ARCHDIOCESE OF NEW YORK. Youth Ministry. and vocations. Discipleship Always Involves Discernment NYPR IEST.COM

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1 ARCHDIOCESE OF NEW YORK Youth Ministry and vocations Discipleship Always Involves Discernment NYPR IEST.COM

2 FOUR PRINCIPLES 1 Vocation discernment is a critical part of youth ministry. Discipleship is when a teen says, Jesus, I give my whole life to you! Discernment is when they naturally wonder, God, what do you want me to do with my life? Discipleship always involves discernment. Along with parents, youth ministers are ideally situated to help teens discern their vocations. 3 Teens are not too young to be thinking about marriage, priesthood, or religious life. 61% of diocesan priests first considered priesthood by age % of religious sisters first considered it by age 17. St. Therese entered Carmel when she was 15. Mary became the spouse of the Holy Spirit in her teens. Mother Teresa entered religious life at age 18. Teens are not too young to discern! 2 Teens often misunderstand various vocations. A lot of students have knee-jerk reactions No way! I like girls too much to be a priest! or Ugh! I don t want to live in a convent and pray all day! This is because they have an inaccurate vision of the priesthood and religious life. It s our job to set the record straight and show the beauty of these vocations. 4 Teens aspiring to priesthood or religious life is normal and good! Teenagers are constantly thinking about what they re going to do with their lives: Who am I going to marry? What college will I attend? What kind of career will I have? It s precisely during this forward-thinking time of life that Catholic teens need to put the priesthood and religious life on the menu, so to speak. For the teen who gives his or her life to Jesus, the next question is always, Lord, what do you want me to do? Discipleship always involves discernment.

3 FOUR PRACTICES 1 Hold vocation-themed youth ministry meetings at least twice a year. Do your best to get kids talking about the possibility of priesthood or religious life. Meeting possibilities are endless. Ask your pastor to tell his vocation story. Invite a sister to explain poverty, chastity, and obedience. Do a service day at a convent. Ask the Vocation Director to attend a meeting. Consider visiting St. Joseph Seminary or a religious community. 3 Talk up the priesthood and religious life. Make it clear that these are heroic vocations, and that you don t have to be perfect to be a priest or sister. As the saying goes, God doesn t call the equipped; he equips those He calls. Tons of teens mistakenly think that sexual desire is a foolproof sign they are called to marriage. Of course, many are! But marriage, like any vocation, must be discerned, not assumed. 2 Invite kids one-on-one. Never underestimate your influence. When you invite a guy to consider priesthood, he ll remember it. But don t be jokey about it: Hey Jake! You d look good in a collar! Wink wink. Instead, have an appropriate level of seriousness: Jacob, throughout this year, I ve noticed that you ve really deepened your faith. You would make a great priest if God called you. 4 Seek out good material about vocations. If you ve never shown kids the video Fishers of Men, do it. It s awesome. (Available on You- Tube.) There are tons of other good vocation material from Life Teen and other sources. Students need a new depth of understanding about various vocations. It has to go beyond, Sisters are awesome! into the true nature and beauty of religious life. Say not I am too young. The desire to follow Jesus as a holy priest is a totally legitimate aspiration, even for a fourteen-year-old.

4 A VOCATIONS-THEMED YOUTH MEETING PURPOSE This guide is for youth ministers who want to hold a vocations-themed youth ministry meeting for high school students. Its purpose is to teach teens about the various vocations in the Church, and help them open their hearts to hear the voice of Jesus. 1 OPENING and GAMES Welcome, introductions, ground rules for the event, games Minefield It works best if you have a large area, indoor or outdoor. Set up a series of obstacles such as chairs, tables, balls, etc. Ask for a volunteer from the group. This one person is blindfolded and must make their way through the minefield by listening to the rest of the crowd. The group verbally talks them through the obstacles but cannot enter the minefield. If the person hits a mine they must return to the start. This game can be repeated with another volunteer, but feel free to rearrange some of the obstacles. At the end of the game, begin a conversation with the youth about what they learned from the game. Ask them about communication and trust. Was it easy to trust the crowd? What were some of their feelings you experienced when going through fear, safety, insecurity, etc.? These games teach the value of communication and trust knowing how to listen for God s call despite the loud crowd or signals that are difficult to interpret. Guess the Task Pick a volunteer to leave the room after the game is explained. Once that volunteer is out of hearing range, choose a simple task that the volunteer is supposed to do when he or she re-enters the room. (For example, walk in and tie a certain kid s shoe that is untied, take off their own coat, say the Pledge of Allegiance, etc.). The volunteer then re-enters and tries to do that certain task (unaware of the task to be done). The other youth in the room will help direct the blindfolded person by clapping when he or she gets close to doing the task. Louder and faster clapping means the person is getting hotter (closer to completing or discovering what the task is) and silence means you re way off; keep trying stuff.

