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Last Updated: September 07, 2016

Today's Top Vocation Activities

Special days for vocations

There are four times in the liturgical year that are great for promoting Vocations

1. National Priesthood Sunday If you go to Priesthood Sunday you will find a lot of great ideas. Selected materials are en español, for liturgy planning guide and the religious education materials are now in Spanish. Consider putting a basket in the vestibule and having parishioners write Thank You card for your pastor or any priest who was important in their life.

2. National Vocation Awareness Week. The planning kit is available for download through the generous grant form the Bishop Britt Vocation Fund and the USA Council of Serra International. This packet has information for many staff members and ages from young children through grandparents, homily information etc. Consider special activities during this week, homily on vocations, prayer cards passed out as people enter mass, special activities for the youth i.e. a priest or sister tell their story

3. World Day for Consecrated Life The planning kit is available for download through the generous grant form the Bishop Britt Vocation Fund and the USA Council of Serra International. This packet has information for many staff members and ages from young children through grandparents, homily information etc. The past several years the Archdiocese of Portland has had a Vigil Prayers Service to honor those committed to the consecrated life.

4. World Day of Prayer for Vocations The planning kit is available for download through the generous grant form the Bishop Britt Vocation Fund and the USA Council of Serra International. Everyday is a day to pray for Vocations, but this is just a special day or consider “31 Club’ where some one from your parish signs up to go to mass on that day each month (1-31) and pray for vocations. The 31-Club program is available for purchase through the USAC by calling 888-777-6681.

PS… If you don’t have a Vocation Committee in your parish. How can we help you start one?

How would like to create your own posters to publicize your parish celebration?

This World Day of Prayer for Vocations Poster has areas where you can enter text for the name of the Event, the Date i.e. Month Date, Year (formatted just this way), the time i.e. 1:00 pm (formatted just this way HH:MM tt), the Place including an address, and at the left edge of the photo at the bottom where the sponsor or sponsors can be recognized.<Take a look - Try it today!>

The Best Vocation Programs...

What Serra does for you and vocations and what YOU can for Serra and vocations. <Take a look and share with your friends>

Try Adopt-a-Seminarian it is a very rewarding program that still works today.

 

To Save A Thousand Souls
A Guide to Discerning a Vocation to Diocesan Priesthood

In what has been hailed as “a groundbreaking work” Fr. Brett Brannen compiles all the wisdom of a master Vocation Director into one volume. Using powerful and entertaining stories, the book explains in down-to-earth language how to discern a vocation to diocesan priesthood. For more information or order a copy of the book please visit Vianney Vocations.

FOCUS 11 - How it works, a recipe for success!

Focus 11 is a program based on a concept out of St. Petersburg, Florida which say two key times to contact youth about vocation is as a 11 yr old and as a 11th grader. <more>

QUO VADIS DAYS - How it works, a recipe for success!

“Quo Vadis Days is a three day camp for young men to learn more about the priesthood, to deepen their faith, and to better discern God’s call to their lives. It was started in the Jubilee Year 2000 by Fr. John Cihak in the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon as a response to the Holy Father’s request that the Church begin “The New Evangelization.” <more>

Priesthood Sunday appreciation cards...Catholic youth are creative.

Fr. John Bolderson, pastor at St. Regis in KC, MO, received many appreciation cards from the school and CCD students. He picked a few to share during the homily on Priesthood Sunday. The first one he chose to read and show was from a 4th grader. It had a drawing of a man in black clothing and a dog inside the card with this note. “I love your dog!” He smiled, he loved his dog, too. <more...>

Serra Donates Stations of the Cross for Philmont Scout Ranch Chapel

Ceramic tile Stations of the Cross have been installed at the Catholic Chapel of the Philmont Scout Ranch, Cimarron, New Mexico. The tiles were obtained from Catholic Supply of Saint Louis (catholicsupply.com) item No. 5416, 6-inch square hard-fired ceramic tiles imported from Belgium, then mounted in protective metal frames with captions mounted below. The Stations were donated by the Vocations Committee of the USA Council of Serra International, Serra Venturing in Catholic High Schools Program, during Relationships Week June 21-27, 2009.<more...>

Serra Bishop's Crew Serves at Phoenix Seminarian Picnic

The Serra Club of Phoenix held its annual Seminarian Picnic on Sunday, July 26, 2009, for Seminarians and their families. This event is usually catered at a substantial cost. Several Venturing Crew members had attended the Ordination of three new Priests on June 6, 2009 sitting in the Serra Club of Phoenix section along with the Serrans. <more...>

 

 

the COLLEGE CONNECTION for Catholics is NOW

The Newman Connection

A recent study completed by CARA for the U. S. Bishops concerning Catholic Campus Ministry (November, 2005) confirmed a strong opinion that those who were active in Campus Ministry: attended Mass more often than those who did not participate in Campus Ministry; donated more to their Parishes; became leaders in the Parishes; and were more likely to consider a vocation to the Priesthood or Religious Life. <more...>

The SERRA and NET Connection

This past year a successful effort was made to connect young missionaries of the National Evangelization Team (NET) with Serra Clubs across our nation. NET Teams, made up of 6 young men and 6 young women ages 18 to 28, visited over 70 Dioceses, giving retreats for young Catholics. The following information came from a meeting of Serrans and Netters during the annual NET wrap-up week. About 15% of all team members enter the convent or Seminary after serving on NET. The rest of the team are very good candidates as future Serrans.
<read more....>

NEW Program to Plant Seeds for Vocations via Serra Venturing in Catholic High Schools

Many Catholic priests and men and women religious serving the Church today began their discernment, or found support for their budding vocation interest, during High School and/or in Scouting.

