You see signs. We know the way. Life's Calling.

What is God calling YOU to do?

Do you know what God is calling you to do with your life?

Do you know your meaning and purpose? Have you determined the kind of man you want to be?

Now is the time to act – to begin this journey of discovery – but it’s one you can’t do alone. You need a good sounding board and guidance from someone you can trust, without any agenda but to help you discover what God wants for you – whichever vocation that may be.

The fact that you walk the earth and have been given life is evidence enough that you have a purpose. God breathed His life into you with a plan for your life!

Now, that doesn’t mean your life is all figured out, or that all will just happen by default. God doesn’t work that way. He wants your participation – your partnership in living your life to the full. It’s actually required.

God knows you better than you know yourself. He knows your desires and wants to work through the good of them. Committing to this path is challenging and it cannot be done alone. Let us assist your efforts to discern God’s will for your life.

You certainly are not here by accident.
You have a purpose!

Wondering what that might be?
Connect with us today!

What is God calling
YOU to do?

Doesn’t My Vocation Happen by Default? Isn’t It God’s Will Anyway?

Stuck in the Belly of a Whale – Are You Running from Your Calling?

Advocating for Vocations in My Area of Ministry

A Change in Direction – From Computer Geek to Saint

Just an Ordinary Guy – Maybe Like You?

We know the way.

Now that you understand what a calling or vocations is, take that first step on your journey by learning to discern your Life’s path. Life is a gift, how can you make the most of yours? We’ll help you find your Life’s calling.

How Do I Know What God Wants of Me?

The Sacred Art and Practice of Discernment: How To

Discernment is a popular term for when you’re wondering about your future and when making decisions for your life. Discernment is the process in which we come to know God’s will for us. It is asking for and being aware of God’s guidance.

This process can be used for any decision, from the small ones, like – how can I give back to my community or how do I go about forgiving my friend? To the bigger ones, like – what college should I go to, what should I major in, and to what vocation am I called?

Here are the steps involved:

Self-Awareness: Get in touch with and identify your questions, desires, thoughts, and feelings around the situation.
Connect with God: Pray. Bring your questions, fears, desires – all of it – to God and ask Him to send the grace you need to be attentive to how He answers you and how His Holy Spirit moves and guides you. Discover a way to pray that helps you to best communicate with God – for both talking and listening.
List your options for the decision at hand and continue to be inquisitive and curious.
Talk with someone you trust who has made life decisions while trying to align them with God’s will. Ask for their feedback and wisdom.
Pray some more and bring what you’ve learned and what more you’ve become aware of. Pay attention to how God is responding to you and guiding you in your decision-making.
Determine your steps to take action.
Now, trust and take the first step … and keep connected – with God and with those you trust to talk with.

Connect with us today and we can assist you in discerning God’s call for you

Let's Find Out Together

Doesn’t My Vocation Happen by Default?

Isn’t It God’s Will Anyway?

God has blessed you with the gift of free will. Why? Because love cannot be forced. You can’t force a friendship. You can’t force a relationship either. God wants to be in relationship with you and to be a key part of your life. You are not a puppet on a string. You have a say in the matter and God invites you to partner with Him to fill the world with His mercy and love, to continue the mission of Jesus.

So, it’s a partnership. If you have a business partnership, for example, it necessitates communication and relationship between the partners; otherwise, the business will be negatively affected. It’s the same with God. While God has a plan – His will – we are invited to partner with Him in manifesting it. Why? Because God knows you best and has a purpose for you. You have a necessary role in God’s will!

You see, God allows you to choose, and He’s hoping you will grow to love Him fiercely with not just your heart, but with your life and the way you choose to live it. You have a say in how your life plays out … but God would like to see you have a life that is filled with meaning and purpose, joy and love – a life that only He can guide you to what is good and fulfilling for you. “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly” (Jn. 10:10). Because God has placed your deepest desires within you, only He can fulfill them.

