10. Don’t be afraid! It can sometimes be scary to think that you’re looking at the rest of your life, but be confident that God is in control.
9. Talk to a trusted priest. Your pastor should be a good source of assistance and guidance in helping you make sense of your call. If you are closer with a campus minister or other priest, that’s great too.
8. Share your thoughts with your family. Parents have plans for their children and are often surprised when their kids go in a different direction. Open, honest conversation is the best way to help them understand how God is moving in you.
7. Pray every day. This should go without saying, but regular prayer is the best way to nourish a vocation – whatever that vocation is.
6. Become involved in your parish. Find out how to assist at Mass as a minister: altar server/acolyte, sacristan, usher, lector, extraordinary minister, religious education, or youth leader.
5. Find a spiritual director. This is a priest with whom you can meet regularly to talk about your prayer life and relationship with God. He can see how God is moving in your heart and help you answer His call.
4. Stay close to the Sacraments. If possible, attend daily Mass, and make regular use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
3. Participate in vocation discernment events. The Vocations Office offers regular events to gather young men to explore the call to priesthood in the Archdiocese. Look for opportunities near you.
2. Eucharistic Adoration. In the stillness of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, so many young people have found the voice of Jesus speaking to them, calling them to follow Him.
1. Pray! It’s that important, we’ll say it twice!
(List courtesy of the Vocations Office of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. For more information, visit Archbalt.org/clergy-religious/vocations)