Photo by Alison Girone
Seminarians in the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey, hosted a vocations evening July 17 to help young adults discern their individual callings and understand their identities.
The diocesan newspaper, Catholic Star Herald, reported that about 60 young adults attended the “Pints and Purpose” event, which featured dinner, opportunities for connecting with others, a keynote talk, and a panel of older adults who are living out various vocations.
Pints and Purpose was put together after Camden Bishop Joseph Williams expressed a desire to have seminarians spend their summers as missionaries and evangelists, prompting them to host several public events. One of the seminarians, Sean McBride, said that the hope with the July 17 event was to focus on purpose, vocations, and discernment — “all the things that could be helpful in young adults becoming intentional disciples.”
Fr. Thomas Piro, diocesan associate director of vocations and parochial vicar at Saint Bridget University Parish, gave the keynote talk on identity, focusing on the fact that everyone can find an identity in being a beloved son or daughter of the Father. He added that placing identity in that relationship builds an eternal, true connection to God, which helps in vocational discernment.
The Catholic Star Herald reports that Fr. Piro encouraged the young adults at the event to discern their vocations through prayer, self-reflection — achieved through asking “How can I bring others to Him through my vocation?” — and sharing their discernment in a community of other people.
“We are called not to be isolated, but in communion with each other,” he said.
Panelists at the event included a deacon, a consecrated virgin, and a married couple, who each shared their own vocational stories and answered questions for over an hour.
According to the Catholic Star Herald, young adults at the event “said they appreciated the focused effort on helping them understand their role in serving as God’s disciples.”
