Catholic Vocations at St. John of the Cross Cluster & Christian Life Center (CLC)

Discover God’s Call to Marriage, Priesthood, and Consecrated Life in the Diocese of Portland

Invitation to the Vocation of Consecrated Life

Dear brothers, sisters, and friends in Christ—discover your vocation today.
Welcome to the fellowship of St. John of the Cross Cluster and the Christian Life Center (CLC). Every Christian life begins with a call. As the Lord says, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit” (John 15:16). Our parish family exists to help each person listen to God’s voice and discover the path by which they can love, serve, and build up the Church. Whether through marriage, consecrated life, priesthood, or generous service in the world, vocation is not just a decision—it is a way of life rooted in prayer, relationship, and mission.

For many, God’s call is lived in marriage and family life, where spouses become a visible sign of Christ’s love for the Church (cf. Ephesians 5:25). Canon Law reminds us that marriage is a covenant ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of children (cf. CIC, can. 1055). In our fellowship, we accompany couples and families so that homes may become “domestic churches,” where faith is taught, prayer is shared, and love is practiced daily.

Others hear the invitation to the consecrated life, following Christ more closely in poverty, chastity, and obedience (cf. Matthew 19:21). Some are called to religious communities such as the Congregation of Notre Dame des Apôtres (NDA), founded to form women for evangelization, education, and service among the poor. Their mission reflects Christ’s own compassion: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me… he has sent me to bring good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18). Through prayer and community life, sisters witness that God alone is enough and that love must always go outward in service.

The Lord also continues to call men to the ministerial priesthood. In the Diocese of Portland, candidates must be U.S. citizens and enter a formation process guided by the Church’s vision in The Gift of the Priestly Vocation (Ratio Fundamentalis). Formation is human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral, shaping shepherds after the Heart of Christ, who said, “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11). Some are also called to missionary priesthood through the Society of African Missions (SMA), the USA Province, founded in 1856 by Bishop Melchior de Marion Brésillac to proclaim the Gospel especially in Africa and in mission territories across the world. Today SMA serves in Africa, Europe, the Americas, and Asia, bringing Christ where faith is young or struggling, living the mandate: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

Here at St. John of the Cross Cluster and CLC, we walk with young people, families, and seekers as they discern God’s plan. Through prayer, the School of Faith, sacramental life, fellowship, and stewardship, we help each person discover how their life becomes a gift for others. We invite you to listen, pray, and trust that God is already at work in your heart. As the prophet says, “Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will” (Psalm 40:8). May your visit here help you take one step closer to answering His call.

Prayer of Priest

Heart of Jesus, Christly Heart,

Please purge my heart of sin and self.

Make it of Thine the counterpart;

Make it, Lord, a truly priestly heart.

Amen!

Prayer for Vocation

O God, who would have all His children to be saved 

and to come to the knowledge of the truth, 

send forth, we beseech You, 

laborers into Your harvest 

and grant them with all confidence to preach the Word; 

that everywhere Your Gospel may be heard and glorified, 

and that all nations may know You, the one true God, 

and Him whom You have sent, 

Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord. 

Amen. 

Dear friends in Christ—today, I invite you to discover your vocation.

Fr. Simon, SMA
Pastor, St. John of the Cross Cluster
Director, Christian Life Center (CLC)

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Listening to God’s Call: What Is a Vocation?

A vocation is more than a career choice—it is a response to God’s personal invitation. In Sacred Scripture, the Lord says:

“It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you.” (John 15:16)

Every baptized person is called to holiness (cf. Lumen Gentium 39), but each one lives that holiness in a particular state of life: marriage, priesthood, consecrated life, or dedicated single life. At the St. John of the Cross Catholic Cluster and the Christian Life Center (CLC), we accompany young people, adults, and families as they discern how God is inviting them to love, serve, and follow Christ more deeply.

Vocation is about relationship: listening to God, trusting His plan, and offering your life for the good of the Church and the world.

“Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10)

The Vocation to Marriage – A Call to Love and Mission

Marriage is a sacred vocation in which a man and a woman are called to mirror Christ’s love for the Church.

“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)
“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church.” (Ephesians 5:25)

The Church teaches that marriage is both a sacrament and a mission. Through it, spouses become signs of God’s faithful love in the world.

According to Canon Law:

“The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is ordered by its nature to the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring.” (Canon 1055 §1)

At CLC, couples preparing for marriage are supported through formation, prayer, retreats, and accompaniment. Marriage is not only about happiness, but about holiness, service, and witness.

Marriage is a vocation that builds the domestic Church.

The disciples were startled by Jesus’ teaching on the sacred and indissoluble nature of marriage. Realizing the seriousness of the commitment, they exclaimed, 

“If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” (Matthew 19:10) 

Jesus then deepened their understanding: 

“Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom it is granted. Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some because others have made them so; and some because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it” (Matthew 19:11–12).

