Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life

A Vocation is who God calls us to be, whether through Marriage, the Priesthood, or Religious Life.  Here at St. Pius we as a community encourage and support vocations for we know God is calling and many hands are needed in His vineyard!

Vocations don’t just “happen”. They come from our homes, from our families. They come from the joy of knowing Christ, of loving Him and being loved by Him – and the desire to share that with others.

As Catholics, we are most familiar with the Vocation to serve God through the ordained Priesthood, and Marriage, but many people aren’t as aware of the other areas of service and prayer to which God may call them.

“Religious Life” is a general term that applies to several options for men and women both. Most common are “Religious Sisters”, that being Sisters (who are active as teachers, working with the poor, in health care, etc.) or Nuns, who are in some way cloistered and live a life of prayer and work within the cloister by doing things that support the community.  The men’s equivalent of this, “Religious Brothers” are friars or monks, and can also be active or contemplative just like the Sisters. There are other options as well, all of which are defined through our Archdiocesan Vocations page.   

For Your Vocation
The USCCB has created this great web page with resources for those discerning God’s call to them, including videos from men and women who have answered that Call. It also has some great information for parents, responding to the many questions that arise when a son or daughter says “Yes!” to Christ.

For women interested in seeing some examples of religious life, check out this incredible film short, Women of Mystery, Women of Hope

 

For men discerning the Priesthood, the USCCB has made Fishers of Men available as a download.
Or, you may find it also on YouTube in 2 parts:

If you think God may be calling you to the Priesthood or Religious Life, contact Fr. Jay in the parish office or contact Director of Vocations

Father Troy Przybilla
stpaulpriest@10000vocations.org

Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
Office of Vocations
2260 Summit Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55105
(651)962-6890