Vocations
Every person is called to be Holy, called to bear witness to the truth who is Jesus Christ and as such to fulfill the mission at hand, to proclaim Jesus Christ to the world. God calls each of us to a particular vocation within the general vocation of holiness, this particular vocation can vary depending upon our gifts, talents and our general make up as a person. There are several different vocations one may be called to journey down so as to reach the ultimate reality of heaven which awaits the Christian who has been faithful.
Priesthood/Holy Orders
The Vocation to Priesthood is a vocation to live as Jesus Christ. The priest is called to lay down his own life for those around the world. Priests are men who have been baptized and given a calling by God to preach the Gospel, offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and forgive sins for the Salvation of Souls. You will find priests everywhere in the world, at your local Catholic Church and in the missions of Third World Countries. Priests live as Jesus Christ espousing themselves to the Church, and loving individuals as if they were his own children.
The celibacy of a priest allows him to serve all at any time keeping him available to the world the same way Jesus was available to serve and save humanity. The priest is called to be a man of prayer, one who seeks holiness so as to give holiness to those around him.
There are two kinds of priests; Secular and Religious. A Secular priest is one who is associated to a Diocese, a local geographical area which is under the care and protection of its local shepherd, the Bishop and seeks to build up the local community of the faithful through preaching and offering the Sacraments. A Secular or Diocesan priest makes promises to live out his life in faithful service to the Lord. A Religious priest is a priest who has taken vows to embrace poverty, chastity, and obedience. Religious priests are the priests we usually see dressed in habits of different colors; Dominican priests wear a white habit, Franciscan and Carmelite priests wear a brown habit and monks wear a black habit.
Some Scripture References to read for a context for the Sacrament of Holy Orders
Lk 22:19- do this in memory of Me
Jn 20:22-As Father sent me, I send you...receive the Holy Spirit.
Acts 6:6- The Apostles prayed and laid hands on them
Acts13:3- They laid hands on them & sent them off
Acts 14:22-They appointed presbyters in early Church
Acts 20:28-Holy Spirit appointed you overseers, to tend Church
1 Tim 4:14-Gift received thru laying on of hands of presbyterate
2 Tim 1:6-Gift of God you have thru imposition of hands
Titus 1:5-Appoint presbyters in every town, as I directed you
Websites pertaining to Discernment to the Holy Priesthood
Consecrated Religious
The vocation to be a consecrated religious is truly a noble vocation as it calls the individual to a vocation by which he/she binds himself/herself to love the world freely as Jesus Christ loved the world. The person called to become one with Christ through the vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience does so with the sole purpose in mind of living only for Jesus Christ in this life so as to join him forever in the next. Our religious priests, sisters and brothers are invaluable treasures given to the Church to remind us of the need to keep Our Lord Jesus Christ in the front of our minds, at the center of our hearts, and the reason for our actions.
It is a true gift to the Church and the local parish to have one of its members called by God to live their life in this manner. As such we support all of our members to live constantly the call to holiness by being open to the possibility of God calling them to be a religious. There has been a wonderful increase in young men and women entering religious life. Below you will find links of some of the religious communities these young adults have entered. Please search these websites and discover the joy of living for Jesus just as many other young men and young women have found.
There are many distinctions which may help you decide what God may be calling towards in His kingdom. Did you know that there is a difference between a Sister and a Nun? Or that there is a difference between a Monk and a brother? While the world refers to these individuals using the terms interchangeably there is an actual difference between these persons. When we address a woman who has been consecrated to love the world we address her with the title Sister but this does not necessarily mean that she is living and working as an active Sister who works in the world and among people as a teacher or nurse. Strictly speaking a Nun is a religious sister who lives within a cloistered monastery and dedicates her life to a reserved life of prayer and contemplation where she seeks to draw closer to Our Lord and in so doing brings the world to the feet of her spouse, Our Lord Jesus Christ. (To visit a website for a monastery of nuns please visit www.stjosephmonastery.com) Whereas a Nun is one who lives within a monastery a Sister is a consecrated woman who lives in the world, usually in a convent, and has an active apostolate where she encounters the people of the world and seeks to share with them the love Our Lord has for His children. Sisters are the individuals we usually picture when we thing of consecrated women dressed in habits teaching in a school or nursing those who are ill in a hospital.
The above distinction for Nuns and Sisters is the same for Monks and Brothers. While we address both Monks and Brothers with the title Br. John Doe, their position in life is very different in the way it is lived out and where it is lived out. A Monk is a man who has entered a Monastery to spend his life in contemplation completely focused on our Lord.(To visit a website for a Monastery of Monks please visit www.clearcreekmonks.org or www.monks.org) A Brother is a man who is consecrated to the Lord but who lives in the world carrying out a active apostolate such as teaching or working as a missionary. Monks may become a priest or may remain a brother, this is decided by the calling God has given the individual and the needs of the community of monks. Brothers are not usually priests.
If you find yourself exploring the possibility of a vocation to religious life as a priest, sister, or brother please contact your parish priest and ask for assistance. It is sometimes hard to understand the differences between the many different communities and the many different works they accomplish.
Sites for Women Religious
General Sites
Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious
Local Communities within our Diocese of Columbus
Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, located in Columbus, Ohio
Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, located in Zainsville, Ohio
Missionary Servants of the Word
Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, Monastery of St Joseph, located in Portsmouth, Ohio
Communities which have received vocations from our area
Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist
Dominican Sisters of St Cecilia
Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus of LA
Sister Servants of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
Sister of Life
Sisters of St Francis of Perpetual Adoration
Sites for Men Religious
Local Communities
Order of Friars Preachers, Dominican Friars, located in Columbus, Zainesville, and Somerset, Ohio
Institute of the Incarnate Word, located in Columbus at the Pontifical College Josephinum
Other Communities
Discalced Carmelite Friars
Fathers of Mercy
Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate
Order of Our Lady of Mercy, Mercedarian Friars
Married
The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, or marriage, is indeed a vocation one is called towards so as to become Holy. A Man and a Woman are called to become Holy, to become one with the Lord, by moving through their spouse, in their spouse and with their spouse on the journey of life. It is often said that it takes three to be married; The Man, the Woman, and Jesus Christ who keeps them together. Our Lord must be invited into the relationship and must be at the center of it otherwise the couple will start to flounder and experience the temptations that individuals experience when they have grown weak in their faith and taken their eyes of the Beloved, Our Lord Jesus Christ. This Vocation is covered in more detail on the page dedicated to the Sacrament of Marriage.
Some Scripture References to read for a context for the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony
Mt 19:5-6-Leave Father and Mother, join wife, two become one flesh
Mk 10:7-12-What God joined together, no man separate
Eph 5:22-32-Union of husband and wife is an image of Christ and the Church
Heb 13:4-Let marriage be honored among all
Websites pertaining to the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony
