USCCB to observe National Vocation Awareness Week Nov. 1-7

Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations, issued a message for National Vocation Awareness Week, which the Catholic Church in the United States will observe from November 1 to 7.

Archbishop Hicks said the week reminds the Church of the witness of those who have responded to God's call to serve as priests, deacons, and in consecrated life. He asked for prayers for joy in marriages, the priesthood, the diaconate, and all forms of consecrated life.

In a message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Pope Leo XIV said a vocation entails an intimate dialogue with God that requires a response of joy and generosity.

National Vocation Awareness Week is an annual observance used by Catholic organizations, dioceses, schools, and parishes to provide resources and raise awareness for those discerning calls to ordained ministry or consecrated life. The observance began in 1976 and was moved to the first full week of November in 2014.