Join other Catholic men and women who want to know
The Vocation Awareness Program helps single Catholic men and women, ages 18-40, find answers to questions they may have about life as a Priest, Sister, or Brother.
The weekend includes presentations, panel discussions, question and answer sessions, one-on-one personal conferences with diocesan and order Priests, Sisters, and Brothers who volunteer to serve as staff. There are no fees, private rooms and meals are furnished, and no one will pressure you or seek commitment.
For more information on the Priesthood or religious life, contact the Vocations Office.
Is God Calling You?
Consider these questions
Do I have a strong, personal faith in Jesus?
Do I wonder what life is like with a religious vocation?
Do I love people?
Do I desire to help people know God’s love for them?
Has anyone said “You’d make a good Priest, Sister, or Brother”?
Am I physically and emotionally healthy?
Do I have an enthusiasm for learning and studying?
Do others support me in this direction?
Do I have the gifts to serve the Church in leadership?
Do I have persistent feelings that God may want me to do this?
What should I do now?
VAP 2013
Details
Location
Friday, June 21 through Sunday June 23, 2013, the Serra Clubs of Dallas and Fort Worth in conjunction with the Diocesan Vocation Offices will sponsor a weekend discernment program at the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas.
What is VAP?
The Vocation Awareness Program, commonly referred to as the “VAP”, is a weekend of discernment offered for single, Catholic, men and women, between the ages of 18 and 40, who have an inclination towards a religious vocation, such as Priests, Sisters or Brothers. The weekend activities will be led by the Dallas and Fort Worth Dioceses Vocation Directors, Father John Szatkowski and Father Isaac Orozco.
What to expect
The weekend includes presentations on how attendees should approach their discernment of a religious vocation, personal one-on-one conferences with staff members, panel discussions pertaining to the lifestyles of Priests, Sisters and Brothers, question and answer sessions, other vocation related presentations, and time for prayer and meditation.
Cost to Attend
There is no cost to the attendees. Attendees will be provided a private room and excellent meals. The weekend concludes with attendees, staff and Serrans attending Sunday mass followed by a brunch. Holy Trinity Seminary is located in Irving, Texas, adjacent to the University of Dallas.
History of VAP
The VAP was adopted from the Northwest Houston Club’s “Life Awareness Program.” The Serra Clubs of Fort Worth and Dallas have sponsored the VAP every summer since 1990. For 21 years, the VAP weekend has provided over 700 men and women with support in their process of discerning whether they may have a religious vocation in the Catholic Church.
Who is the Serra Club?
The Serra Clubs of Fort Worth and Dallas are members of Serra International. The first Serra Club was organized in 1935 in Seattle, Washington, by a group of lay men who decided to meet regularly to discuss how their Christian values could be lived out in their professional lives. Within several months they decided on an additional focus: the encouraging of vocations to the Priesthood and religious life. Today this remains one of the primary missions of Serra International. They chose Padre Junipero Serra, the noted Spanish missionary, as patron. Today there are more than 800 Serra clubs in 37 countries with a total membership of more 20,000 men, women and permanent Deacons.
