ESTABLISHING A CULTURE OF VOCATIONS WITHIN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF PORTLAND IN OREGON PARISH VOCATION PROMOTER & FIVE STAR PROGRAMS

ESTABLISHING A CULTURE OF VOCATIONS WITHIN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF PORTLAND IN OREGON PARISH VOCATION PROMOTER & FIVE STAR PROGRAMS

PARISH VOCATION PROMOTER Purpose: The purpose of the Parish Vocation Promoter is to assist the pastor and parish community in fulfilling and advancing its mission of fostering vocations to the priesthood and religious through initiatives of prayer, promotion, mentoring and invitation. Responsibilities: The principal activity of the Vocation Promoter is Vocational Awareness Ministry. In close collaboration with the Archdiocesan Office of Vocations, the Vocation Promoter promotes vocations in the parish in a variety of ways. An excellent way to begin is with the Five Star Program established by the Serra Club. Begin today! The Vocation Promoter will seek to provide vocation resource materials to the parish and school programs, especially during National Vocation Awareness Week, World Day of Prayer for Vocations, and World Day for Consecrated Life. The Vocation Promoter will seek input from the parish to identify potential candidates for priesthood and religious life and will help the pastor extend a personal invitation to them to consider that vocation. The Vocation Promoter should be aware of events sponsored by the Archdiocese of Portland Office of Vocations such as, Andrew Dinners, Quo Vadis Days Summer Camp, Come and See Weekends at Mount Angel Seminary, Samuel Evenings, and other discernment opportunities throughout the year. The Vocation Promoter should seek assistance from other parishioners to form a committee. The Vocation Committee should draw its membership from all dimensions of parish life. Yearly goals should be set and reviewed by the pastor.

The Reasons for a Vocation Promoter: Canon Law 233.1: The duty of fostering vocations rests with the entire Christian community so that the needs of the sacred ministry in the universal Church are provided for sufficiently. This duty especially binds Christian families, educators, and in a special way, priests, particularly pastors. Helpful Hints for Vocation Promoters: Meet with the pastor, Pastoral Council, staff members, and chairs of important committees to discuss the responsibility of the parish in promoting vocations. Identify people to be of assistance to the Vocation Promoter. A recommended size of a committee is between 5-8 members. Invite individuals to be on the committee that exhibit: o Passion for the priesthood and religious life in the Church; o Willingness to be present and support parish vocation events; o Openness to ongoing personal formation in vocation awareness; o Willingness to pray on a regular basis for vocations. Regularly inform the parish about the work of the Parish Vocation Committee through bulletin articles, announcements after Mass, and information displayed in the vestibule. Suggested Members: Parents or relatives of priests, religious or seminarians; Religious sisters, brothers or priests who are parishioners; Members of Serra Club, Knights of Columbus, and Catholic Daughters of America; Parishioners who serve in a particular ministry within the parish, i.e. Lectors, Ushers, Extraordinary Eucharistic Ministers, Catechists, or are involved with Youth or Young Adult ministry.

PRESENTATION BY PARISH VOCATION PROMOTER A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah: Then I hear the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send? Who will go for us? Here I am, I said; send me! Good morning/evening! My name is. I am the Vocation Promoter in our parish. Every parish in the Archdiocese of Portland is being asked to have a Parish Vocation Promoter and to make fostering vocations to the priesthood and religious life a priority of ministry for the coming years. Jesus said, The harvest is abundant, the laborers are few! If we do not strive to help others hear and answer God s call in their lives now, especially to the priesthood, then we will have no one to blame but ourselves when we no longer have priests to proved the sacraments, nor religious sisters and brothers to serve the needs of our Church. God has not stopped calling, rather it is the people of God who have chosen to stop listening. We can change this, and we must change this! In invite you today to respond as Isaiah did, Here I am, send me, and prayerfully consider joining me to form a Parish Vocations Committee in our effort to promote, nurture and increase vocations in our parish and in the archdiocese. My primary purpose as Vocation Promoter is to assist our pastor and our parish community in fulfilling and advancing its mission of fostering vocations, reminding us all to respond to God s call in our lives, especially if God is calling any of us to the ordained ministry or consecrated life. I will work close with our pastor and the Office of Vocations in guiding the whole parish through initiatives of prayer, promotion, mentoring and invitation. If you are interested in helping our pastor and myself to form a Parish Vocations Committee please join me on. Please pray for the success of this committee and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life every day. If you have any questions or wish to sign up for our Parish Vocation Committee, I will be available after Mass. Thank you.

