The Parish Vocation Resource Manual

By Dennis McNeil, USAC Vocations Committee

Published in 1996 by the National Council of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) Committee on Vocations, the milestone document A Future Full of Hope: A National Strategy for Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life re-emphasized the Vatican II teaching that every Christian, through Baptism, has a personal call (vocation) to holiness and to contribute to the mission of the Church to go forth into the world and make disciples of all nations.

The National Strategy also suggests the establishment of parish vocation activities or committees, as well as possible means and methods by which fundamental programs of vocation awareness, support, affirmation, and prayer may be implemented.

At the invitation of the NCCB, the USA Council of Serra, through the Vocations Committee, undertook development of a comprehensive resource document (building upon an earlier effort of Serran Dick Stolly) capable of being used at the parish level to encourage those with a potential vocation to the priesthood or religious life.

The fruit of the Vocation Committee endeavors is the Parish Vocation Resource Manual (PVRM), a resource manual divided into seven sections:
      A Theology of Vocations
      Vocation Activities in Your Diocese
      The Parish Vocation Committee
      Vocation Programs Available
      The Parish Web Page on the Internet
      About Serra Clubs.

The PVRM has been reviewed by the Bishops’ Committee on Vocations, and their suggestions have been included. The final version of the PVRM was effected in August, 2001. Archbishop Roger L. Schwietz, OMI, Chair of the Committee on Vocations, has now requested that USAC begin a test program for the PVRM to be conducted in 10 parishes each for the Dioceses of Duluth, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, and Sioux Falls.

A training program has been developed by the USAC Vocations Committee to work with local Serrans who will be assigned to each parish as facilitators to assist in the PVRM use, e.g. reviewing the PVRM with parish personnel, deciding on its best possible use, selection of possible programs, and in the evaluation of the program results.

An audit form has also been developed to assist the PVRM program participants (parish priests and laypersons, diocesan vocation office and bishop, and Serrans) to evaluate the program. When the final audit results are submitted, the Bishops’ Committee on Vocations and USAC will decide the future of the PVRM program – if successful, to be adopted as a national vocation effort potentially targeting every parish.

Present plans schedule introduction of the PVRM by local Serrans to 40 parishes during May 2002, and with audit evaluation back to the Bishops’ Committee on Vocations in June 2002.

Continue your prayers for vocations in general, and for the success of the PVRM program in particular.

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