A vocational discernment is for every person of the faith, says Sr. Mary Rowell, president of NAVFD, National Association of Vocation and Formation Directors.

COVID-19 has put significant roadblocks in the path of many religious communities and apostolates striving to help young Catholics discover their vocation.

VATICAN – Signing his document dedicated to young people, faith and discernment, Pope Francis said Mary, the mother of God, is a source of inspiration and strength for everyone who seeks to understand their vocation and remain faithful to it.

It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. I was standing in his dining room, watching him make his family laugh. He was kind to his parents and he was helpful to his sister. Most important, he was the same person to them as he was to me. And I thought to myself, “I’m going to marry him someday.” 

VATICAN – Having some doubts is definitely better than having no doubts at all, Pope Francis told a group of seminarians.

Recently I was able to visit Martyrs’ Shrine in Midland, Ont. This site is a national shrine consecrated to the Canadian Martyrs, a group of eight Jesuits who lived in community with the Huron people and who were tortured and killed for their faith. 

VATICAN – Religious and nonreligious people today must learn to engage in fair and objective dialogue so that they may unite the world and make it better as a whole, a young atheist said.

When it comes to discerning vocations, there are always going to be fears because no one knows what tomorrow brings. But whatever your vocation is, joy is the ultimate aim.

VATICAN – The Catholic Church must dedicate itself to properly forming and safeguarding the conscience of its faithful, especially young people so they can see God's plan for the sacrament of marriage as a great joy for the church and all of humanity, Pope Francis said.

ROME, Italy – Discernment is one of the words Pope Francis repeats most, especially when speaking to priests and seminarians – a concept that may seem obscure without an understanding its importance to the Pope's Jesuit formation.

Pope Francis on Tuesday warned Christians against the danger of becoming ‘lukewarm’ or losing sight of the Lord. His words came during morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta.

When Sr. Mary Rowell was growing up, religious communities were everywhere. They ran schools, colleges, parish activities, hospitals and day care centres.

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis planned two gatherings of the Synod of Bishops to focus on the family and urged participants to use the year between the assemblies as a time for "true spiritual discernment" with both study and prayer.

VATICAN CITY - Following Jesus and doing the right thing gives believers a sense of peace, but sometimes "it comes wrapped in the cross," Pope Francis told a group of teenagers and young adults.

In Sr. Anna Chan’s earlier career in retail management, she sought happiness through a love of fine clothes, shoes and bags.

“I was looking for happiness,” said Chan, “but I was looking in the wrong place.”