Vocations Assembly

One way to expose all types of vocations to the youth in the parish school, religious education classes, or in youth ministry is by holding a vocations panel discussion. The main idea is to show the children examples of men who love the priesthood, joyful religious men and women, and married couples who strive to keep Christ at the center of their marriage. As often as possible, the youth need exposure to their models of holiness to gain inspiration to live such lives.

Panel Questions

Panel Questions-Spanish

Notes:

• Consider starting any assembly with a short, fun game that will grab the students’ attention.
• For older students, a Panel Discussion (p. 116), in which each person will give his or her testimony and answer questions from either a moderator or the attendees themselves, could be most effective. Ideally, no more than 4-5 persons would be on the panel so that all have an opportunity to speak.
• If the parish has a seminarian studying in a different city or country or a sister in formation far away, consider using technology to virtually bring him or her into the discussion.
• A priest can share the video of his ordination, explaining the different parts of the Mass and how he felt during each.
• A nice gesture after the event is to have the youth in attendance draw cards or write notes of thanks to each guest at the assembly.