The Office of Vocations is an apostolate offering a range of services that begin with encouragement of the community's awareness and support of vocations to priesthood and consecrated life in the Church and continues with helping an individual discern the correct nature of his or her call.
The Office of Vocations consists of the Vocations Director and Assistant to the Vocations Director. Its ministry is two-fold:
The office provides services for men and women interested in the priesthood and consecrated life through vocation awareness weekends, Explore, discernment and support groups.
To help all of us who make up the Diocese of Corpus Christi understand that we have a common vocation, or calling, from God to be holy. This calling was given to all of us at our Baptism. We offer ourselves as a gift to God by being aware of this call to be holy - to be the best creation of God we can be. By receiving the Sacraments of Initiation and being catechized in the faith, we learn how to live the faith that has been given to us as a gift from God.
As we draw closer to God and become more aware of His love within us and our responsibility of sharing that love with others in communion, we begin to see that God has a plan for each of us. An important part of that plan is how He calls us to live out our vocation of holiness. There are four ways to live out God's call: the married life, the ordained life, the religious (consecrated) life and the single life. Each of us must answer the question: How does God want me to live out my vocation to holiness?
The Office of Vocations exists to help us all be aware of our vocation to holiness and to respond to God's plan in living out that call.
To promote the ordained life and religious life by planting seeds and ensuring the planting of seeds in people who are discerning the call of God. The Office visits parishes, C.C.D. classes, Catholic schools, etc ... throughout the diocese to preach, give presentations, and provide information about the ordained life and religious life. The Office also works closely with a group of Religious from various Communities represented in the diocese to promote these two ways of living out God's call.
To help men who have discerned God's call to enter the seminary by engaging them in the application process to become a seminarian and works closely with the seminarians during the years of formation.