Fort Worth Serra Club

vocaTions Ministries: coming soon to a parish near you

Renée Underwood, President

Throughout the year, Serra Clubs in our diocese work diligently to provide resources to parishes that affirm existing vocations, create awareness of vocations, invite or encourage vocations, or promote prayer for vocations. Our resources range from general intercessions, bulletin blurbs, tools for catechists, family activities, and promotion of annual events such as Priesthood Sunday and National Vocations Awareness Week.

Unfortunately, we tend to use a shotgun approach to make parishes aware these tools are available. We use mass emails or call pastors to see if they would like us to help them with an altar server recognition event one Sunday.

Our best effort is through personal visits delivering VAP posters and materials each spring, but even those visits rarely allow personal time with a pastor. 

More than a year ago,  VP Vocations Patty Bransford, commented during one of the monthly meetings of our Board of Trustees, “Wouldn’t it be great if every parish in the diocese had an active Vocations Ministry to carry out a year-round effort for their own community? Then we would know who to contact and learn how to better assist them.”

Fast-forward more than twelve months, and we have had multiple discussions with Diocese of Fort Worth Director of Vocations Father Brett Metzler, studied best practices in parish vocations ministry, and discussed this idea during our board meetings. Earlier this summer, Serra USA Council President Anne Roat trained both Patty and me to be PVM workshop facilitators and mentors. To gain experience, we assisted her in presenting a Parish Vocations Ministry Workshop in the Diocese of Beaumont in late August.

Since then, the idea began taking shape rapidly in the Diocese of Fort Worth. On October 9, Fr. Metzler presented the concept to the priests at the recent Presbyteral Assembly. We set a January 25 date and location for our first workshop in Keller, and have three more planned for Burleson, Denton, and Wichita Falls. We even helped the Vocations Office create web pages for Parish Vocations Ministries, with links to Serra Spark, Vianney Vocations and a Parish & School Vocations Toolkit.

Now, the real work begins. Patty needs volunteers from all three Serra Clubs to assist with the workshops. She also needs members to mentor one or more parish vocations ministries in the diocese. Don’t worry, training is available, and it will enrich your own understanding of the work of vocations.

The Holy Spirit has blessed our efforts immensely, even in these early stages. One day, we all will look back on our work to create a culture of vocations in the Diocese of Fort Worth as one of the most significant steps this club has ever taken.

Won’t you be part of it? 

Learn more at https://fwdioc.org/parish-vocations-ministries-in-the-diocese-of-fort-worth
 
Yours in Christ,
Renée Underwood
President, Fort Worth Serra Club