Parish Resources for the Eucharistic Revival

Promoting Vocations at the Parish Level

Let us reflect on how essential priesthood and religious life are to our parishes and the presence of Jesus with us on the altar and in the tabernacle.

It is the role of each one of us to support vocations through prayer and encouragement.

As a parish, what can you do to promote payer for vocations and to encourage young men and women to consider God’s call in their lives?

Establish the Traveling Crucifix Program

Prayer for Vocations from the Home - The traveling crucifix can be established by parishes or Catholic schools. In essence, this beautiful crucifix is entrusted to a family or household each week where it is taken home, put on display in a prominent place and prayed with every day by those in the household. It is a wonderful way to not only increase prayers for vocations, but also in a family setting, it can encourage conversations about vocations and instill in the hearts of our young people, the opportunity to meditate upon what God is asking of them in their own lives. More materials about the traveling crucifix can be found at Vianney Vocations. There is also a Traveling Chalice program. This link is helpful for understanding both the Traveling Crucifix and the Traveling Chalice. The Traveling Crucifix and the Traveling Chalice work the same way. Clicking the link will connect you to a letter from Bishop Barron and Fr. Kern introducing the Traveling Crucifix to parishioners.

Parish Wide Prayer for Vocations

Individual prayer for vocations is essential and so is communal prayer. Every parish can find ways to pray as a community of faith for an increase in seminarians, grace for those already in seminary and for an increase in vocations to religious life. Here are a few ideas your parish could implement, but surly there are more. Ask the Holy Spirit for inspiration.

Incorporate a prayer for vocations into the “Prayers of the Faithful” at every weekend Mass.
Establish a parish “31 Club” where parish families enroll by selecting one calendar day. On that day, each month of the year, they pray a rosary together at home for vocations.
End every weekend Mass with a parish prayer for vocations

Parish Supported Holy Hour for Vocations

As a fundamental of the Eucharistic Revival, all parishes will be asked to host at least one hour of Eucharistic Adoration each month. Within city parishes, clusters, deaneries, reasonable driving distances [as they collectively decide] one of those Holy Hours per month on a rotational basis will be designated as an area wide “Prayer for Vocations” Holy Hour. Coordinated bulletin announcements and other communications may be used to invite all parishioners from those “collective parishes” to gather together once each month in adoration to pray for vocations.

Host a “Vocation Sunday”

Parishes could consider hosting “Vocation Sundays” once during each calendar year. If seminarians are visiting a parish for a pastoral weekend, are coming home to visit and can arrange to participate in their own or a neighboring parish, or when it can otherwise be arranged the opportunity to hold a “Vocation Sunday” should be considered. Suggestions for those Sunday events might be:

➢ Seminarian can serve at Masses that weekend

➢ If willing, seminarian could be asked to speak briefly from the pulpit, sharing his vocation story and perhaps the impact of the Eucharist on his life and vocation.

➢ If possible arrange to host the event on a “Pancake Breakfast” weekend to allow interacting with parishioners and youth of the parish after all Sunday Masses.

➢ Consider sponsoring an Altar Server recognition for the same breakfast. Servers and their family are not charged. They are recognized during the breakfast in some way. The seminarian makes a special attempt to meet and greet each server and his/her family during the meal.

➢ If a Serra Club is active in that parish and also hosts an annual “Great Promise Award” event, those awardees from that parish and their families should also be invited guests at the breakfast that day and be recognized as well.

➢ A parishioner donation's basket is prominently displayed at the breakfast with the contributions going to the seminarian.

Adopt a seminarian

Parishes or Parish schools can choose a seminarian to pray for each day. Each classroom could adopt a different seminarian to pray for, and support with cards and letters.

How’s Your Parish Altar Server Program Going?

Every parish should critically examine the “health” of its Altar Server program. Parish budgets [perhaps shared with the assistance of Knights of Columbus or Serra financial and manpower support]could recognize those serving the parish in this ministry through Altar Server Awards or server outings. Special recognition and encouragement can be provided for those continuing to serve into Junior High School and High School.

Host your Priest or local Religious for dinner

When was the last time you invited your priest for dinner? Families with youth might consider hosting a priest or religious for dinner or Sunday brunch and perhaps invite a few more young friends to hear his vocation story.

Are youth events happening at your parish?

If your parish is blessed and has an active youth program, consider inviting a priest, religious or seminarian to talk with the youth about their experience of their vocation or their vocation story.

Feeling really ambitious?

FOCUS 11 Project or a FOCUS 11 virtual event