“Every vocation is born, is nourished, and develops in the Church and is linked to the Church in its origin, purpose, and mission. For this reason diocesan and parish communities are called to strengthen their commitment to the priesthood and religious life…”

XXXIII World Day for Vocations (1996)
Message of John Paul II

Monthly Prayer of the Faithful Petitions

Please include our monthly Prayer of the Faithful petition for vocations to the priesthood on the first Sunday of each month. This would allow the entire Archdiocese to unite in prayer for an increase in priestly vocations.

Click below to download prayer petitions December 2011 to November 2012

Prayer Petitions English
Prayer Petitions Spanish
Prayer Petitions Polish


Traveling Cross – Parish Vocation Cross Program

Consider initiating the Parish Vocation Cross Program in your parish. It is a simple program. Each Sunday a family, couple or individual will be called forward at Mass to receive the vocation cross and special prayers to accompany it. In taking the cross they commit to pray during the week, in the name of the parish, in thanksgiving for all the Church vocations and ask God to increase the holy vocations in the parish. The following week the cross is return and given to a new family.

The Parish Vocation Cross packet contains 5 sheets:

• Parish Announcement
• Explanation
• Sending Forth
• Sign up Sheet
• Prayer Sheet

Click below to download Parish Vocation Cross materials:

Vocation Parish Cross Program English
Vocation Parish Cross Program Spanish
Vocation Parish Cross Program Polish

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Quarterly the Vocation Office sends out Bulletin Announcement for Priestly Vocation. Please help us promote the vocation message at your parishes.

Click below to download bulletin announcements for December 2011 to February 2012

Bulletin Announcements English

Bulletin Announcements Spanish

Bulletin Announcements Polish - Available Soon


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A Prayer for Priestly Vocations

O Lord, my God, You renew the Church in every age by raising up priests outstanding in holiness, living witnesses of Your unchanging Love. In Your Plan for our salvation You provide shepherds for Your people. Fill the hearts of young men with the spirit of courage and love that they may answer Your call generously. Give parents the grace to encourage vocations in their family by prayer and good example. Raise up worthy priests for Your Altars and ardent, but gentle servants of the Gospel. Give the Church more priests and keep them faithful in their love and service. May many young men choose to serve You by devoting themselves to the service of Your people.

(Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik, S.V.D.)

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Totus Tuus

Totus Tuus is a weeklong summer Catholic youth program dedicated to sharing the Gospel and promoting the Catholic faith through catechesis, evangelization, Christian witness, and the celebration of the Eucharist. The goal of Totus Tuus is to help young people grow in their understanding of, and strengthen their faith in, Jesus Christ. Totus Tuus seeks to foster openness to vocations in the young people we serve as well as among the program teachers. This is accomplished by placing special emphasis on the importance and necessity of prayer, Eucharistic devotion, and Marian devotion, in addition to catechetical instruction and formation in the Catholic faith. To host a Totus Tuus team at your parish or for more information, contact Pat Pacer in the Vocations Office at 312-534-2587 or ppacer@archchicago.org or go to www.totustuuschicago.com.

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Vocation Parish Program

Program Framework
The Archdiocese of Chicago Vocations Office has created a Vocation Parish Program to encourage parishes to deliberately, actively and joyfully promote and encourage all Christian Vocation as an underlying element of all parish activities.

Vocation Parish Framework

Chicago Vocation News

December 2011 Newsletter
November 2011 Newsletter
October 2011 Newsletter
September 2011 Newsletter
August 2011 Newsletter
June 2011 Newsletter
May 2011 Newsletter
Apriil 2011 Newsletter
March 2011 Newsletter
February 2011 Newsletter
January 2011 Newsletter
December 2010 Newsletter


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The Vocation Office offered three Vocation Parish Trainings in 2010, one in spring and two in the fall. The trainings are multi-media interactive opportunity to share all the vocation efforts in our parishes, to create parish action plans and to join together in prayer for vocations. The Bishops sent letters to all Pastors inviting them to attend or to send a parish representative. All attendees received a Vocation Parish Guide. To date 82 parishes have participated in one of the trainings, representing all six vicariates. The participants included priests, deacons, sisters, lay staff and parishioners. In 2011 we tentatively plan to offer other trainings in the fall, when we hope to have the returning parishes and new parishes share their success stories.
Below are sample materials from the training:

Presentation
Parish Vocation Checklist

For more information contact Susanne Smith at 312-534-5234 or by email susmith@archchicago.org.

Eucharistic Adoration

Did you know - In our Archdiocese, there is a direct correlation between parishes that have regularly scheduled Eucharistic Adoration and parishes who have men entering the seminary?

30% of all Mundelein seminarians come from a parish that has Eucharistic Adoration.

60% of the seminarians from Vicariate I come from a parish that has Eucharistic Adoration.

Does your parish have Eucharistic Adoration?

Does your parish have a weekly Holy Hour For Vocations?

Become a laborer of the harvest for Our Lord, by organizing a “Holy Hour” of prayer at your parish or adoration chapel. The Pope John Paul II Eucharistic Adoration Association is comprised of all volunteers who dedicate themselves to promoting Eucharistic Adoration throughout the Chicago Archdiocese. To help you get started, call (708)728-0840 or go to http://www.pjp2ea.org/pjp2ea/HolyHourPriests.asp

Click here to learn more about the Congregation for the Clergy's "Pray for Priests" campaign.

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Other Ideas

• Invite religious communities to be part of a Parish Vocations Festival
• Offer a votive Mass for vocations
• Sponsor a vocations-themed parish mission
• Encourage young people to take on service roles in the parish—Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, Lector, Usher, Sacristan, parish committees, etc.
• Host a vocations retreat for college students and young adults

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Seminarian Prayer Calendar:

The Vocations Office is asking parishes, schools, seminaries, and other organizations within the Archdiocese of Chicago to take an active role in praying for our seminarians as part of your stewardship. To help facilitate this “prayer campaign,” Seminarian Prayer Calendars have been created which highlight a different seminarian each weekday from one of our seminaries/ seminary programs. You may wish to use these calendars to:

• Include the seminarian of the day in the Prayers of the Faithful at each weekday
  mass
• List the seminarians to be prayed for during the upcoming week in the parish
  bulletin, or include the entire prayer calendar as an insert in the parish bulletin
  each month
• Encourage prayer for seminarians at the parish school
• Encourage parishioners to “adopt a seminarian”: commit to praying for him,
  send him letters/cards, invite him to a meal with the family
• Post the calendar around your parish: bulletin boards, adoration chapel, etc.

Seminarian Prayer Calendar Oct 2011 to April 2012

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