is calling you to serve Him in the priesthood or religious life. How can you know your vocation?
A few months back, at a gathering of young men considering the priesthood – which was attended by Bishop Sullivan and a few of my brother priests – one priest of our Diocese shared his own experience of discerning his vocation. He stated that he shared with a wise mentor his desire to be a priest, but that he was unsure if that was truly God’s call for him. The mentor replied, “Perhaps the desire is the call.”
His perspective made me think of a comment from the theologian Frederick Buechner, “Vocation is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”
A 2022 study reported that 77% of U.S. priests report that they are flourishing. These statistics regarding personal fulfillment in our jobs are higher-than-average for the workforce in the United States. It is clear to me that following God’s authentic call leads to happiness.
So, how can you know God’s call for your life? Look where you find happiness and lasting joy. Do those areas draw your heart to the possibility of a religious vocation? If you can imagine yourself finding joy in the priesthood or religious life, ask God for the courage to follow that path.
And then give me a call!
Father Joshua Nevitt is associate director of vocations and the Bishop’s priest-secretary. He can be reached at 856-583-2875.
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