We are bombarded with negative reports involving Catholic clergy these days. Well, not here. The activities of Catholic priests are under appreciated and under praised.

“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit.” John 20:19-23

This year, Catholics world-wide celebrate the Year for Priests. The world over, Christians everywhere, are called by the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, to pray for priests and for an increase in vocations.

In the married vocation, we have a call to love in a unique and special way. Marriage is meant for “unveiling,” and it is right and just to reveal oneself to those whom one loves and trusts, particularly our spouses.

Our guests this week, Steve and Joni Abdalla, are the Catholic parents of three daughters and the founders of Wee Believers™, an authentically Catholic toy company based in Indianapolis. 

Thank you to Gerald Korson and  the Knights of the Holy Eucharist for sharing the following information.  A wonderful prayer and contact information for those interested in vocations follows below.  Please join me in praying for the Knights and for all those seeking vocations to the Religious Life.

Fr. Andrew Gawrych, C.S.C. was ordained a priest in the Congregation of Holy Cross in 2008. He currently serves at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Phoenix, Arizona. He and Kevin Grove, C.S.C, edited the book The Cross, Our Only Hope: Daily Reflections in the Holy Cross Tradition.

You have to love the Daughters of St. Paul – they love books, they’re awesome with new media, and they are funny and cute! 

Sr. Mary Prudence Allen, R.S.M. is a member of the Religious Sisters of Mercy in Alma, Michigan. This week, we discuss her participation in the writing of The Foundations of Religious Life: Revisiting the Vision. 

I enjoyed reading this announcement of the big splash being planned for the end of Pope Benedict XVI’s Year for Priests (reported by Catholic News Agency). 

Tomorrow at 1 p.m. CST, Sisters Julie Vieira, IHM, and Maxine Kollasch, IHM, of A Nun’s Life Ministry will be hosting a live podcast on Vocations and the 2009 NRVC/CARA Study.

This week, we are pleased to offer two lucky readers the chance to win a copy of the brand new book A Taste of Heaven:  A Guide to Food and Drink Made by Monks and Nuns by Madeline Scherb

I am so very excited to be involved in a wonderful project as we kick off the Year for Priests. I will be serving as a judge in The Catholic Company’s Incredible Priests Incredible Stories Video Contest.

I ran across this great video today from the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City.  It is a wonderful look at vocational callings, not just to the priesthood but to other careers and life situations as well.

This week, we take a focused look at the Permanent Diaconate in an extended conversation with Deacon Tom Fox and Deacon Chuck Stevens.  Both men share their vocation stories, their Deacon formation experiences and resources they recommend to men exploring the Permanent Diaconate.

I think if I had ever had a vocation to the religious life, I would have loved to have become a Daughter of St. Paul. 

The mission statement of the Sisters of Life states that they are “a contemplative/active religious community dedicated to protecting and advancing a sense of the sacredness of all human life