CHARLOTTE — This Nov. 3-9 marks the annual celebration of National Vocations Awareness Week across the United States. The week is dedicated to promoting vocations of priests, deacons and consecrated men and women religious (nuns and brothers) through prayer and education. It’s also a time to renew our prayers and support for those who are considering one of these vocations, which is particularly important for families of young adults.
“The influence of parents and grandparents can be so crucial in encouraging young men and women to discern a vocation,” said Father Brian Becker, vocations promoter with the Diocese of Charlotte and first-year program director at St. Joseph College Seminary. “First and foremost, the constant prayers and sacrifices of parents bear so much fruit for their children.”
Father Becker notes that parents and grandparents should never underestimate the impact of their encouragement. “So many young men and women that I speak with cite their parent’s explicit encouragement of vocational discernment as a help to them in finding God’s will. Many parents think, ‘Well, my son knows that I would be very happy if he entered seminary.’ But in fact, many young men and women need to hear this said again and again by their parents, to overcome the fears that they have of following God in this path. Don’t be afraid to give your children some extra encouragement!”
Currently, the Diocese of Charlotte has 46 seminarians discerning a call to the priesthood.
National Vocations Awareness Week began in 1976 when the U.S. bishops designated the 28th Sunday of the liturgical year for special recognition of those discerning vocations. In 2014, it was moved to the first full week of November.
Prayer for vocations
God our Father, we thank You for calling men and women to serve in Your Son’s Kingdom as priests, deacons and consecrated persons.
Send Your Holy Spirit to help others to respond generously and courageously to Your call.
May our community of faith support vocations of sacrificial love in our youth and young adults. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.
Amen.
Vocation resources
If you or someone you know is contemplating a vocation, talk with your pastor, reach out to the diocese’s vocations promoter, read up on consecrated life and the various religious communities that exist, and contact communities that interest you. Many offer “come and see” days or retreats that are opportunities to learn more and meet others who have accepted God’s call to religious life.
For young men and women, there are summer discernment retreats offered by the Diocese of Charlotte and hosted at Belmont Abbey College: Quo Vadis Days for young men, and Duc in Altum for young women. Information about 2025 retreats is posted online at www.charlottediocese.org/vocations.
Diocesan Vocations Office
- Father Christopher Gober, Vocations Director: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Father Brian Becker, Vocations Promoter: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
General information
- www.foryourvocation.org: Set up by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, dedicated to the promotion of vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life for both men and women. They are also on Facebook and YouTube. There are resources for parents and teachers, questions to ask yourself if you feel God is calling you, videos of vocation stories from priests and religious all over the U.S., and more.
Considering becoming a deacon?
If you are interested in serving as a permanent deacon in the Charlotte diocese, visit www.charlottediocese.org/vocations/diaconate to learn more about who deacons are, what they do, and how to become one.
Ready to take the next step? Contact Deacon William Schreiber, formation director, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
‘I thought we could use a strong father to restore order to all of this chaos’
CHARLOTTE — Parishioners across the Diocese of Charlotte are encouraged to make a consecration to St. Joseph during this special Year of St. Joseph.
One of the recommended resources for a consecration to St. Joseph is a new book: “Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father,” written by Marian Father Donald Calloway. Father Calloway serves as vocation director of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception and currently resides in Steubenville, Ohio.
“This year marks the 150th anniversary of when Blessed Pope Pius IX declared St. Joseph the Patron of the Universal Church, so this year is very significant,” Father Calloway said. “I said to myself, ‘We have a real crisis today in families where the family has been redefined. We have these so-called ‘modern families’ and there is gender confusion.’ I thought we could use a strong father to restore order to all of this chaos. I thought, ‘It has got to be St. Joseph.’”
After researching, writing and translating works into English over the course of three years, Father Calloway comprised the book drawing on the wealth of the Church’s tradition.
“All children resemble their parents. As our spiritual parents, Our Lady and St. Joseph, we are called to resemble them in virtue. I am hoping that people will walk away from this consecration with a great knowledge of St. Joseph and how much he loves them and how much he wants to protect them during these crazy times,” Father Calloway said.
The book focuses on the virtues of St. Joseph: his patience, prudence, faith and purity for example.
The Consecration to St. Joseph emulates the Marian consecration made popular by St. Louis de Montfort, highlighting many of St. Joseph’s titles, privileges and heroic virtues.
The program of preparation and consecration takes 33 days. Participants spend about 20-30 minutes a day on a short exposition on one of the invocations in the powerful Litany of St. Joseph, followed by a reading about St. Joseph, and concluding with the recitation of the Litany of St. Joseph.
The consecration to St. Joseph can be done anytime, but particular feast days such as March 19 or May 1 are special opportunities to focus this devotional effort. To conclude the consecration on March 19, plan to begin on Feb. 16.
Starting the 33-day series of prayers on Nov. 24, would conclude on Dec. 26, the feast of the Holy Family. Whichever act of consecration you prefer or compose your own act of consecration to St. Joseph. Find suggestions online at www.yearofstjoseph.org.
Some parishes are organizing special Masses or opportunities to participate in the consecration as a group. Check with your parish office for details.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter; www.consecrationtostjoseph.org contributed.
More info
At www.consecrationtostjoseph.org: Learn more about what it means to consecrate yourself to St. Joseph, and order the book “Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father”
St. Joseph Prayer Books available
CHARLOTTE — To commemorate the diocese’s Year of St. Joseph, “The St. Joseph Prayer Book” has been compiled to assist the faithful in their prayers to St. Joseph, the Protector of the Church.
Produced by St. Benedict Press, “The St. Joseph Prayer Book” contains all the famous prayers: the Novena for a Special Favor, the Litany of St. Joseph, 30 Days’ Prayer to St. Joseph, the Memorare, as well as prayers for purity, conversion, a happy death, and more. In total, the book contains more than 50 prayers, litanies and novenas. A Spanish version is also available.
Included in this commemorative edition is a letter from Bishop Peter Jugis about his declaration of 2020 as the Year of St. Joseph, as well as passport-type pages in the back of the book for pilgrims to have stamped as they visit each St. Joseph parish in our diocese throughout the year.
Take advantage of this special, limited-time offer to gift this treasury of prayers and bring souls closer to Jesus through St. Joseph. Orders are being accepted online at www.saintbenedictpress.com. Search for “The St. Joseph Prayer Book.” Cost is $12.95. Some parishes have also purchased copies, so check with your parish to see if books are available for purchase in the parish office.
— Catholic News Herald; St. Benedict Press contributed.
More online
At www.yearofstjoseph.org: Find educational resources, prayers and devotions, and “Year of St. Joseph” event details from across the diocese, as dates for special events are finalized.