Got vocations?

6 Effective Habits of Vocational Recruiting

1. " ... putting the Eucharist at the center of vocational work.

In an editorial the newspaper explained: "Eucharistic adoration is especially effective because it draws sharp attention to the great gift that makes the priesthood so extraordinary and so needed -- we have the priesthood to thank for God's real presence in the Blessed Sacrament.

"And the dynamic of silent Eucharistic adoration inevitably leads to the question, 'What do you want me to do, Lord?'"

2. Invitations: "According to a U.S. bishops' survey, 78% of those being ordained began considering the priesthood after an invitation to do so from a priest."

3. "... seminaries must be faithful to the magisterium in order to attract candidates. The Register editors mentioned three seminaries that are booming: St. Mary's in Emmitsburg, Maryland; St. Vincent in Latrobe, Pennsylvania; [Hey! I've heard of that place!] and St. Gregory the Great in Seward, Nebraska."

4. "Candidates to the priesthood also come from faithful families."

5. "Youth need to meet and interact with priests or 'it may never occur to many young men that the priesthood is a life that would appeal to them,' the article explained.

Key among the venues for this interaction is altar serving: 'For many priests, serving at the altar was the first place they first came to know men who had been called and understood what the call entailed.'"

6. "... the 'World Youth Day factor is very real,' the editorial said. It explained that these events give young men the chance to see that they can have 'a big, positive impact on the world -- one that lasts for eternity.'"