Dear Friend in Christ,

"I wish to spend my heaven doing good on earth... I will help priests, missionaries, the whole Church." These joyous words give form to the power of the Holy Spirit moving in the life of little Therese. As a cloistered nun in the Carmelite monastery of Lisieux, France, St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face know profoundly the call of God within her. Her response to her "vocation of Love" was one full of confidence, giving herself without reserve to Jesus as His bride. Therese understood clearly the sacrifice her gift would entail and depended solely on God’s grace and mercy to bring her to sanctity through her vocation. This Father of Mercies provided for her in abundance, giving her not only the desire to be faithful religious, but expanding her heart’s desire to include all vocations.

At a loss to reconcile these desires within her she sought counsel in Sacred Scripture. It was St. Paul who gave her the light she needed. He helped her understand that it is Love that makes all the members of the Body of Christ act in their various roles. Love is at the heart of all vocations and of all the desires of her own heart. It si this revelation of her vocation as Love in the heart of the Church which is the foundation of her title as patroness of vocations.

Love is at the heart of the St. Therese Vocation Society as well. Members of the Society join together in prayer and sacrifice for the men and women of our diocese being formed as priests and religious. It is a true participation in the grace of the prayer our Savior made the night before he died, the prayer in which He begged the Father that we might be completely one as They are one... in Love. The interdependence of all the Christian vocations is manifest in the Vocation Society as married and single lay persons pray with and for priests and religious for an increase in vocations. They keep particular focus on prayers for the perseverance of those in formation at our seminaries and religious communities and for the holiness of those already professed and ordained.

Ours is an age of great hope, and the prayers of St. Therese, one of great confidence in the boundless mercy of God to provide richly for the vineyard He is bringing to the Harvest of salvation. By signing the detachable portion of this card and returning it to us, you are officially enrolled as a member of the St. Therese Vocation Society. There are no dues or meetings, only the promise of your prayers.

As a member of the Society, you will benefit by a daily remembrance in the Masses and prayers of our priests, seminarians and religious who are members of the Society. A prayer calendar will be sent to you several times a year listing the names of our seminarians and those religious from our diocese who have yet to make their final profession of vows. Each will be listed adjacent to a particular date to be remembered in prayer. Keep the remaining portion of the card in your prayer book or other convenient place, to remind yourself of your commitment of prayers. With your prayerful support, we look forward to an increase in numbers and devotion of those who are willing to dedicate their lives completely to the service of the Lord and His Church.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Father Aaron Brodeski

Diocesan Director of Vocations

To join click here: commitment form