You may be helping vocations if you . . .

... begin praying and asking the Lord what He wants of your child beginning at your child's baptism (or better, once you learn you are pregnant with this child).

... allow your child ample time throughout the day to help others and reflect on others and not bogging the child down with too many extra-curricular activities that focus on self.

... demonstrate the awesome gift of reconciliation and Holy Eucharist by participating in both frequently long before your child prepares for his or her first reconciliation and First Holy Communion, and continue to demonstrate this after they receive them for the first time.

... actively pray for vocations at mealtime, bedtime and whenever else the family prays together.

... invite the priest over to the house even when there is no special sacramental celebration, and let the priest visit and interact with the children.

... speak highly of priests in general, support what the priest is doing in your parish, and complement the priests in front of your children.

... confront those who have nothing good to say about priests or the decisions priests are making. (Even when it seems bad, it is possible the priest sees the entire iceberg rather than just the tip of the iceberg that is general knowledge.)

... realize that priests in the Diocese of Jefferson City in 2003 reported a 98-percent happiness rate in serving as priests. No other "career" can come close to that happiness rate!

You may be hurting vocations if you:

... repeat that the Church needs priests but you are not going to allow your son to consider it.

... complain openly and often in front of youth about all that the priest (or priests) is (or are) doing wrong.

... believe allowing priests to get married or allowing women to be priests is the answer. Any career that is in the helping industry is hurting for more people to join them. Consider the ongoing shortage of: Protestant ministers, teachers, nurses, nursing home personnel and military personnel.