Archdiocese of Portland Vocations Blog

  Consider this remarkable statement: "The vocation to marriage is written in the very nature of man and woman as they came from the hand of the Creator." CCC #1603 That's a strong statement. It makes it sound as if everyone is called to the vocation of marriage....

  “No two days are alike,” say many priests when speaking of their day-to-day work. Ask an older priest to reflect on the history of his priestly ministry, and the likelihood is that you’re in for an interesting story. Because priesthood is a vocation, not a job,...

  Nobody is called to do nothing with his life! God calls everyone to a specific vocation. And while discerning your vocation takes time, and can often be difficult, rest assured that God is not calling anyone to perpetual indecision. It might be easy to confuse...

  In 1966, when the bloody Vietnam War was raging, Fr. Vincent Capodanno volunteered for service as a United States Navy Chaplain serving with the U.S. Marines. His mission was to minister to soldiers on the battlefront—an assignment that cost him his life. Born...

  So you've been working hard to live as faithfully as you can, receiving the sacraments, and especially going to confession regularly. You are doing what is necessary, but you feel like there's another step you need to take - but you just can't quite take it....

  “If you don’t change direction, you’ll end up where you’re heading.” – Chinese proverb Failure to Launch was the title of a popular movie a few years ago about a shiftless young man with no direction in life. The term “launch” in the movie’s title is used by...

What can the words of the Mass teach us about the priesthood? Plenty, says Msgr. James Maroney, a liturgical scholar who has traveled the country preparing priests to understand and celebrate Mass better. “The liturgy itself tells us who the priest is,” explains Msgr....

  If you wanted to be a journalist, it would make sense to talk to someone who works at a newspaper. If you wanted to be a chef, it would make sense to talk to someone who works at a restaurant. Just so, if you feel an attraction to the priesthood, sooner or...

  Many people, even many Catholics, have a vision of seminary as a very strict monastery. They imagine men walking around in hooded robes with folded hands, observing strict silence, and never smiling or laughing. But that is not even true of a monastery, much...

    “The unexamined life is not worth living,” Socrates famously said. He really meant it, too, as he also said that a man must “interrogate his own nature” and “work precisely” or else he will “miss what is good and become involved in what is bad.” Every...