As Fr. Michael reminds us in Scivias Episode 26:
“In Catholic Theology, we believe that our cooperation is essential for salvation. It is of course 100% God’s grace, but He still gives me the freedom to resist and reject that grace or to embrace and let it permeate my life. The same is true with our vocations, God has a plan for each one of us, but He gives us the freedom to accept it or not. Ultimately, He’s the one who knows what’s best for us and the world, but even once we know God’s will, we have to choose to do it.”

God certainly has a purpose for your desires, which can be manifested in a variety of different ways that go beyond your current vision – just look at what God did with the desires of the people of the Bible and the saints!

God knows how your purpose can be best fulfilled, so you must connect with Him to discover how to best manifest His love through a vocation – both the little ones (through a career, civic duty, or supporting a particular charity, for example) and the big ones (sacramental marriage, religious life, or priesthood).

Begin to find your answers today. Take time with God, ask and listen, then connect with us! You’re not in this alone – we understand all this very well and want to be of support on this journey with you.

Connect with us today and we will work with you to see God’s will for your life.

Connect With Us

Stuck in the Belly of a Whale –

Are You Running from Your Calling?

Do you remember the biblical story of Jonah and the whale? God called Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh to bring attention to their sinful ways – to repent and transform their lives to have that same joy and fulfillment God wants for you.

Jonah’s message to deliver was important, as the choices and behaviors of the people of Nineveh were leading to what would be their demise. Jonah had no desire to go, knowing how difficult and dangerous it would be for him, and he was angry with God for offering these notorious enemies a chance at repentance.

Jonah quickly came to realize that his ways are not God’s ways and that a true calling never goes away. It follows you until you answer it … because it’s wrapped up in your purpose. Fighting that call, Jonah ended up in the belly of a whale for three days… all to find himself spit up on the shores of Nineveh!

When we are called and meant to do something with our lives, it will eventually manifest – doors will open, opportunities will present themselves, or we may be spit up on the shores of where we need to be! Unfortunately, some of us choose to learn the hard way, like Jonah. Don’t run. Trust and depend on God’s grace.

Three important tips:

Be open to how God will work through you, even though it may look different than what you imagine. It will lead to a joy and peace like no other option will bring. It requires trust – something that’s not so easy when you can’t see the big picture.
Remain focused on the process, not the outcome. Don’t be so concerned with the end result as with the desire and your openness to how God will work through you. God will reveal the rest in His time.
Work on trusting God. Bring your desires to God and ask Him to work through them for His will. And pay attention to how you’re led by the Holy Spirit

Now, connect with us and get ready for the adventure of your life!

Connect With Us

Advocating for Vocations in My Area of Ministry

So, you’re a campus minister, youth minister, parish priest, catechetical leader or catechist. You accompany young people and advocate for vocations within your area of ministry. How can you best engage today’s generation of young people in discerning God’s calling for their lives?

Here’s a Top Ten:

Pray – for an increase in vocations every day and for the Holy Spirit to guide you to accompany young people and engage them to open their hearts to God’s call, whatever that might be.
Be in relationship – with them and their families. Develop an intentional plan for ongoing outreach.
Affirm their gifts, talents, and skills – young people are in the process of discovering who they are and deciding to take ownership of the values passed on to them for themselves. It is common that these years can leave them feeling confused and uncertain. Affirming what you see and experience in them can help them in identifying their strengths, assisting them in their discernment of vocation – both the little ones (post-high school endeavors, careers, financial planning and stewardship, etc.) and the bigger ones (married life, religious life, or priesthood).
Create an environment conducive to discerning one’s vocation – through posters, images, informational brochures, and setting a safe space to encourage honest discussion and sharing, without judgment, for the exploration of the various vocations. Provide opportunities for both individuals and the group to deepen their prayer life and participate in the sacraments.
Invite priests, religious, and married couples to engage with the young people – through informal gatherings and meals, or in serving the community together, where the realness of the vocation can be discussed and shared. Mentors are too important and impactful for young people to inspire their own lives through their example. Provide this for them.
Invite them to share stories of how married couples, religious, and priests, through their own experiences, have made a difference, caused them to think and reflect, gave them hope, etc.
Send notes of thanks to a priest, religious, or married couple for the gift and impact of their vocation in the Church and in the world.
Host a gathering for each vocation, with a panel – for priests, religious, and married couples to talk about their day-to-day, their greatest blessings and challenges in their vocation, their relationship and commitment to God, the community, and to each other, and invite questions and discussions.
Make connections between the young people and vocations directors when the timing is right.
Reach out to us in the Vocations Office – we’re here to assist you any way we can.

