It is [was] National Vocation Awareness week January 10-16.
[I had written this post a couple weeks ago, but had difficulty with my audio player plugin. Forgive my tardiness. But, hey, every week is vocations awareness week!]
For the average Catholic in the average parish, this means that this will be no different than any other week, except for the marginally motivated pastor who will consider himself the king of vocational volition by inserting an intercession into the prayers of the faithful at Mass. He will, of course, miss the irony that his own pastoral lukewarmness in catechesis about vocations is, in fact *not* an answer to that prayer.
For the achievers in the pastoral pack, clergy and catechetical leaders who 1) actually know that that it’s vocational awareness week, and 2) do a number of things to teach and increase awareness, kudos to you.
Vocations Awareness Week is a week celebrated in the American Catholic Church since 1976 for the purpose of remembering that each person is called to live a life of holiness, and promoting and teaching about the different vocations of the Church.
In honor of this, I’d like to share a talk that I gave to the Madison Serra Club in 2009, called “The link between NFP & Vocations.” (I give my personal vocational story and speak about the community I was a part of for the first half of the talk , so if you’re looking for the NFP part, fast forward a bit.)
(The elephant in the Church, your parish & your homily=NFP.)
Preaching on NFP=Vocations
After nearly two years of working as the Family Planning Coordinator, I came to realize explicitly something that I knew intuitively, which is that fostering authentic family life according to the challenging, but beautiful, teachings of the Church, will bear fruit vocationally for the clergy and consecrated life. In his talk, “Why NFP is a priority in my parish,” Fr. Moreau of Lafayette, Louisiana describes why straightforward preaching about NFP is necessary and how he goes about it in his parish. He goes on to explain the great benefits this brings to individuals, families, and the parish community as a whole, despite the difficulty of taking that leap. The bottom line is: promote NFP in your parish, and you will see the fruits, one of which is increased vitality in vocations discernment.
Holy Families, Holy Vocations
A perfect example of this is Christ the King Parish in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In this NC Register article, “One parish, 15 Seminarians” (full text for NCR subscribers–I’m waiting for permission for the full text), Bob Horning of the Register explains that CTK parish is known as the parish “with all the babies and the seminarians.” Connection? I think so. Promoting the Church’s teaching–which included promoting NFP for those who need it–brings a personal and spiritual fruitfulness that bears fruit in an entire community, trickling down to youth and their vocational discernment.
Further, there’s a profound connection between the vocations to married life and the clergy and consecrated life. This is called complementarity, which means that there’s a spiritual synergy between holy married people/ families and holy clergy/ consecrated persons. There’s a GK Chesterton quote that goes something like (anyone know the exact quote), “Where you find a full monastery, you will find full and holy families.”
“Preaching NFP with success is impossible.”
Preaching on NFP and against contraception isn’t easy, you say. Perhaps not at first, but those who’ve made the conversion from easy, soft preaching to relevant catechetical and NFP preaching say that it becomes easy. It’s like exercising a muscle or establishing any other good habit–the more you do it, the easier and better it becomes. It may be difficult at first, but the more reading and research you do, you develop a vocabulary that has a theological depth, but as you discover authors and speakers who do this for a living, you catch onto their accessible vocabulary, anecdotes, and your preaching becomes more effective.
“People will never go for it.”
First, who cares? You’re not preaching to be popular. Spend some time in front of a crucifix.
Second, believe it or not, people will go for it. Sure, you’ll have your die-hard hard-hearted folks, but they’ll be very few. Most of them won’t even have the courage to speak up, and if they do, God will give you the grace to love them, pray for them, and explain how important and freeing this teaching us. In the end, you have planted a seed, and you have done your duty to the Truth. You are responsible for sharing the free, total, faithful and fruitful teachings of Christ, but you are not responsible for their decision. Pray, hope and don’t worry. You may be shocked, but the majority of people will respond positively, even enthusiastically, to your preaching on on marriage, sexuality, theology of the body and NFP. You’ll be amazed. Don’t believe me? See some of the resources below for the example and testimony of clergy who’ve made this courageous leap.
Clergy Resources (great for lay leaders as well!)