Serrans across the country are invited to be part of a NEW movement to offer Serra awareness and discernment opportunities for youth in Catholic High Schools, through Serra Club chartered Venturing crews.

The Serra Club of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and their Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting (CCS) formed the first Serra Club chartered Catholic Venturing Crew for students at West Catholic High School

in Grand Rapids, with matching funds provided by a Serra International Foundation grant, for initial start-up costs.

Learn more and get started today….

Serra Club of Grand Rapids Forms First Venturing Crew Using the Matching Serra International Foundation Grant

Congratulations are in order for Dennis Leiber, the Serra Club of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting on forming the first Serra Club chartered Catholic Venturing Crew for students at West Catholic High school.<read more...>

School Vocation Awareness Program

The School Vocation Awareness Program is designed for use in parish schools to increase the vocation awareness of eighth grade students. It describes the procedures for obtaining approval, sample letters and the details of conducting the program. The teachers normally introduce the program to the students who prepare essays on a topic selected by the Serra leader. The essays are judged by members of the local club. The program normally includes Mass with the students, continental breakfast, viewing of a DVD/film (A Family Affair), a short talk by a Serra on Serra and vocations, a talk by the parish priest and / or nun, and the awarding of prizes for the winning essays. Click here for a program description... you may also contact Greg Lynch for additional information.

Traveling Chalice for Vocations a school project

All Souls Church in Englewood, Colorado has decided to make the Traveling Chalice for Vocations a school project for the second semester of this school year. The chalice is presented to a class at the weekly school Mass and the class pledges to pray for vocations that next week.  We are blessed to have a seminarian working in our school on Thursdays so some of the classes are also inviting the seminarian into speak during their week of hosting the chalice.  Our students are enjoying praying for vocation, reading stories about vocations and discussing vocations.  In our school we have the class bring the Chalice back to the next school Mass and Father calls representatives from the hosting class up to pass the chalice to some representatives of the new class.  We have adapted a Chalice program from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati (with their permission) and pass this to the teacher of each class. 
 
We have included a generic copy of this program that might be adapted for use in your school with the approval of your priest and principal. <Download the program today!>

“The Biloxi SERRA Club & Knights of Columbus joined to “Create a Culture for Vocations”

By Terry Dickson, Gulf Pine Catholic

DIOCESE OF BILOXI – As with all dioceses, one of the things at the top of this diocese’s wish list, not only at Christmas time but year round, is an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life. <more>

Affirming Priests and Promoting Membership

From the Serra Club of South Suburban Minneapolis

The Serra Club of South Suburban Minneapolis has started a new program of honoring and affirming our priests in our area. A member from the affirmation committee or vocation committee arranges a date with each priest to attend one of his masses in a group. We offer our Mass and Communion in a spiritual bouquet card in thanksgiving for his vocation. We also include a small gift card as a token of our appreciation. We usually have one member lead us as we pray over Father after Mass. We invite Father to attend breakfast with us if he has time. Some priests say a little something about the Serra Club and acknowledge us. This program was modeled after the SW Denver Serra Club’s program.

We have found this is a good way to publicize Serra. Some newcomers have started joining us for the masses and then expressed an interest in our group. We also pass out little notices about our upcoming meeting to the daily Mass attendees. We use the fourth Friday of the month to help members set their schedule. <Read more...>

School Awareness Program

Each year the Serra Club of Santa Clara, CA schedules a school awareness program with the 8th graders in 10 parochial schools in our area of operations. Each school has a club member as the Parish Contact Person and several months before the date of the program, they contact the pastor and principal requesting permission for the program. At this time we they give them the theme for the essay.

The programs are always conducted on the First Friday. Most of the schools are anticipating the event as we have done it regularly for many years. The students prepare the essays and the Serrans judge them.

On the day of the event we Celebrate Holy Mass, have continental breakfast, show the Serran Movie: “A Family Affair,” a short discussion usually by a priest, a nun, and a Serran about Serra and vocations and the awarding of prizes. Refer to Serra Booklet for complete details.

Implementing “What Can I Do?”

by Norma Swanson, member, USAC Vocations sub-Committee

In January of 2010 at the Super Weekend in Chicago, two presentations were made by the Vocations Sub-committee. One was a film on the shortage of priests (film of priest less church) and the other was a play with actors discussing the shortage situation and how it affected them.
<more>

Batter Up!

It's summer time and we all still listen to chorus coming from our ball parks saying, "Hey batter, batter!" Start your All-Star break by collecting these "All-Star" prayer cards. The Serra Club-in-Formation Will County, IL has created this vocation prayer program to involve everyone in your clubs and parishes praying for God's Rookie team our seminarians and newly ordained. The Seminarian Baseball Card is fully described here, download it today!

 

 

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