Fostering Vocations in our Homes

Rachel Watkins offers tips and resources to help parents encourage their children, especially daughters, to consider religious vocations.

I had the joy of going to a very Catholic wedding for a friend’s daughter not too long ago. It was so lovely, beautifully planned that even the officiating priest made comment on how wonderful it was. At the conclusion of the Mass he said, “I shouldn’t have been surprised knowing Sean and Katelyn, but it just felt so good to be up here and not have to tell everyone when to stand, sit or kneel. You all knew the response even before I was finished!” He said it had been a long time since that had happened, and it filled him with real hope.  

During the reception I found myself surprised as I met a novice of a newer order of sisters: Mary Grace with the Franciscan Congregation of Divine Mercy out of Wisconsin, where she works in animal therapy! This newer congregation, working in and through the Divine Mercy revelations includes animal therapy as a part of its charism! I had no idea that such a congregation existed. 

Running into a congregation of religious congregations 

With that in mind, are you familiar with the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR)?   

The Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR) is composed of the major superiors and their vicars of 112 communities of women religious (approximately 5,700 sisters) in the United States. The Council was founded on June 13, 1992 in response to the Second Vatican Council’s call for the renewal of religious life based on discipleship to Jesus Christ. (CMSWR.org)   

This is another group I had no idea existed until a chance encounter with a group of the superiors in Rome of all places back in 1989. I literally ran into one of them in a crowded gift shop. They were there on a visit to the Pope while I was traveling with a group of homeschooling leaders. We were seated next to each other at an outside Wednesday meeting, where they sang to the crowd upon their introduction by the emcee!   

Over the many years of developing the Little Flowers Girls Clubs, I have tried to let families know that the CMSWR is THE place you can turn to help your daughters discern a possible vocation. I have been blessed to encounter amazing women whose orders belong to the CMSWR, from the Oblate Sisters of Saint Francis de Sales who operate a school in my town to the the Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia Congregation (often known by the familiar Nashville Dominicans). My family was blessed to have my lovely mother-in-law, Mary, cared for by the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate in her final days in Baltimore, MD.   

These have been powerful women in lovely congregations committed to the Church and the Holy Father. Even as I write this, memories of my encounters with them, the conversations long and short fill me with love. These are the women who we want our daughters to become.  

It is not just because they are religious, though that is amazing! It is because these women sought to do God’s will and did it. Some came from families like mine: large, homeschoolers. Others came from families who barely practiced their faith, and I’ve even met a woman who pursued a later vocation. God called and they had the courage to listen and act. These are key to finding and embracing every vocation.  

Everyone is called to a vocation 

Our vocation now is to embrace the life God has given us: as spouses if married, as mothers, sisters, aunts, friends. Always seeking that trust in His plan and hope for the future is this Jubilee Year is bringing. While we are not religious, we can do much to foster religious vocations in our families.  

Be open to vocations in your children. There are wonderful resources online. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) even has the ABCs: The ABCs of Fostering Vocations. 

My own parish has had a commitment to pray specifically for vocations for more than two decades. We have one priestly vocation already, with another young man on his way. A number of families, mine included, have children who spent time with religious orders and diocesan programs discerning religious life. While they are now pursuing family life and jobs, none of them considered that time wasted. They had amazing experiences and are glad they gave God the first right of refusal, as it were.  

Finally, in light of this Jubilee Year of Hope, finding any religious order to support financially and spiritually would fit right in. Consider especially retired religious for a visit as we are told, “in a sense making a pilgrimage to Christ present in them.” 

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Copyright 2025 Rachel Watkins
Images: Canva