The Single Vocation

I had an interesting thing happen when I was looking for information on the single vocation.  I ran into an article that basically said if you are not in a vowed vocation you are nothing.  It really hurt me to think that someone wouldn't value all the single people in our church who live their life for the church.  They carry out necessary functions that in the past would have been handled by the nuns or brothers assigned to a parish or another priest.  Today we have so many parishes with one priest or sharing a priest with another parish.

I have found that many priests either actively discourage or don't know about private vows so many of these people might not even know this is an option.  To tell them they have to be a priest, religious or married is an act of cruelty.  I do feel that you can't be half in half out your whole life.  If you are committed to God, with a vow or not, you have to be truly committed.  But if you are living your commitment then that should be honored.  Like other commitments it requires discernment, formation, and spiritual advice from your priest.