Responding to the Holy Father’s call to put the modern mass media at the service of the Church, vocation.com launched an interactive website to help young people hear and respond to God’s will for their lives. Launched in March 2002, vocation.com has quickly extended to 52 countries on 6 continents and offers a wealth of discernment resources to young people considering vocations and all Catholics interested in promoting and fostering vocations. The site, translated in English, Spanish, French and Italian, features video testimonies of priests and consecrated men and women and their unique vocation stories. Texts on the basics of prayer, a collection of meditations, and a discernment checklist provide further guidance through the discernment process.
One of the key features of the site is its unique interactive nature. Inquirers can type in their discernment questions and have them answered by a priest. Questions may be asked privately, or posted on the site with the more than 350 answers already catalogued for easy access.
Visitors to the site can also receive help in locating a spiritual director in their area. It is this personalized attention that makes vocation.com such an important resource to vocation directors like Father Paul Stuart STL, who is the Director of Vocations for the Archdiocese of Melbourne, Australia. “As the internet is emerging as a major media for global communication, vocation.com creatively utilizes this technology to inform and encourage Catholics about the various possibilities of serving Christ and His Church. Vocation.com is incredibly helpful to local churches, as inquiries are referred to the local Director of Vocations in the area where the inquirer lives.”
Recently, vocation.com has begun offering its visitors the opportunity to register online the number of hours they will dedicate to Eucharistic adoration for vocations. The simple registration process allows visitors to enter their name, location, and the number of hours they will offer in Eucharistic adoration for vocations in their home parish, chapel or shrine. The site displays the 24-hour worldwide calendar of participating adorers thus bringing together those discerning a vocation and those supporting vocations with their prayers and sacrifices. The worldwide initiative has already attracted registered adorers from 41 countries!
With its varied resources, interactive nature, and state-of-the-art graphics, vocation.com succeeds in putting all the best of the Internet at the service of the Church. Whether you are considering a vocation yourself, know someone who is, or are just interested in learning more about how you can promote vocations in your area, vocation.com is the place to go on the World Wide Web!
