When we hear the word “vocation” we often think of one’s state in life: marriage, single life, the priesthood, or religious life. While it is certainly important to discern one’s state in life, Vatican II reminds us that the laity have a “right and duty” to share in the church’s apostolic mission. Furthermore, the apostolate of the laity is “so necessary within the Church communities that without it the apostolate of the pastors is often unable to achieve its full effectiveness” (Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity, 3, 29). Each person is called to further discern how God may be calling them to a unique work of life and love. Pope Saint John Paul II called this a “personal vocation”:
“The fundamental objective of the formation of the lay faithful is an ever-clearer discovery of one's vocation and the ever-greater willingness to live it so as to fulfil one's mission. God calls me and sends me forth as a labourer in his vineyard. He calls me and sends me forth to work for the coming of his Kingdom in history. This personal vocation and mission defines the dignity and the responsibility of each member of the lay faithful and makes up the focal point of the whole work of formation, whose purpose is the joyous and grateful recognition of this dignity and the faithful and generous living-out of this responsibility” (Christifideles Laici, 58, emphasis added).
We discover one important clue to our personal vocation when we discern and use our charisms, or spiritual gifts. By virtue of our Baptism, every Christian has been given charisms that are meant to be used to build up the church and to serve the world. As people grow in discipleship, they gradually become open to being used by God to be instruments of his love, mercy, and provision for others. But since God gives the charisms to each person as he chooses, our church teaches that each person has the responsibility to discern which gifts are present in their own life.
One way our Diocese has chosen to aid people in discernment of their charisms is through the Called & Gifted process, offered in partnership with the Catherine of Siena Institute. Called & Gifted consists of three parts: a day-long workshop, a one-on-one interview with a trained interviewer, and a four-session small group process for discernment in depth. Called & Gifted helps people learn about 23 of the most common charisms, discern which may be present in their lives, and provides a process to help confirm the presence of the charisms.
Once we have discerned the presence of our charisms, the next step is to ask, “God, how are you calling me to use these charisms?” Below is a list of the 23 most common charisms as well as some possible expressions. Those listed in blue indicate possible expressions of the charism in ministries of the church or in your parish/pastorate. Those listed in green indicate possible expressions of the charism in the world:
Fr. Brent Bowen, O.P., “Co-Responsibility, Personal Vocation, and Charism Discernment.” Homiletic and Pastoral Review, September 24, 2021. https://www.hprweb.com/2021/09/co-responsibility-personal-vocation-and-charism-discernment.
Catherine of Siena Institute. “About Called & Gifted.” https://siena.org/called-gifted.
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 799-801, 951.
Second Vatican Council. Apostolicam Actuositatem [Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity], no. 3. November 18, 1965. Holy See. https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19651118_apostolicam-actuositatem_en.html.
_____. Lumen Gentium [Dogmatic Constitution on the Church], no. 12. November 21, 1964. Holy See. https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html.
John Paul II. Christifideles Laici. [Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on the Vocation and the Mission of the Lay Faithful in the Church and in the World’, no. 20, 21, 24, 58. December 30, 1988. Holy See. https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_30121988_christifideles-laici.html.
_____. Pastores Dabo Vobis [Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on the Formation of Priests in the Circumstances of the Present Day], no. 31 & 40. Holy See. https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_25031992_pastores-dabo-vobis.html.