FIVE STAR PROGRAMS Purpose: Many parishes today want to establish a Culture of Vocations in their parish. The question is How to do it? Serra Clubs throughout the United States have found success in the following five programs. They offer them to pastors to kick-start a Culture of Vocations in their parish.! STAR ONE: The Traveling Crucifix The Traveling Crucifix Program directly involves the people of the parish. The concept is that at the end of a Sunday Mass, a family, couple or individual receives the crucifix (or chalice, icon, statue, etc.) from the priest who may then comment briefly about vocations and offer a prayer. The crucifix is taken home and placed in a prominent location where family members are asked to pray daily for vocations and discuss vocations. It may be the only time this topic has been explored in the family and may prove to be a very important week in the life of that family. After many prayers and much discussion during the week, participants use one page of the Memory Book to comment on their experiences, thoughts and ideas as well as prayers or plans that resulted from the week of prayer. The Memory Book then forms a source for potential members of a Parish Vocation Committee 1. Steps for beginning a Traveling Crucifix Program: 1. Obtain the support of the pastor then select a key person who is committed to its success. 2. Purchase a new crucifix or obtain one from the parish. Also accompanying the crucifix is a Memory Book (or diary) and vocation prayers. 3. Encourage families, couples, or individuals to welcome the crucifix into their home. An enthusiastic pulpit announcement by the pastor is the best way to get started. Frequent articles in the parish bulletin and listing the 1 We suggest that the Traveling Crucifix Program continue in the parish for about six months before you contact people who have had the crucifix in their home to inquire about their possible membership in a Parish Vocation Committee. This program builds Vocation Awareness in a parish quite quickly.

names of those taking the crucifix for the next four weeks are a good idea. Sign-up cards can be placed in the pews and in the church vestibule. Where there is a parochial school, an invitation can be sent home with the parents. 4. The prior week s participants should be reminded to return the crucifix to the parish office on Friday or to bring it directly to Mass on Sunday. The next recipient will need to be reminded when they will receive the crucifix. 5. Once a rhythm of getting names is established, this is not too challenging, this might be an opportunity to invite family and friends to join in for an evening of sharing and prayer.!! STAR TWO: The 31 Club The 31 Club is a sacrificial prayer program build around the concept of individuals or families attending Mass each month on a specific date to pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Calendars are available from Serra or your own calendars can be enlarged and attached to foam board to catch the eye of parishioners. Calendars can be placed at each Church entrance, along with an attached pen with which people sign up for the same date each month to attend Mass for the intention of an increase in priestly and religious vocations. After this, all that is needed are invitations in the parish bulletin (or perhaps reminder notes in the pews, plus occasional requests from the pulpit by the pastor to join this no dues, no meetings club). Simple, but powerful!!!! STAR THREE: Church Bulletin and Prayer of the Faithful A weekly vocation oriented item in the bulletin is a great way to keep the parish praying and thinking about religious vocations. There are excellent vocation announcements available at www.serraus.org that you can cut and paste into your bulletin. It is also possible to request the whole list in print (52 blurbs ), making it easy to choose one that best fits the space available. Along with a weekly bulletin item on vocations, consider including one Prayer of the Faithful during Mass to be focused on vocations to priesthood and religious

life. Vocational Prayer of the Faithful for every week throughout the liturgical year can be found at www.archdpdxvocations.org. The Traveling Crucifix Program, the 31 Club, and the weekly Church Bulletin and Prayer of the Faithful Ministry in the parish at the same time clearly sets the tone for a Culture of Vocations and can identify potential members for the Parish Vocation Committee.!!!! STAR FOUR: Celebrations of Religious Life Promote Vocation Awareness in your parish by simply celebrating one or more of the established National Vocation Events throughout the year. Serra has information for each of the four annual events: National Vocation Awareness Week, Priesthood Sunday, World Day of Prayer for Vocations, and World Day for Consecrated Life. We suggest a parish focus on just one of these special events the first year, and add more gradually, so as not to become overwhelmed. Many parishes start with Priesthood Sunday; this might be the easiest way to get involved. This is a great time to show appreciation for our priests, pray for them and celebrate priestly vocations. The Serra website has a list of good ideas for these four special times each year.!!!!! STAR FIVE: A Holy Hour for Vocations Several times during the year the Parish Vocation Committee should schedule a Holy Hour for Vocations (some parishes do it monthly!). Review the many options for different programs at www.serraus.org and move forward with one that meets your needs. Conclusion: After the year of implementing the Five Star Program, we suggest celebrating by having a social with the pastor, the key person, members of the Parish Vocation Committee (should be at least 6 people by the end of the year), and participants in your parish s Five Star Program. Pray hard, work diligently, and begin creating a Culture of Vocations in your parish today!