The Christian vocation is for all members of the church to work together and show that one human family united in love is not a utopia but is the reason God created humanity, Pope Francis said.

A former Southern Baptist who converted to Catholicism nearly 30 years ago is scheduled for ordination into the diaconate on May 21. Daryl Avery, a Texan since birth, is one of 17 permanent deacon candidates and calls St. Monica in Dallas his parish home.

He calls it a stirring, that visceral feeling that God was calling him to do more. He first felt it 16 years ago but as he looks back to that time, he knows he wasn’t ready. Chris Schraeder of McKinney, one of the 17 candidates scheduled to be ordained to the diaconate on May 21, said he feels ready now.

Calling it a privilege and an honor, Bishop Edward J. Burns ordained 17 men as permanent deacons for the Diocese of Dallas during a Mass celebrated May 21 at St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church in McKinney.

The Diocese of Dallas is truly an incredible and faithful Catholic community, full of volunteers, teachers, diocesan and parish ministry staff members, and clergy serving our diocese every day. We are blessed in the Diocese of Dallas and you will often hear Bishop Burns share that as the Diocese continues to grow so does the urgency in raising funds so that we can keep pace with our responsibilities.

The future of the church in north Texas starts at home, Bishop Edward J. Burns told a room full of participants gathered for a Diocese of Dallas Synod listening session on “Vocations and Ministerial Formation” in the St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church parish hall on Jan. 28.

At the depth of every human heart is a vocational calling. It is the echo of Christ’s voice speaking to His people where we cannot help but listen and follow after Him. Pope St. John Paul II wrote, “In the hidden recesses of the human heart the grace of a vocation takes the form of a dialogue. It is a dialogue between Christ and an individual, in which a personal invitation is given. Christ calls the person by name and says: ‘Come, follow me.’”

Every year the U.S. Catholic Church dedicates a week in November to pray for and promote vocations to the priesthood, the diaconate and consecrated life through prayer and education.

Sixty-two young men, high-school-aged or older, and their families attended the St. Andrew’s Dinner sponsored by the Diocese of Dallas Office of Vocation on Nov. 7 at Holy Trinity Seminary. A St. Andrew’s Dinner provides an opportunity for young men interested in priestly vocations to meet, pray, dialogue, and dine with the bishop and diocesan priests in a “no pressure” atmosphere.

The community of St. Patrick Catholic Church of Dallas packed the sanctuary Jan. 6 as Auxiliary Bishop Greg Kelly concelebrated a 5 p.m. vigil Mass for the Epiphany of the Lord preceding a “Fond Farewell” reception for Father Josef Vollmer-König, who served as the parish’s pastor and then pastor emeritus.

Not everyone can run a half marathon. And it’s probably a safe bet that even fewer can do so in a habit. But in a January half marathon in Naples, among runners dressed in tank tops, short running shorts or even shirtless were two consecrated women religious in their in white, long-sleeved habits and black athletic shoes.

Life as a parish priest is a “Eucharistic adventure” that involves serving God’s people under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Pope Francis told transitional deacons.

Priests are called to be “a true icon of Jesus,” drawing closer to God the Father by devoting their lives to the care of all God’s children, Pope Francis wrote.

It was the first time some of the students had ever seen a nun. A pair of Sister Servants of the Lord visited St. Jude the Apostle Church in Lewes earlier this year to give the religious education students a look at women in habits. They talked about their call to the vocation, how they live and what it’s like to be a nun.

There is a tendency to picture one’s discernment, whether the lifelong vocation question or a smaller decision, as a tense and perilous choice in an all-or-nothing, heaven or hell moment.