Keeping watch in prayer for vocations
By Heather Excell
Catholics from across the Archdiocese gathered before the Blessed Sacrament on the evening of 7 August with one prayer on their hearts: that the Lord of the harvest would continue to send labourers into His harvest.
The 2026 National Vocations Awareness Week ran from 2-9 August, with the Archdiocese of Hobart’s Vocations Office holding a Night of Prayer for Vocations from 7-8 August.
The night began with Mass celebrated by Archbishop Tony Ireland, followed by Eucharistic Adoration throughout the night. The first floor of the Cathedral Centre remained open for young people discerning their vocation to speak with Archdiocesan Vocations Director Fr Steven Smith. The vigil concluded on Saturday morning with Mass and a shared breakfast.
In his homily for the opening Mass, Fr Steven reminded those gathered that vocation is not simply a career choice or personal ambition, but “the divine initiative and invitation from the Creator”.
He said every Christian is first called through Baptism to follow Christ and become holy, with this universal call taking shape in the particular vocation God gives to each person.
“Priesthood and religious life are crucial, absolutely, but marriage and dedicated single life are just as much a true calling from God,” Fr Steven said. “Every vocation is simply a different avenue for loving God and serving the people around you.”
Fr Steven highlighted the importance of prayer in discovering that call, encouraging those gathered to listen for the gentle prompting of the Holy Spirit in a world filled with noise and distraction.
“Prayer is what opens our hearts to actually hear Him,” he said. “A true vocation is born in the quiet room of prayer.”
Fr Steven encouraged those discerning not to feel overwhelmed by the prospect of their future.
“Don’t panic,” he said. “Don’t feel like you have to figure out the next forty years of your life straight away. God usually reveals things one step at a time.”
He recommended developing a deeper prayer life, spending time in silence before the Blessed Sacrament, making use of the Sacraments, and seeking guidance from a trusted priest, mentor or spiritual director.
Fr Steven said the courage and openness of young people discerning vocations in Tasmania gives him “immense hope” for the future.
“They aren’t interested in a watered-down faith; they want the real thing,” he said. “You see it in their willingness to show up for Adoration, spend nights in prayer, and ask tough, honest questions about their lives.”
The call to pray for local vocations continues beyond National Vocations Awareness Week, with vocation prayer cards distributed to parishes for parishioners to take and pray regularly.
