Articles Index | VISION Vocation Network for Catholic Religious Life & Priesthood

Questions Catholics Ask: What are the different forms of prayer?

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 15:41:34 +0000

Our Christian tradition has a rich abundance of prayer styles, allowing us to connect with God in many different ways.

Just take it

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 22:14:55 +0000

on Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”

Taking a chance on God: Profile of Father David Gutierrez, C.M.F.

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 17:11:22 +0000

Growing up in a Claretian parish in Fresno, California, David Gutierrez had been around Claretians since he was in a stroller. But he had no intention of joining their ranks. He entertained dreams ranging from astronaut to president. Young adulthood found him working, playing bass in a Spanish rock band, and studying business. Restless, he “took a chance on God,” attended a vocation retreat, and followed his calling to missionary priesthood in the same community that baptized him and handed him his First Communion.

About-face to the priesthood

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 16:49:27 +0000

I continued to have the peculiar thought that I should be a priest or a monk, even though being a Catholic was the furthest thing from my mind most days.

A call to let go: Profile of Brother Christopher Campos Erran, O.S.C.

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 16:41:24 +0000

To all the world, Christopher Campos Erran was already fully living his Christian vocation. He grew up in a South Phoenix family that was low on money but rich in connection and Chicano Catholic culture. The son of a farm worker, he earned a master’s and found meaning for 20 years helping at-risk college students and putting faith and family first. The pandemic crumbled that world, shuttering classrooms and even killing some of his loved ones. Precisely then, Campos heard God calling him to let go of the life he had built and embrace life as a brother.

God had a plan for me

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 22:17:36 +0000

I felt a deep sadness over my prospects. But I held onto the belief that God had a plan for me even if I couldn’t see it yet.

A vocation found on the low road: Profile of Sister Thanh Pham, S.S.M.O.

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 22:00:43 +0000

At 21, Thanh Pham failed an enrollment exam for a teaching program. Hopes dashed, she dropped out of college, and soon her family assigned the jobless young woman to oversee the care of a sick grandfather. In that clouded moment, things began to shift. Over time, sisters at her grandfather’s care facility befriended her, tutored her until she passed the entrance exam, and eventually wooed her into religious life with their happiness and connection to each other. For six years now, Pham has been teaching first and second grade, and her students call her “Sister.”

Missioned to make connections

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 20:57:34 +0000

Once they’ve survived the crossing, migrants who reach Sister Deirdre Griffin, S.S.J. in El Paso, Texas pour out their stories. She listens, then acts, prays, communes. And so go the days that break her heart yet fill it to the brim.

Listen to your heart to find your vocation

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 20:49:35 +0000

Toward the end of his life, Pope Francis wrote the following message for the 2025 World Day of Prayer for vocations.

Questions you’ll be glad you asked

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 20:39:14 +0000

If you’re thinking about religious life, then you want to think about whether you have the qualities that help you live that life to the fullest.

What monastic mystics got right about life

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 20:11:36 +0000

If this path to happiness worked for Saint Thomas Aquinas, it can work for you.

Religious communities embrace diverse members

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 18:53:44 +0000

As religious communities become more diverse, they are working harder at cultural understanding, adaptation, and welcome.

What does “success” look like in discernment?

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 18:41:38 +0000

The author thought he could figure out a calling to the priesthood purely through hard work and preparation. He was wrong.

How to find a guide for your vocation adventure

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 16:50:19 +0000

Figuring out where God is calling you is no simple task, and a wisdom figure to accompany you can be a huge help. Learn how to find a guide and what to expect.

Need-to-knows about becoming a nun

Mon, 19 May 2025 20:45:35 +0000

How do you become a nun? VISION presents the essential facts for any woman who is just beginning to explore this vocation.

Literature makes good people better

Mon, 19 May 2025 20:21:31 +0000

Story and verse have a spiritual power to help us see life’s complexities, fractures, and joys with fresh eyes. Catholic sisters, brothers, and priests share how literature has helped them grow as human beings and people of faith.