Frequently Asked Questions
The work of the Youngstown Vocations Support Society is also to educate people on the meaning of vocations. We hope that these answers to a few of the frequently asked questions about vocations, the Catholic Church, seminary, etc. will help you better understand our mission and work.
What Is A Vocation?
The word vocation - from the Latin vocare, meaning "to call" - is often thought to refer ONLY to a call to be a priest, sister, or brother. THIS IS NOT THE CASE! For the Catholic Church every baptized person is called to a vocation, that is to love and serve God. How you choose to live out that vocation is what each person must discern. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reads "the common vocation of all Christ's disciples, a vocation to holiness and to the mission of evangelizing the world. They confer the graces needed for the life according to the Spirit during this life as pilgrims on the march towards the homeland" (CCC 1533). How one chooses to live out that vocation is what each person must discern. Some feel called to live as single or married laypeople; others choose consecrated life and join a secular institute or religious community (as sisters, priests, or brothers); still others choose ordination as deacons or diocesan priests.
What Is A Seminary?
The seminary is a graduate institution (offering master’s and/or doctoral degrees) that prepares men for the priesthood and the diaconate. Many seminaries today also offer graduate degrees to lay people - men and women - are work in and for the Church. Even many religious brothers and sisters take courses at a Catholic Seminary in order to continue their graduate level education.
The Diocese of Youngstown uses three main seminaries; Borromeo College Seminary, Cleveland, Ohio, Saint Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology, Cleveland, Ohio, and Saint Vincent Seminary, Latrobe Pennsylvania. Our seminarians have put together a short video to explain what the seminary is all about. Check it out!
What To Do If I Feel Called To Be A Priest Or Sister?
Any vocational journey is never meant to be taken alone. This journey is one that involves many people. If you feel called to be a priest, religious sister or brother, or a deacon for the Catholic Church you are encouraged to reach out to your pastor or contact the Director of Church Vocations for the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown.
Why Are Lay People Important To The Work Of Promoting And Supporting Vocations?
Everyone needs a helping hand at times. No one is called to take the journey of discerning a vocation. - to priesthood, religious life, marriage, or the single life - alone. Pope Francis continually reminds us that the art of accompaniment is something that the world is lacking. The Pope writes in Evangelii Gaudium "the Church will have to initiate everyone—priests, religious and laity—into this ‘art of accompaniment’ which teaches us to remove our sandals before the sacred ground of the other (cf. Ex 3:5). Spiritual accompaniment must lead others ever closer to God… to accompany them would be counterproductive if it became a sort of therapy supporting their self-absorption and ceased to be a pilgrimage with Christ to the Father." (EG, 169, 170)
Engaged couple look to couples who have been faithfully married for years to help them understand what life is like within the covenant of marriage. Young men and women look to priests and sisters whom they trust to talk about a life devoted to serving God and the Church as religious and ordained ministers. Everyone relies on close friends and family members for love and support in making the most of this gift of life that everyone shares. No one deserves to be journeying alone! This is why the Youngstown Vocations Support Society exists!
