National Vocation Awareness Week, celebrated November 1-7, is an annual week-long celebration of the Catholic Church in the United States dedicated to promoting vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and consecrated life through prayer and education — and to renew our prayers and support for those who are considering one of these particular vocations.

Please ask Our Lord for more dedicated, holy priests, deacons, and consecrated men and women. May they be inspired by Jesus Christ, supported by our faith community, and respond generously to God’s gift of a vocation.

This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about unforeseen challenges in the lives of many throughout the country. Bishop James F. Checchio of Metuchen and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations, offered that these current challenges provide an opportunity for genuine discernment fully rooted and dependent upon Christ. “These unusual and difficult times have brought much uncertainty and fear into our lives, but we know in faith that Christ’s powerful hand extends over all of us in mercy.  I invite those discerning a vocation to use this time to prayerfully renew your love for Christ and recognize your complete dependence upon Him who loves and calls you uniquely.”

Vocations Resources: Serra International (serrainternational.org)
Serrans are Catholic lay men and women who vigorously respond to the call to promote and support vocations to the ministerial priesthood and consecrated life in the Catholic Church.

Our own Fr. Brendan Fitzgerald — then Deacon Brendan — spoke from Sacred Heart as a seminarian about his journey to the diocesan priesthood. Click here to view the video!