Promote Vocations

Fr. Alan Valencia
Director of Vocations and Seminarians

(520) 838-2531
avalencia@diocesetucson.org

 
Elizabeth Suaso
Administrative Assistant to Vocations

(520) 838-2537
esuaso@diocesetucson.org

Vocations Office
520-838-2531
vocations@diocesetucson.org

There are many ways we can all promote holy Vocations through time, talent, and treasure. Below, you'll find prayers, classroom lesson plans, Vocations Days to celebrate throughout the year, parish activities, the Padre Kino Vocations Ministry, and Catholic Foundation's seminarian fund. We are all called to holiness, and we can help one another on the journey towards Heaven!

Diocese of Tucson Vocations Prayer

Loving and generous God, we need more holy Vocations, especially to the priesthood. 

Send us faith-filled servants to minister as dedicated and loving priests in the Diocese of Tucson. 

Inspire us with your Holy Spirit so that we will encourage and foster a culture of Vocations in which many will hear your call to serve your people. 

Bless our Diocese with men and women who will work together with your priests as deacons, religious, and lay ministers to bring to life the Gospel and to realize the Church's mission in our Diocese. 

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

PURPOSE:

• Pray daily that men and women respond to the priesthood and religious life
• Support seminarians during discernment and formation
• Raise funds and promote Vocations in the Diocese

YOUR SUPPORT provides:

• Discernment Weekends for interested parish youth groups
• Emergency travel or medical expenses for our religious candidates
• 5K runs and other priest/seminarian athletic events
• Appreciation of priests, sisters, and brothers on birthdays and holidays

Get Involved!

• Join PKVM with your $50 annual membership that is tax deductible.
• Attend meetings on the second Thursday of each month from September through May, from 10am to 12pm at the Bishop Kicanas Pastoral Center.

Contact

There are many things your parish can do to support Vocations within the Church. Here are just a few ideas to get you started. 

1. Eucharistic procession or adoration for Vocations. On the Feast of Corpus Christi, consider dedicating your Eucharistic procession to pray for Vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Host Eucharistic adoration for Vocations monthly at your parish or in your vicariate.

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2. Prayer petitions for priestly Vocations. Consider having your parish offer a Prayer of the Faithful petition for Vocations to the priesthood on the first Sunday of each month. General intercessions throughout the year can be downloaded here.

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3. Bulletin announcements. Keep the parishioners aware of Vocation opportunities by putting regular announcements in your bulletin promoting Vocations to the priesthood or religious life. Bulletin announcements throughout the year can be downloaded here.

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4. Vocation stories. Invite priests to tell their Vocation stories at parish events. 

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5. Workshops for altar servers. Teach altar servers about Vocational discernment. "Most priests’ first memories of serving the Lord are as altar servers. A national survey of men being ordained priests found that three-quarters of new priests were at one time altar servers" (Vocation Ministry). 

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   Discerners Dinner. Gather preists, deacons, and discerners in your parish or vicariate every month or two to pray, eat dinner, and talk about Vocations and discernment.

Below is a list of resources, lesson plans, and activities recommended by USCCB to teach students about Vocations. More free, pre-made resources in English and Spanish can be found at VocationMinistry.com.

✎ Preschool

• Preschool Color Sheet - PDF
• Preschool Lesson Plans - PDF

✎ Elementary & Junior High School

• Grades 1-3 Lesson Plans - PDF
• Grades 4-8 - PDF
• Grades 4-8 Crossword on Sacraments - PDF
• What is My Vocation: Curriculum for Junior High Students Unit I, Unit II, Unit III, and the Teacher Edition - PDF

✎ High School

• Grades 9-12 - PDF
• Bible quotes on the Priesthood for Teens - PDF

Free resources for these Vocations Days can be found online at VocationMinistry.com.