Connect with us today and together we will help guide young men to discerning their vocation.

Let's Connect

A Change in Direction –

From Computer Geek to Saint

Blessed Carlo Acutis was born in 1991 to a wealthy Italian family and grew up in Milan, attracted to computers and the tech world. His family was not religious, though his babysitter had a profound impact on the growth of his faith, following his grandmother’s death. Thus began Carlo’s interest and commitment to the practice of his faith through daily Mass, regular confessions, and a strong devotion to the Eucharist, including praying before the tabernacle before Mass.

Because of this deepening relationship with the Lord, Carlo became aware of the sufferings and needs around him. He responded by volunteering to work with the homeless and he would stand up to bullies who would pick on disabled students at school. He loved movies and video games, and he created a website that cataloged and shared the stories of the known miracles of the Eucharist to inspire the faith of website visitors.

During his short lifetime, Carlo impacted the Catholic Church and the faith of many. After contracting leukemia, he gave his suffering purpose and used it as a prayer intention for others. Carlo died at the young age of 15.

God certainly used Carlo’s desires and love of technology to share the Good News of the Gospel! How will God use your desires and skills?

Let's Find Out Together

Just an Ordinary Guy –

Maybe Like You?

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati was from a well-to-do family. His parents were not religious and didn’t understand Pier Giorgio’s attraction and devotion to his faith. His parents had problems in their marriage, and he had a difficult relationship with his father who wanted his son to have a worldly and successful life.

Pier Giorgio was humble and always chose to ride in the lowest class and to give away his belongings to the poor. He stood in solidarity with those who had nothing through his own sacrifices, by eating with them and by spending time with them. He went to Mass every day, knowing that the day would unfold with God using him in the ways he was needed that day.

Pier Giorgio wasn’t a great student. He loved sports – especially hiking and climbing, running, canoeing, fencing, horseback riding, and skiing. He found “verso l’alto” – going to the top – was where he could feel closest to God.

Pier surrounded himself with a tight-knit group of friends who shared adventures, as well as going to Mass together and praying. One important commitment each made to the group was to pray for each other. It was a friendship that was something more – they never felt alone and shared the presence of Jesus among them.

Pier Giorgio was a completely normal and ordinary guy...but because he chose to keep God at the center of his every day, extraordinary things happened. He lived his life for others - even in the final moments of his own life. When he was dying of sickness, he sent word for medicine to be sent to a family in need. At his funeral, to the surprise of his family, 4,000-5,000 of the poor and needy gathered outside the church in gratitude for the life he lived and shared.

God certainly used Pier Giorgio’s ordinary life to serve the poor and to lead others to Him! How will God use your life?

Connect With Us

You see signs. We know the way. Life's Calling.

What is God calling YOU to do?

Do you know what God is calling you to do with your life?

What is God callingYOU to do?

Doesn’t My Vocation Happen by Default? Isn’t It God’s Will Anyway?

Stuck in the Belly of a Whale – Are You Running from Your Calling?

Advocating for Vocations in My Area of Ministry

A Change in Direction – From Computer Geek to Saint

Just an Ordinary Guy – Maybe Like You?

We know the way.

Here are the steps involved:

Three important tips:

Connect with us today and together we will help guide young men to discerning their vocation.

What is God calling
YOU to do?