Frequently Asked Questions

The program is free of charge.

VAN satisfies the most urgent need of the Church in a concrete and effective way.

No. All of the tools, resources and materials are available to anyone, but the network gives you a live link of support and connects you to other promoters through prayer and action.

Christ knows your heart. The commitments are meant to be guidelines. The most important element is to look for ways to express your love for the Church by promoting vocations within the means Christ has given you. For example, if there is no church in your area that offers Eucharistic Adoration there is no way you can fulfill your commitment. Consider substituting 30 minutes of quiet prayer in your home.

Promoting vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life does not discredit the value or importance of the vocation to marriage or the single life. VAN seeks to build a culture where a vocation to the priesthood and consecrated life is a natural step in the process of discovering the will of God.

Adoration for Vocations is a way to focus your prayer and time with Christ for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life as well as spiritual support of existing vocations. It does not need to be the only intention for that adoration time and there is no particular prayer or format necessary to gain God's grace for vocations. We have a recommended prayer (Invocation for Priests and Consecrated Men and Women) which can be prayed individually or with a group. This prayer, which we include in our VAN membership kits and AFV kits, was designed to help us remember all those we should be praying for but is not a required element in Adoration for Vocations.

Adoration for Vocations (AFV) is organized just like a general Eucharistic Adoration program, only it has the added dimension of encouraging the lay faithful to pray for their existing priests and consecrated souls as well as for new vocations to the Church. It aims to not only enrich parish life by increasing Eucharistic devotion but also to "pray to the Lord of the harvest" for the vocations that the Church needs! Vocation Action Network offers a kit of materials and resources that are helpful in incorporating AFV into a parish (see the sections "AFV in a parish" and "AFV kit" above).

It is a way to unite together as the Universal Church, offering our prayers and support to the Holy Father in response to the greatest need of the Church — "Pray to the Lord of the Harvest". By signing up either individually or as a parish and recording your hours of adoration we can together make this offering on behalf of all to "send laborers in to the harvest".

Eucharistic Adoration is prayer where the host is exposed and Christ makes himself available to us in a very real and practical way. AFV is one of the most effective means to promote vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life because it is prayer that opens our hearts and minds to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit who will spark our initiative and lead us to be effective in everything else we undertake.

No, there are many other ways we can promote prayer for vocations such as: an individual daily prayer for vocations, a community prayer for vocations added before or after Mass, an intention into the general intercessions at Mass, other prayer for vocations programs but there is a special grace that comes with Eucharistic adoration, especially when you are interceding for the Church alone or in a group.

No, the site is run by the Legionaries of Christ, but it seeks to support all priestly and consecrated vocations in the Catholic Church. Its goal is to aid young people in their discernment process no matter where it ultimately leads them.

No, what is found at vocation.com will help young people work through the steps of a natural discernment process necessary for discovering God's will whether it be a vocation to the priesthood or following another path.

Anonymity, flexibility and variety/richness of content. A young person can begin his search privately, without pressure, with plenty of time for personal reflection. Discovering God's call in one's life is a major step, but young people are often not sure what they are experiencing and how to express it. vocation.com gives them a place to begin asking questions and receiving helpful information guiding them to proceed along the path of discernment.

The business cards are a simple way to introduce the site to them. "Shorelines" is a weekly newsletter geared to young people that can be sent to them as an introduction into what vocation.com has to offer. Soon we will offer additional promotional tools such as a brochure and testimonial DVD.

No, the personal relationship with a spiritual guide, vocations director, or vocation promoter is essential in the discernment process. vocation.com is one tool to assist the youth in their search, and we constantly refer them to their personal spiritual director. We give principles, light, advice and encouragement, but all of it should be run by one's own personal spiritual director or vocation director.