Parishes, schools and other Catholic organizations are invited to learn about creating a vocation ministry — to pray for and support vocations to the priesthood, diaconate and religious life.
The Ignite Workshop, set for Oct. 11 at the Maloney Center, 1200 S. Shelby St., will provide an opportunity for lay people to learn how they can help foster vocations, said Chuck Lynch, who serves as president of the local St. Serra Club. The international club, which is dedicated to promoting religious vocations, is providing the workshop along with the Archdiocese of Louisville Vocation Office.
Organizers issued a formal invitation to this year’s workshop to about 20 groups, including Catholic parishes, schools, Scouts, Knights of Columbus and campus ministries. Those who weren’t invited to attend, but would like to learn more, may contact Lynch at 442-9302 or ChuckLynch4782@gmail.com.
The workshop, which was presented for the first time last year, calls on participants to begin a parish vocation ministry by:
- Praying for vocations.
- Supporting those who may have a vocation.
- Leading the parish in using resources offered by Serra International.
Participants will attend Mass and hear from speakers Ken Peet, a local Serran, and Monica Arredondo, president-elect of the Kansas City Serra Club North. Arredondo will help attendees learn how to use the club’s resource kit, a collection of online tools for promoting vocations, Lynch said.
Peet — a member of St. James Church in Louisville and a trustee on the board of the USA Council of Serra International — said these efforts are ultimately about creating a “culture of vocation.”
Peet said he hopes the workshop will help foster a “culture where vocation is a subject we talk about and where it’s seen as a good thing.”
At the end of the workshop, Lynch said, participants will have written a strategic plan to take back to their parish, school or group.
Bev and Mike Knoop, members of St. Edward Church, attended the inaugural Ignite workshop last fall.
The couple said they were inspired to join the St. Serra Club and to start a vocation ministry at their parish. Since then, they’ve encouraged parishioners to pray for the men in seminary.
The parish also started an “Adopt-a-Seminarian” program, where parishioners are praying for and getting to know the seminarians by writing letters and cards to them.
“It lets them know they are not alone in the world; they have people and friends praying for them all the time,” said Mike Knoop.
Parishioners have responded well, the Knoops noted. Some parishioners taking part in the Adopt-a-Seminarian program said “they want to follow their seminarian all the way to ordination,” Bev Knoop said.
“It’s a really good program. We’ve been blessed with cooperation from parishioners. They love the seminarians,” said Mike Knoop.
St. Edward also takes part in the “31 Club” program, which asks parishioners to choose the same day each month to pray for vocations at Mass or in front of the Blessed Sacrament. They’ve had up to 100 individuals volunteer, Mike Knoop said.
Dr. Holly Smith-Brooks, director of liturgy and music at St. Margaret Mary Church, along with parishioner Alex Willinger, leads their parish’s vocation committee.
Though the parish had been making efforts to create vocation awareness, Smith-Brooks said Willinger attended the inaugural Ignite workshop and returned with a new sense of excitement.
She said praying for individuals to discern their vocation is always present in the parish and the school. The congregation prays during Mass, and a written prayer for vocations is included in weekly bulletins and emailed newsletters.
Tara Mattingly, the parish’s children’s formation coordinator, provides the school with resources such as prayers, worksheets and activities for students, said Smith-Brooks. Students are encouraged to thank priests, deacons and religious and have conversations about vocations, she said. To foster vocations, St. Margaret Mary also did the following:
- Held a vocation trivia night in January, attended by parishioners and various members of religious communities.
- Held a bonfire in October 2024, where young adults had the chance to speak with religious men and women.
- During the Christmas season, a “vocation tree” was set up in the church. The names of seminarians, retired priests or religious men and women are written on each ornament. Parishioners are encouraged to send them Christmas cards, Smith-Brooks said.
Lynch’s parish of St. John Paul II Church, too, has made strides with its vocation ministry, he said.
St. John Paul also has an “adopt-a-seminarian” program, where parishioners and students pray for and engage with them through letters and care packages. The parish participates in the “31 Club” program, prays a weekly rosary and holds eucharistic adoration for vocations.
Lynch and Smith-Brooks noted their parish schools take part in the traveling chalice program, which encourages children to think about and pray for their vocation, they said.
To learn more about the local St. Serra Club and the workshop, contact Chuck Lynch at 442-9302 or ChuckLynch4782@gmail.com.
