Vocations

The word “vocation” comes from the Latin word “vocare,” or “to call.” A vocation is literally “a calling,” which in a Catholic sense typically means a calling from God.

Seminary formation was already notoriously long and recently, an additional year has been added: the propadeutic year. Yet few are complaining.

“More than one in ten responding ordinands (15%) reported being home schooled,” a 2025 CARA report said. Homeschooling families who spoke with OSV News agreed that homeschooling cultivates priestly vocations.

Attorneys for the Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey, have moved to voluntarily dismiss a religious visa lawsuit they had filed against the federal government for religious workers.

The Catholic Church defines a vocation — from the Latin word “vocare,” meaning “to call” — as “the calling or destiny we have in this life and hereafter.”

Pope Leo XIV returned to his Augustinian confreres to encourage their new leader and to offer some final thoughts as they prepared to conclude their general chapter discussions.

As Pope Leo XIV neared his 70th birthday Sept. 14, those closest to him said they knew, very early on, he was in for lifelong service to the church.

In coming years, some Roman pilgrims will undoubtedly search for Pope Francis’ tomb at St. Peter’s Basilica only to learn that, in accord with the pontiff’s wishes, his mortal remains …

Among the participants, the home (80%) was the prime location for Marian devotion during their vocational discernment, followed by the parish (77%).

“Encourage a young man to consider the priesthood or to attend Eucharistic adoration; he could be your future pastor,” said Bishop Earl A. Boyea of Lansing, Michigan.