National Vocation Awareness Week

First full week of November

Parish
Education

Parish

National Vocation Awareness Week is an annual week-long celebration dedicated to promoting vocations to the priesthood, consecrated life, and marriage through prayer and education. We renew our prayers and support for those who are discerning their vocation.

Ideas

Make an announcement before school about activities
Give out Table Tents to spur discussion at home
Invite married couples to speak to older youth
Suggest to teachers to play games and show vocation videos to kids
Be creative; introduce prayer for vocations this week.
Ask a priest to give a homily about vocations at school Mass and to visit classes.
Invite consecrated sisters to speak at a Vocations Assembly.
Display a National Vocation Awareness Week banner or National Vocation Awareness Week poster

Sample Week of Activities

Look at Vocation Curricula for lessons for this week.

Sunday: Place a bulletin insert from Vianney Vocations into each bulletin. If there are leftovers, this is perfect for the church book rack or vocation table. Pass out a prayer card for vocations or download and print this “ABCs of Fostering Vocations” page.

Tuesday: Assembly for 5th-8th graders: guest speaker. It could be a priest, seminarian, and/or a sister or brother. Hopefully, there will be time for them to visit the classrooms of schoolchildren who will be eager to meet them.

Wednesday: At the all-school Mass, ask an alumnus who graduated from the parish and answered God’s call to become a priest, brother, or sister to visit and tell their vocation story.

Thursday: CCE classes are given new Vocation Worksheets to introduce vocations in a fun way to the students. Teachers could also use Stories of Service or grade-level lesson plans from the USCCB website.

Friday: Pass out this prayer card for students at junior high youth ministry from Prayer to Discover My Vocation.

Saturday: Give out this prayer card: Prayer to Know My Vocation at a High School/Young Adult Bible Study or Youth Ministry.

Education

Announcements

General Intercessions

Newsletter Blurbs

Ideas

Make an announcement before school about activities
Give out Table Tents to spur discussion at home
Invite married couples to speak to older youth
Suggest to teachers to play games and show vocation videos to kids
Be creative; introduce prayer for vocations this week.
Ask a priest to give a homily about vocations at school Mass and to visit classes.
Invite consecrated sisters to speak at a Vocations Assembly.
Display a National Vocation Awareness Week banner or a Nation al Vocation Awareness Week poster

Sample Week of Activities:

Look at Vocation Curricula for lessons for this week.

Monday: Parish School Religion teachers and catechists introduce vocations to their students, using the Quick Reference Vocation Guide. Pass out a prayer card to each student – “Jesus Loves Me” Prayer for Vocations. Send the “ABCs of Fostering Vocations” page home with each student or add to the newsletter.

Tuesday: Assembly for 5th-8th graders: guest speaker. Could be a priest, seminarians, and/or a sister or brother. Hopefully, there is time for them to visit classrooms of schoolchildren who will be eager to meet them.

Wednesday: At the all-school Mass, ask an alumnus who graduated from the parish and answered God’s call to become a priest, brother, or sister to visit and tell their vocation story.

Thursday: Pass out age-appropriate Vocation Worksheets to introduce vocations in a fun way to the students. Teachers could also use Stories of Service or grade-level lesson plans from the USCCB website

Friday: Pass out this prayer card for students in junior high from Prayer to Discover My Vocation