School Resources                Parish Resources


National Catholic Schools Week (Last Weekend of January)

• Purpose: Strengthens the Catholic identity of a school through Vocation promotion. 
• Ideas: Distribute family discussion table tents; hold a faith-based quiz bowl; invite a seminarians/priest/sister to address students at a school assembly; implement lesson plans from one of the free curricula for Vocations

World Day for Consecrated Life (First Weekend of February)

• Purpose: Recognize those who are from your parish/diocese who are in a religious order, bring awareness to consecrated life
• Parish Ideas: Post picture and info in bulletin or poster at entrance of the school/church. Ask a religious sister, brother, or priest to give a reflection at Masses/assembly on consecrated life

World Marriage Day (2nd Sunday in February)
National Marriage Week (February 7-14 each year)

• Purpose: To affirm those who have said yes to the Vocation of marriage, so that they recognize the joys of this Vocation as they did on their wedding day. 
• Ideas: Write a blurb for bulletin; make announcement at Masses; give out marriage prayer cards, recognize couple married longest at Masses; hold a renewal of vows; pray for those in marriage prep as a parish; have some of the married adults who work with the teens give their testimony; hold a reception for married couples after Masses  
• Youth Ideas: Promote via bulletin board/announcements; write blurb for newsletter; ask students to interview engaged/married couples; make a card for a married couple they admire

Religious Brothers Day (May 1, Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker)

• Purpose: To bring awareness to religious brothers in the parish/diocese
• Ideas: Make announcement at school/Masses; post picture and info in bulletin or poster at entrance of the church/school of brothers from your parish/diocese; send a care package of practical items to a monastery in your diocese or nearby diocese

Uplift Your Priest (2nd and 3rd weeks of Easter)

• Purpose: To inspire the laity to support and encourage their priests. 
• Ideas: Send priest(s) spiritual bouquets, a meal, drawings, letters, gift cards; hold a Car Parade of Love for him. See all ideas here.

World Day of Prayer for Vocations (4th Sunday of Easter: Good Shepherd Sunday)

• Purpose: To pray for Vocations from your school/parish/diocese/world in any possible way. 
• Ideas: Write a blurb for bulletin; make announcement at school/Masses; prayer cards handed out to students/parishioners; hold a family Holy Hour; lead Rosary for Vocations before Mass/school; launch Adoration for Vocations/ traveling chalice program 

World Priest Day (Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus each year)
(AKA World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests)

• Purpose: To pray for priests 
• Ideas: Invite students/parishioners to pray for their priests; including prayer drive, Rosaries, and Eucharistic Adoration for priests 

Deacon Sunday (Second Sunday in October)

• Purpose: To affirm the men who have said YES to serving the Church as deacons.
• Ideas: Write a blurb for newsletter; update bulletin board; ask students to make card or write note for him; fill out Spiritual Bouquets for him

Priesthood Sunday (Last Sunday in October)

• Purpose: Show appreciation to our priests.
• Ideas: Write thank you letters to your priests; newsletter/bulletin announcement; prayers of the faithful; offer an essay, poster, or poetry contest on this or similar topic: “Why Fr. ___ is so amazing!”; share your priests' biographies in newsletter/bulletin; coordinate a potluck dinner for "Father's Day"

National Vocation Awareness Week (1st full week of November)

• Purpose: Bring Awareness to priesthood, consecrated religious life, and sacramental marriage
• Ideas: Write a blurb for newsletter/bulletin; make announcement; ask priest to speak about Vocations and visit parish school classrooms and religious education classes; invite sisters to speak to youth group; show Vocation videos to kids; bring some aspect of prayer to this week; implement lesson plans from one of the free curricula for Vocations

World Day of Cloistered Life (November 21, the Presentation-BVM)

• Purpose: To bring awareness to this hidden life of prayer for all of us
• Ideas: Make announcement at Masses/school; post picture and info in bulletin or poster at entrance of the church/school; send a care package of practical items to a cloistered order in your diocese or nearby diocese

Twenty-six percent of the funds raised by the Catholic Foundation's Annual Catholic Appeal are used to support seminarian and clergy education and support.

These funds cover 55% of the Office of Vocations’ efforts to recruit and select qualified candidates for discernment as well as the formation and education of seminarians.

Support current and future seminarians by contributing to the Catholic Foundation’s Annual Catholic Appeal.

SUPPORT TODAY