- Humanae Vitae Clergy Packet–packet we put together for clergy in the Diocese of Madison (complete resource list here)
- Why NFP is a priority in My Parish
- A Preachable Message, book of clergy testimonies (including bishops!)
- Reaching the Cafeteria Catholic, a talk to clergy by Patty Schneier
- Prove It, God! (NFP Conversion testimony by Patty Schneier)
- Getting Beyond “I can’t”–small pamphlet with Q& A on preaching NFP
- What a woman should know about Contraception–clergy need to know this in order to relate it to families
- and more….(I don’t want to overwhelm you. Email for more suggestions!)
Preaching on NFP isn’t a silver bullet, lastly. It’s one part of an entire evangelization effort which rests, of course, entirely in prayer, with a focus on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass celebrated correctly in all its Glory.
Related: Archbishop Carlson links Vocations “crisis” to contraception at Serra Conference.
(Many thanks to Brian Kelly, formerly of Relevant Radio Wisconsin, for recording this talk, and Mary Uhler, editor of the Madison Catholic Herald, for the original invitation.)
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You have so many awesome resources!! I am just beginning this journey of an NFP instructor (well, actually I’ve used it off and on for 13 years, it’s the teaching part that is new)
My priest is a good and Holy Priest. However, NFP is not comfortable ground for him, so to speak. He is really trying though! I will be the first and only NFP teacher in our parish of over 2,000 families. YIKES!!!
My question to you is….. all of this info looks great, but I don’t want to overwhelm people, so where do I start? WHich is the best for a priest who is just getting his feet wet and needs a little nudge?
Thanks for all of your entries, they are so inspiring!!
As I hear it said frequently, from good marriages come good vocations. Or something to that effect. I don’t have my notes with me
That was a great talk. I’ve always thought you were a good speaker. It was a good reminder about how much everything is tied together, and why none of us can slack off in this area. Even those of us who don’t yet have children have a strong responsibility to create the culture that will foster strong marriages and strong vocations. And anyone who reads this blog regularly has had it drummed into our heads: NFP can => communication + prayer + a push towards holiness => a strong marriage. Let the vocations follow…
Thank you so much for your support, readership & encouragement, Kim. And thank you for answering the call to teach NFP. NFP awareness is growing, and I think the general trend is that teachers are needed nearly everywhere. Blessings on your work, and don’t hesitate to shoot me an email if you have any more questions about promoting NFP in your parish. See a few suggestions below.
Your priest is not alone. Though I sound cynical about this (I’ve seen and heard some bad stuff), many priests either did not receive the formation and support in seminary, or don’t have the tools currently. Even if a priest did receive excellent formation and has the tools, isn’t not an easy step to make–at first. The best way to get his feet wet? Eh, that depends on your priest, and whether he’s a reader, a listener/watcher, and a blog person. If he’s already interested, and you’ve heard him express this, you can choose a couple of the things I mentioned. If he’s really hesitant, I’d start with one thing at a time, perhaps “Why NFP is a priority in my parish.” Always listen/ read what you give him first, so that you can relate and converse with him about it. Always follow up (not too soon) after you give him something. And always, always pray for him!
1) Prayer is the soul of the apostolate, and therefore the foundation of what you’re doing. Work on (or continue to work on) your spiritual life because you will need it. The devil hates unified and holy families and loves contraception, so be assured that you will encounter difficulty, both spiritual and personal. If you don’t have a holy and prudent spiritual director, at least make sure you have a wise person to consult about your NFP apsotolate who has experience in this area. You should never be scared because God is always with you. Lastly, contact a local monastery or convent with your NFP prayer requests–their vocation is to support you by prayer and sacrifice! (Also, contact the Sisters of Life in NY.)
2) Sharpen your own skills–read, listen to talks, and stay connected with other teachers for support and fellowship.
3) Create a little plan–remember what our Lord said about planning before you build your house. Even if you have bigger goals (larger parish usually means bigger budget) like a lecture series, retreat or NFP support group, start small and organically. How you do this exactly depends on your parish.
4) First phase suggestions: I would start with small things like little announcements in your bulletin (I’ve got some in mind), flyers for local events promoting family life type events, nice brochures (One More Soul has a few good ones, and OSV has a great one on Infertility by Janet Smith, & Jason Evert’s “Love Sex & Babies” is a must have in your brochure rack), Contraception Why Not CDs available near the brochures. Make sure you have good links on your parish web site (including me?), and that they’re easy to find. Throughout all of this, your own visibility and witness is important.
