Group works to promote vocations
Kristin Lukowski of The Michigan Catholic
Published January 5, 2007
Vocations Supplement
Vocations directors from religious orders, such as Dominican nuns and the De La Salle brothers, all over the archdiocese and region work together through their own organization as one tool to promote vocations.
The Detroit Archdiocesan Vocation Association is a group of men and women religious who work for vocations for religious communities serving in the archdiocese, explained Sr. Ellen Licavoli, IHM, the archdiocesan assistant director of vocations. They meet four times a year to discuss and plan for how they can enable men and women who might be receiving a call to religious or priestly life to answer that call.
Some of the things they discuss include the Be My Guest dinner, an event where those who work in vocations invite young men and women who might be interested in religious life. "It's an opportunity for them to experience getting together with other young people who might be interested in a vocation," Sr. Licavoli explained.
The group discusses events that include parents and families, too. "The more people that are present for an event, the more excitement can be generated," she said.
The DAVA group also takes ideas that are already working an implement them in other places, such as the vocations fair held at Divine Child school in Dearborn. Various religious communities set up their own stations, which students have to visit for a class project, and everyone takes information home so no one is singled out.
That program has been very successful, Sr. Licavoli said. "Many religious communities participate in that," she said.
They want to put together a directory of basic religious community information to distribute to parishes, for someone to hold in their hand, look at and reflect on, explained Sr. Licavoli.
She's met many young people out there who "sincerely love the Lord and want to live lives of faith," she said.
For her own work, when Sr. Licavoli is at schools, she tells the story of how she was called to her vocation. There are always one or two young people who come up and tell her they've also had that experience.
"That's touched me deeply —to see how God is working in the lives of young people," she said.
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