By Carrie McClish
Staff writer

Tom Booth is his parish’s new point man for vocations – and he couldn’t be more enthusiastic about the recently created post.

As director of religious education at St. Bede Parish, Booth is responsible for helping 500 young people grow in their faith. Becoming the new parish vocations advocate complements that position, he said. “It is a natural.”

Designating parish vocation advocates is a “significant expansion” to the diocesan vocations program and a way to plant the seeds of vocations in young people, Booth said. He will encourage families to talk about all vocations, but especially vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

Father Larry D’Anjou, diocesan vocations director, said the new program was sparked by a suggestion of Bishop Allen Vigneron who felt that busy pastors could use help with promoting vocations among their parishioners. So far about 30 people have volunteered to be advocates, he said. He hopes to recruit vocations advocates for each parish in the diocese.

Volunteers include religious men and women as well as lay men and women. Franciscan Brother Sebastian Sandoval, who is associate vocations director for the diocese, has volunteered to be an advocate at St. Elizabeth Parish in Oakland. Anyone who is interested is invited to volunteer, Father D’Anjou said.

The volunteers receive training and educational materials from the vocations office. They will work with their pastors to inform parishioners about vocations-related activities, the annual seminary collection and World Day of Prayer for Vocations, which is being observed in the Oakland Diocese on April 13.

Booth said he is preparing a brief talk about vocations for all the Masses that day. He hopes to awaken people about their personal vocations and to strengthen the sense of vocation in youth. “I will talk about seeing the spark in young people” and the need to nurture “that spiritual fervor,” he said.

As more advocates are added to the program, Booth hopes that it will lead to the networking of advocates who can get together to exchange ideas and get support. “As with everything it takes time, energy and enthusiasm as we slowly see our way through,” he said.

Anyone interested in becoming a parish vocation advocate, can contact their pastor or the diocesan vocations office at (510) 267-8356.

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