5) Second phase suggestions: give your pastor some good resources. In addition to the things I mentioned in the post. see also Proclaiming the Theology of the Body (4 talks for clergy), NFP Talks for Clergy (by CCL), and Humanae Vitae & Conscience (talk by Janet Smith). Make sure you introduce NFP outreach (www.nfpoutreach.org) to your clergymen. Fr. Habiger, despite a sort of tough, old school demeanor, has a real gift for communicating Theology of the Body/ Humanae Vitae, and teaching other clergymen how to do this.
6) Third phase suggestions: this is more in depth, but think of introducing a marriage support apostolate (Alexander House has some good options) into your parish. After all, this isn’t just about NFP, it’s about the whole person, and the whole marriage. Another idea is to start hosting Theology of the Body study groups. For sex-specific fellowship, I suggest “That Man is You” or “ENDOW” as solid programs with a proven track record with lots of support for facilitators.
Lastly, most importantly, make sure that as you implement your apsotolate deliberately, make sure it has a sacramental focus. If 80-90% of people contracept, think of how much confession and the sacrament of the Eucharist will be needed. Always tie the liturgy and the sacraments in, making a big deal out of the family holy days (Marian feast days, St. Joseph–a solemnity, the Annunciation, married saints, and more…).
Yes, marriages and clerical/ consecrated vocations go hand in hand in holiness!
I’m glad you liked it! I loved giving it, but it was extremely distracting. As you can hear in the background, they were cleaning up from lunch in the cafeteria, and it was insanely loud. Further, the group was small that day, at least one of the group was not receptive to the message, and the mostly septuagenarians and octogenarians took turns napping during the talk!
You’re SO RIGHT that even those of us who don’t have (biological) children–you’re a spiritual mom, no doubt–we do have a responsibility to create a culture of vocation. Amen, Amen!
Thanks so much Jess! The info you have given me is awesome! I can’t wait to get started. I know I am not alone. We have many wonderful families in our parish that are already very supportive of me. We are also so lucky to have the Nashville Dominican Sisters. I will be doing my training with 26 of the sisters. Most of whom were nurses before they entered the convent.
You have given me so much wonderful info! I will definitely be checking back with you, and giving your blog out as a reference to others.
God Bless,
Kim
Oh, and please pray for me this weekend as I do my training. Also pray for my husband that he manages to stay sane while taking care of our 6 children!
Anything to help, Kim. Hopefully it’s not too much. You are totally blessed to have Nashville Dominicans! Wow, that’s a lot of habits in your NFP training. Wonderful. Remember, write it down, and take it step by step. Email me if you’re looking for bulletin blurb suggestions. And thanks for passing the word about my blog! Prayers for you and your fam, Kim.
[...] For me, it is a fusion of meditation on the two main vocations of the Church: that of married life, and that of consecrated life or priesthood. Here we see the relationship between the two, the image of a holy marriage which gives rise to the earliest of vocational dedication. Not only is Christ, the Anointed, dedicated in the temple, but we see very prominently the consecrated and prophetic Simeon & Anna. (See my blog entry on holy families & holy vocations here.) [...]
I spoke with my parish priest about this a few weeks ago and I will be meeting with some college students in a few days to discuss the Church’s teaching on contraception. I’ve already stumbled upon most of the resources listed here, which are great! As a wife and mother, one of my favorites is Patty Schneier’s “Prove it, God.” Thanks for this wonderful post!
[...] Priests & Bishops: If you promote NFP, Vocations will come (includes a guide to clergy resources) [...]
Thanks for this entry. I’m on Vocations Awareness Committee for my diocese, and I think i might share this with them. Thanks for the resources. In Australia, we have vocations awareness week in August sometime. so perhaps we can have something out before then.
Mary, you’re very welcome, and good for you for being proactive about this. It’s *such* an important topic, and connection, one that is often missed. I mean, we should never promote NFP just to “get” more vocations, but the very idea and reality should broaden our mind about the ill effects of contraception, and the fruit of happy and holy marriages. Let me know if you need any more ideas/ thoughts before August!