5 SAY NOT, I AM TOO YOUNG. TO WHOMEVER I SEND YOU, YOU SHALL GO. JEREMIAH 1:7 2 TEACH Get the conversation going! God The Creator Have you ever watched a painter paint? It s difficult to guess the final portrait from the first few brush strokes. As the artist continues to work away at the canvas, adding layers of color, blending shades, and forming shapes, you begin to realize what the painting is supposed to be. The artist knows the entire time what the painting is going to look like, but the painting only comes into focus as he continues to work. Keeping this in mind, let us look at our relationship with God, who created each one of us. As we grow to become who we eventually will be someday, He continues to form us along our journey. And, like an artist, He has a plan for how we turn out for what we will someday become. Called to Holiness God s plan for our lives is not something He forces upon us. We are not robots that He programs. God s plan for our lives is an invitation; a calling to which we have the freedom to respond. Unlike an artist s painting, which cannot participate in the artist s work, we can choose to cooperate with God s call or not. Essentially, God is calling for us to join Him in a personal relationship. The depth of this relationship is a measure of holiness. Our Lord s love for us is so great that our happiness is His main concern and God knows that the only thing that will bring our unfailing happiness is Himself. Being holy is not always easy, but God gives us tools: the sacraments, Scripture, the rosary, and the support of other people in the Church.

6 A VOCATIONS-THEMED MEETING Marriage, Your Vocation Priesthood, and Religious Life God also gives us a particular way that we can be supremely happy in this world a particular calling that, if answered, will be the foundation for our identity. It s the particular way God wants us to become holy, selfless, loving, and more Christ-like. This amazing gift is our vocation. Marriage, Priesthood, and Religious Life The majority of people in the world are called by God to live their lives in the vocation of Holy Matrimony. Others are called to lives that are more public calls to holiness, such as the priesthood or religious life. But how do you know which one is for you? People called to marriage aren t born knowing their spouses and they don t usually hear a voice from Heaven telling them where to find their future spouse. The same is true for those called to the priesthood or religious life. It takes prayer, devotion, and the help of others to discern God s call. Listening for the Call When you spend quiet time in prayer, what call do you feel in your heart? Have other people told you that you d make a good priest or sister? Do you have a desire to help other people draw closer to Jesus? It s common to be drawn to marriage, while being afraid of priesthood or religious life. But keep in mind that God does not speak through fear. Fear is a tactic of the enemy to keep you from pursuing God s will; it is like the bite of an animal that paralyzes its prey to keep it from moving. A person in fear will find it difficult to move toward God s will. As a Youth Minister, one of the greatest things you can do is teach teens how to pray deeply. Young people, if they can be taught how to pray, can be trusted to know what to do with God s call. -Pope John Paul II When discerning your vocation, trust that God wants you to be happy even more than you want to be happy! Above all, whatever your call, trust that God will never call you where His grace cannot sustain you!

7 3 DISCUSS If you are working with a longer amount of time, this is a great opportunity for a panel discussion with priests, sisters, and/or seminarians. Otherwise, split the group into small groups (or stay as one small group) for these discussion questions. 1. Do you trust God with your future? Why or why not? 2. How do you understand the concept of discernment and vocation? 3. How much time have you taken to think about what vocation God may be calling you to? How can you continue to discern where God is calling you? 4. Is there one vocation that you fear God is calling you to? Why? 5. Name some obstacles you see in the world today that make it difficult to have a happy and holy marriage. 6. What are obstacles that make it hard to answer a call from Jesus to be a priest, sister, or brother? 7. What can you do to make it easier for yourself and/or your friends to answer a call to be a priest, sister, or brother? 4 CLOSING Recap the meeting Closing the gathering with a Holy Hour (or half hour) is a good option if you have time. Otherwise, close with the vocations prayer from your parish or diocese. If you don t have a vocations prayer, feel free to use this one: O God, You are my loving Father; You made me to know You,To love You, and to serve You, And thereby to fulfill my deepest longings. I know that you are present in all things, And that every good path can lead me to you. Please show me my true vocation, The path you have chosen for me. Send your Holy Spirit into my mind and heart So that I can clearly see Your gifts in my life And how I can best serve the Church. Mary, Mother of God and my Mother, Pray for me, that I can discover my vocation And have the courage to respond in faith. Amen

8 T H E V O C AT I O N B A S I C S Marriage. Most people are called to marriage to wholeheartedly love their spouses and to joyfully welcome children. The purpose of marriage is for a man and woman to help each other get to heaven, and to teach their children to do the same. Priesthood. Priests bring Jesus to people and people to Jesus through preaching and the sacraments. Priests are very active as they counsel people, teach classes, prepare homilies, administer parishes, and much more. Many surveys show that priests are among the happiest people in the world! Religious Life. Both men and women can join religious orders such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Benedictines, etc. The life and work of religious orders varies greatly some are primarily devoted to prayer; others work actively in schools, hospitals, pro-life ministry, etc. Common to all religious orders are the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Single Life. Some people serve God without marrying or making special vows. While not a vocation in a strict theological sense, single people contribute greatly to the good of the human family (CCC 2231) living their situation in the spirit of the Beatitudes, serving God and neighbor in exemplary fashion (CCC 1658). DISCERNMENT RESOURCES Order at Vocation-Themed Youth Ministry Meeting Holy Hour to Know My Vocation YOLO. Be Holy. (Vocation advice for teens) Six Ways to Discern My Vocation To Save a Thousand Souls Other vocation resources are available from Life Teen, the USCCB, and nypriest.com. It is the duty of the whole Christian community to foster vocations so that the needs of the sacred ministry are sufficiently met in the entire Church. Code of Canon Law, #233.1 ARCHDIOCESE OF NEW YORK OFFICE OF VOCATIONS NYPRIEST.COM