Vocations

Before we get too far along, permit us to provide you a list of Vocational Terms for reference.

Vocation: Vocation means a call. It is God’s invitation, His call to each person to love and serve Him and His Church in a particular state or way of life. Each person's vocation flows from the grace of Baptism.

Discernment: When talking about discovering your vocation, discernment means the process of that discovery through prayer, reflection and discussion as to how God calls each person to love Him, whether as a priest, a consecrated religious man or woman, a married person or a consecrated single person.

Apostolate: The type of work or mission of the order through which their particular charism is lived out.

Consecrated Life: A permanent state of life recognized by the Church, entered freely in response to the call of Christ to the perfection of love and characterized by the making of public vows of poverty, and obedience.

Laity: People within the Church including religious brothers and sisters as well as all other single and married person who are not ordained as bishop, priests or deacons are known as the laity or the lay faithful.

Secular Institute: Single lay men and women, and also some priests, belong to secular institutes. They make a commitment to live the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience. Members do not necessarily live together as a community. Their goal is to be a transforming presence in society.

Holy Orders: The Sacrament by which the mission entrusted by Christ to His Apostles continues to be exercised in the Church through the laying on of hands. By receiving Holy Orders men and women become members of the ordained clergy - deacons, priests and bishops. All three confer a permanent, sacramental character on those who are ordained.

Permanent Deacon: A degree of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, after bishop and priest. The permanent deacon is ordained for ministry, but not to the priesthood. They assist and preach at Mass, baptize and preside at weddings and funerals. They have jobs outside the Church to make a living.

Transitional Deacon: Men and women who are called to the priesthood who are in the final stage of formation before being ordained as priests. They receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders and usually serve as deacons for one year before ordination to the priesthood. During their year as a deacon they continue their studies and serve in parish assignments.

Priest: A man or woman ordained to priesthood through the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Together each candidate and the Church discern (discover) whether or not a candidate is called to become a priest. Diocesan priests are called to serve the people of a particular diocese.

Religious Life: Priests, brothers or sisters living to embrace the spirituality, charism and teachings of the community’s founder call their way of life religious life. They grow in holiness through their gift of themselves to God and His people.

Religious Community: The founder of a religious community brings together a group of men or women who share the same charism and are dedicated to the same mission in the Church. These are religious communities of priests and brothers and communities of sisters. The apostolates of the communities vary according to their mission. Those dedicated primarily to prayer are contemplative communities; those who combine prayer with apostolic ministries are called active communities.

Charism: Each religious community has a charism or unique way of returning God's love to Him and His people which manifests a particular attribute of God's being.