By Father David O'Brien • Posted November 6, 2024

During these early days of November, Catholics throughout our country are encouraged to become more aware of vocations to the priesthood and religious life. It is Vocations Awareness Week!

Perhaps schools and parish communities will share stories of priestly saints and religious sisters, write notes to seminarians, pray for more vocations, or just thank the local religious in their lives.

This week happens to coincide with the patronal feast day for our seminary in Philadelphia, named after Saint Charles Borromeo. His life as a diocesan priest captures an essential component for properly understanding vocational awareness: humility.

The Latin word humilitas means humility, or “to be of the earth”— grounded; good soil for good seed.

The psalmist explains that a heart that is humble and contrite never experiences the scarcity of God, but rather his tenderness (Ps 51).

Humility was a personal belief system for the parents of Saint Charles, Gilberto Borromeo and Margherita Medici. It later became his own and captured as the single word on his episcopal crest.

Looking at his life, Saint Charles had every reason to boast. Humility should have been rare to find in him, yet this crown virtue was deeply woven into his character.

He was educated at the best institutions in the world and achieved the highest academic accomplishments at a young age. Yet he remained humble.

His family possessed the vast wealth of the Medici legacy. Yet he remained humble.

His uncle, Pope Pius IV, appointed him as a cardinal over the vast diocese of Milan, a position of immense influence, at a young age. Yet, he remained humble.

What does humility do in our lives? It allows God to work. It creates the proper awareness in the soul that the true God, who is set apart from all creation, is deeply involved in our lives.

Humility helps us recognize that we are God’s handiwork. He wishes to use us in a powerful way if we are open to it. The God who humbled himself to dwell among all of creation also wishes to dwell in hearts that are ready to receive him.

Humility fosters authentic holiness because it requires us to be honest in the deepest parts of our hearts. It grants us clarity and true awareness.

As we pray for more priests and religious this week, may we all become more aware that God wishes to work through each of us.

May our own hearts be fertile soil for his call in our lives, and may we nurture the vocations he plants within our local Church with great gratitude and encouragement!

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Father David O’Brien is the vocations director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.