By Tessa Gervasini Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 16, 2025 / 15:30 pm A new study has found that “reciting the rosary privately” is the most popular Marian devotion among those discerning a religious vocation. The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University published its June 2025 report: “Impact …

When navigating the wild world of vocational discernment, there seem to be two prevailing strategies. One approach is to keep a meticulous regimen: swiping between dating apps and convent contact pages with disciplined rigor until God’s plan becomes plain. The other is to sit back and prayerfully wait for the …

When I was young, a priest spoke of Our Lady with these words: “The greatest prayer you can offer in this life is for the grace to give the Holy Spirit the freedom to do with, in, and through you whatever He wishes, as Our Lady did in her Fiat. …

By Tessa Gervasini Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 17, 2025 / 14:03 pm More than 400 men will be ordained to the priesthood in the U.S. this year, and on average they began to consider becoming a priest at just 16 years old, according to an annual CARA survey. The Center for Applied …

By AC Wimmer CNA Newsroom, Mar 19, 2025 / 09:25 am Writing from Gemelli Hospital, Pope Francis emphasized the role of hope in vocational discernment in his message for the 62nd World Day of Prayer for Vocations released by the Vatican on Wednesday. “Vocation is a precious gift that God sows …

By Fr. Paweł Rytel-Andrianik & Wojciech Rogacin At his episcopal ordination in May 2022, Bishop Earl Fernandes quipped that there were more bishops being ordained that year than priests in the Diocese of Columbus. The congregation laughed, but Bishop Fernandes’ remark reflected the gravity of the situation. “At that time …

By Jonah McKeown CNA Staff, Feb 12, 2025 / 15:30 pm The small Midwestern diocese of Wichita, Kansas, continues to lead the nation in many metrics related to priestly vocations, according to a new report from Vocation Ministry, a Texas nonprofit that supports vocations programs in parishes and schools. The report, which serves as …

[Cincinnati OH] – Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in Reading, Ohio, have selected Donna Groene to serve as director of mission integration for the congregation’s Ohio Province. Groene previously worked for 35 years at Mount Notre Dame High School, which is owned by the Sisters. Her most recent role …

In our archdiocesan “Prayer for Vocations,” we acknowledge that God has created each of us for some definite purpose. At the same time, we ask Him to bless the Church with women and men who faithfully live out their respective vocations with holiness, whether they be single, married, religious or …

I did not grow up Catholic, and living in the Bible Belt meant Catholicism was a bit of an anomaly. I’ll never forget the words of my former bishop, Most Rev. Michael Duca: “You’re not Catholic by accident in Shreveport, Louisiana!” My only early-life memory of Catholicism was of once …