On Monday, Nov. 15, Candyce Rekart, IHM, Director, Initial Inquiries and Candidates, visited students at St. Mary’s Catholic Central High School. Julie Ryan’s theology classes hosted Sr. Rekart in celebration of National Vocation Awareness Week. This year, National Vocation Awareness Week was celebrated November 7-13. An annual event, the Catholic Church selects one week a year to ask students to consider a prayerful and religious life. Sr. Candy presented the topic, “A Religious Vocation? Who Me?” She recommends students continue their education in areas of interest to them but be open to ways in which they might be of service to their community.
“We have a week when we put special emphasis on Church Vocations. Obviously, a vocation is a calling – God is calling all of us to use the gifts we have been given by God to share, to make this world a better place, to build the Kingdom of God. Within our vocation, first and foremost, we have a calling to a Universal Call to Holiness – a close relationship with God. We also have a calling to single life, marriage, religious life and priesthood. And lastly, we have a calling within each of those – more specifically using the gifts in specific jobs. Most people will choose the vocation to married life, but we want to remind students that God uses the Church to share the gospel, the Good News, and the Church needs people to fill those roles – priesthood, religious life and lay ministries. And so, we invite role models to share their calling, their story, their mission within the Church so that they may consider a Church Vocation.” said Timothy Maag, SMCC Campus Minister Theology Department Chair.
When asked what they learned during the presentation, 11th grader Emma Dobberstein shared what she sees as an expanded choice, “I learned that you can be called to a vocation at any age.” Nick Gaynier, who now understands more about religious life, added that “. . . he learned that sisters all live within a community.”
