May 2021 Newsletter
MAY IS HERE!
As we approach the end of the school year, graduations, and the beginning of summer break, we must continue our work, planning ways to reach out to young people to consider a vocation.

We also have some exciting news about a major initiative from Vocation Ministry! So that you are the first to know the news, we will send out a rare second email this month!

Inside this Newsletter :
-International Vocation Summit (July 31)
-World Priest Day (June 11)
-Ordination Anniversary Gift Ideas
Vocation Ministry will have its first International Vocation Summit on July 31, 2021, from 10:00am-12:30 pm CDT! Join priests and religious, parish leaders, educators, and discerners to help vocations grow! The event includes incredible presentations from amazing speakers, small group discussions, Q&A, and prayer.

The International Vocation Summit is a virtual summit with the goal of creating a culture of vocations globally. Join the conversation! RSVP to this FREE event today!
WORLD PRIEST DAY- CELEBRATED ON THE FEAST OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
World Priest Day (AKA World Day for the Sanctification of Priests) is all about praying for your priest and his sanctification! In a parish, you can hold a prayer drive, a Holy Hour in honor of your priest, or pass out cards that has a prayer for priests on it. What if you organized a time for parishioners to pray a rosary for priests? You can download and print out a Rosary for Priests (below).

In an educational setting, you might have the students fill out a spiritual bouquet (below) or send him an uplifting drawing or letter. Maybe you have the students bless the priest at the school Mass.

Every day our priests pray for us and our intentions as they preside over Mass, hear confessions, baptize our children, or bury our loved ones. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will come down upon him and light his heart anew for the priesthood.
ORDINATION ANNIVERSARY GIFT IDEAS
We have entered the ordination season. One of the goals of a Vocation Ministry is to lift up the parish priests with affirmation in the form of physical cards and/or gifts. Priests are inundated each day with difficult aspects of their ministry. So often, they hear from parishioners who have burdens to share. A simple gesture of kindness and gratitude can make a significant impact on the priest, especially one without family nearby. The ministry can also encourage all parishioners and students to remember their priests as they do a member of their own family, with love, kindness, and generosity.

  • The Discerning Priest: Ignatian Wisdom for Daily Life in Priesthood
  • Greeting card
  • Restaurant gift card
  • Favorite candy
  • Bookstore gift card
  • Dear Father: A Message of Love for Priests by Catherine De Hueck Doherty. Buy it here at Amazon.com
  • In Sinu Jesu: When Heart Speaks to Heart — The Journal of a Priest at Prayer. Buy it here at Amazon.com
  • Theater gift card
  • Thank You Card for Priests – When you want to say thank you to the special priests in your life, order this pack of 5 cards that are perfect for ordination or a simple thank you.
  • Framed Art – The perfect gift for the newly ordained, a priest as they celebrate their ordination anniversary, or any priest for that matter! $20.00 framed. 5×7 – Two colors available, gold embossed. Purchase framed art

The best convocation we have had!
- A Priest, workshop attendee
Be Sure to Follow Our Socials
This group is dedicated to laypeople looking for support while promoting vocations to the priesthood, religious life, and marriage.
If you shop on Amazon, would you prayerfully consider adding Vocation Ministry as your charity of choice to receive donations?
Keep In Touch
Don’t forget to email me with your stories of triumph or struggle. If you have questions, know that I am here to support you in this mission of Building a Culture of Vocations!

As always, know that you are in my prayers. If you think of it, please pray for our ministry, too. God bless you!
Rhonda Gruenewald