Promoting religious vocations by promoting the vocation

of marriage
Prayers are commonly said in American parishes for vocations and there are
often diocesan-sponsored events around the country promoting vocations. Yet,
religious vocations are not generally rising, though pockets here and there show an
increase.
The underlying problem here may be what we American Catholics think of when
we speak of vocations!, especially religious vocations!.
A vocation is one"s main calling in life, the way one is called to know, love, and
serve #od in this life. $y a religious vocation, we usually mean a calling % the word
vocation means calling % to serve #od as a sister, as a brother, or as a priest. &ince
every true call from #od aims the individual towards a life here and in the life to come
with the 'ather, the &on, and the (oly &pirit, every vocation can be said to be a
religious vocation. )ne vocation is not necessarily higher or holier than another. &aint
Paul tells us that, though a life of celibacy consecrated to #od is an ideal to strive for,
everyone must follow the particular call or vocation given him or her unless truly led to
follow another.
There have been many individuals who have been called to serve #od as a
single person, then as a married person, and then in religious life as a sister or brother
or priest in the world! or as a nun or monk in a monastic enclosure. &aint $ridget of
&weden and &aint *li+abeth &eton are e,amples. *ach woman was single, and then
married, raised a family, was widowed, and spent most of the rest of her life
consecrated to #od as a religious.
The root of the problem of the seeming lack of religious vocations in America and
many other countries is that we Catholics do not emphasi+e nearly enough the vocation
to which #od calls most adults, marriage. The vocation to follow Christ as a married
person is often mentioned only in passing, as if not important enough to spend time on
or as if everyone already knows enough about it. $ut among those who claim to be
Catholic, cohabitation outside of marriage -shacking up!. is common. /any Catholics
see little or nothing wrong with se,ual relations by a couple outside of marriage as long
as they intend to wed. &terili+ation as a means to prohibit births is common among
Catholic couples as is the use of artificial contraception. /any abortions are performed
on women who say they are Catholic. The divorce rate among Catholics is high. &uch
practices are contrary to #od"s design of se,uality. They do not foster vocations of any
sort.
0f marriage were not a vocation, Christ would not have instituted it as a
sacrament. 0t is vital that young people in the Church learn of its sanctity and that #od"s
design and plan for se,uality and se,ual relationships fits within the sacrament of
marriage. Then young people who follow #od"s plan for marriage will form unions that
produce true vocations of every sort, including to the religious life. The Church sees
parents as the primary teachers of their children.
*arly in the twentieth century, a young 1ewish man, 2udwig 2ob, and his fianc3e,
1enny 4an #elder, also 1ewish in background, became interested in the Catholic faith,
partly through the writings of Cardinal /ercier of $elgium. They were bapti+ed and then
married in the Catholic faith and had eight children, three of whom became Trappist
monks and three Trappistine nuns. 5hile raising his family, 2udwig 2ob made yearly
retreats at the Trappist monastery near their home in (olland. (e and his wife, an
outgoing woman who liked to have guests 6oin the family for fre7uent celebrations,
steered their children to seek the best in this life and the ne,t. 8uring the 9a+i
occupation of (olland, most of the family were arrested and sent to Auschwit+. (ow
they faced that trial and gave comfort to others while facing death is a story in itself.
5hen we speak of promoting vocations, let us promote the vocation to married
life and the sacrament of matrimony and help couples live that vocation. That is the
surest way to produce and foster vocations to the religious life!.
Terrence Brown is a member of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Seattle,
Washington and a pro life activist. He wrote this while visiting the Trappist Abbey of
Or !ady of the Holy Trinity in Hnstville, "tah.