With these words, Jesus affirms both the dignity of marriage and the value of celibacy for the sake of God’s reign. Marriage is not a casual arrangement but a sacred covenant requiring maturity, fidelity, and self-giving love. At the same time, the renunciation of marriage for the Kingdom is not a rejection of love, but a different form of total dedication to God and service to others. Each vocation, whether to marriage or consecrated life, is a gift that must be freely received and responsibly lived.

The Vocation to Consecrated Life – A Total Gift of Self

Some are called to follow Christ in a radical way through consecrated life, professing the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

“If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have, give to the poor, and come, follow me.” (Matthew 19:21)

Religious men and women offer their whole lives to Christ and His Church in prayer, community life, apostolic service, and missionary witness.

Canon Law states:

“The state of life constituted by the profession of the evangelical counsels is a stable form of living by which the faithful, following Christ more closely, dedicate themselves totally to God.” (Canon 573 §1)

The Vocation to the Priesthood – Shepherds After God’s Heart

The priesthood is a sacred calling to serve God’s people through preaching, sacraments, and pastoral leadership.

“I will give you shepherds after my own heart.” (Jeremiah 3:15)
“Do this in memory of me.” (Luke 22:19)

Through ordination, a man is configured to Christ the Head and Shepherd of the Church.

Canon Law teaches:

“By divine institution, sacred ministers are called clerics; the others are called lay persons.” (Canon 207 §1)
“Only a baptized man validly receives sacred ordination.” (Canon 1024)

Priests are servants of the Word, the Eucharist, and God’s mercy.

Becoming a Diocesan Priest – Diocese of Portland, Maine

The Diocese of Portland forms priests for parish ministry in Maine. Candidates must normally be United States citizens or permanent residents, able to serve pastorally in the local Church.

Diocesan priests serve in:

• Parish life

• Sacramental ministry

• Pastoral care

• Evangelization

• Education

Formation follows the Church’s program outlined in the Vatican document:

The Gift of the Priestly Vocation (Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis)

This document describes four pillars of formation:

1. Human Formation – maturity, relationships, discipline

2. Spiritual Formation – prayer, sacraments, holiness

3. Intellectual Formation – theology, philosophy, Scripture

4. Pastoral Formation – service, preaching, leadership

The journey includes:

• Propedeutic year

• Philosophy studies

• Theology studies

• Pastoral internships

• Seminary life

• Ongoing accompaniment

“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.” (Luke 10:2)

Becoming a Priest with the Society of African Missions (SMA)

The Society of African Missions (SMA) is a missionary congregation founded in 1856 by Bishop Melchior de Marion Brésillac.

SMA Mission and Charism

SMA priests are dedicated to:

• Evangelization

• Intercultural ministry

• Justice and peace

• Education

• Pastoral care in mission territories

They serve in:

• Africa

• Europe

• United States

• Asia

• Latin America

Their spirituality is rooted in:

• Missionary presence

• Dialogue

• Simplicity

• Service to local Churches

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19)

SMA formation includes:

• Spiritual discernment

• Philosophy and theology

• Missionary training

• Pastoral internships

• Community life

To become SMA is to answer Christ’s call beyond borders.

Becoming a Religious Sister – Notre Dame des Apôtres (NDA)

The Congregation of Notre Dame des Apôtres (NDA) is a missionary congregation of women dedicated to evangelization, education, pastoral care, and service to the poor.

Their spirituality is rooted in:

• Love for Christ

• Missionary zeal

• Community life

• Service to the marginalized

Young women discerning religious life with NDA are invited into a journey of prayer, formation, and mission.

“Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.” (Psalm 40:8)

Religious life forms disciples who become living signs of God’s kingdom in the world.

How to Discern Your Vocation

Discerning a vocation requires:

• Prayer

• Silence

• Scripture

• Spiritual direction

• Participation in the sacraments

• Service to others

Ask yourself:

• Where do I find lasting joy?

• How is God calling me to love?

• Where does the Church need me?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart.” (Proverbs 3:5)
“Your word is a lamp for my feet.” (Psalm 119:105)

At the Christian Life Center, we help people listen to God’s voice through formation, retreats, spiritual accompaniment, and community life.

Vocations at CLC – A Place to Listen and Grow

The Christian Life Center (CLC) offers:

• School of Faith formation

• Eucharistic life

• Prayer and devotion

• Taizé Prayer

• Marriage preparation

• Pastoral accompaniment

• Youth and family formation

Whether you are discerning marriage, priesthood, religious life, or deeper Christian commitment, CLC is a place where your vocation can mature.

An Invitation to the Young and the Searching

If you feel a desire to serve, to love deeply, and to give your life meaningfully, God may be calling you.

“Come and see.” (John 1:39)

We invite you to explore, pray, ask questions, and walk with the Church as you discover God’s plan for your life.