Mother Teresa Vocations Society

More information on Adoration for Vocations!

The Mother Teresa Vocation Society (MTVS) is a prayer apostolate that asks for your commitment to pray daily for vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life.

The MTVS was founded in 2004 through the Office of Priest Vocations of the Archdiocese of Washington following the beatification of Mother Teresa in 2003. The society is a prayer apostolate that promises a daily commitment to prayer for an increase in the response to God’s call and for the perseverance of priests, deacons and those in consecrated life.

It requires a daily commitment to prayer. There are no dues or meetings. The society offers Days of Reflections throughout the Archdiocese, Holy Hours for Vocations, and Holy Hours in anticipation of the ordinations to the diaconate and priesthood.

Please consider registering to become a member of the Mother Teresa Vocation Society.  For more information on MTVS events, please contact Maris Moriarty in the Office of Priest Vocations or call 202-636-9020.

Saint Teresa was devoted to priests and to the priesthood and loved to pray for them. A few examples of her statements on the priesthood are as follows: 

• "See the greatness of the priestly vocation. How pure the hearts of the priests must be to be able to say “This is my Body”. How pure their hands must be to grant absolution any time."

• "Without priests, we have no Jesus. Without priests, we have no absolution. Without priests, we cannot receive Holy Communion."

• "The heart of Jesus is in the priest. In choosing a man to be a priest, Jesus has given himself totally to that man. It is only the priest who can give the real living Jesus to us in the Blessed Sacrament."

• "When we go to confession, we go as sinners full of sin and when we come back from confession we come back as sinners without sin. How great for priests to have been chosen by Christ."

• "I am very grateful to priests because they have done much for our congregation by helping our sisters live true religious lives. We specially prepare the Thursday evenings before every first Friday and we especially pray for priests."

• "It is very important that priests help the people to come close to Jesus. They need to help the people to have clean hearts because a clean heart is able to see Christ."

• "The Precious Blood is in the hands of the priest, the Living Bread he can break and give to all who are hungry for God."

Prayer is the support that brings to fruition the seed of the vocation within the men and women who offer their lives to serve Our Lord. It is through the power of prayer that those seeking the priesthood and the consecrated life are sustained and nurtured. It is through the grace of daily prayer that you will partake in the work of building the culture of vocations. You will be a prayerful participant in the priest’s ordination.

Your ‘little prayers’ offered each day will make a great difference. In Mother Teresa’s words, “like Jesus, we belong to the world living not for ourselves but for others. The joy of the Lord is our strength.”

PRAY daily for a greater response to the call from God for vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.

PRAY daily for the perseverance and the outpouring of graces for the seminarians, priests, deacons, and those in the consecrated life.

SUGGESTIONS for daily prayer as a member follow:

• Include vocation intentions in your morning offering.

• Recite a vocation prayer each day.

• Pray the Rosary for vocations or a decade of the Rosary daily.

• Pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

• Include vocations in your Mass intentions.

• Offer a share of your sufferings for the perseverance of priests, deacons, and men and women in the consecrated life.

Lord Jesus, you have chosen your priests from among us and sent them out to proclaim your word and act in your name. For so great a gift to your Church, we give you praise and thanksgiving. We ask you to fill them with the fire of your love, that their ministry may reveal your presence in the Church. Since they are earthen vessels, we pray that your power shines out through their weakness. In their afflictions let them never be crushed, in their doubts never despair, in temptation never be destroyed, and in persecution never abandoned. Inspire them through prayer to live each day the mystery of your dying and rising. In times of weakness send them your Spirit, and help them to praise your Heavenly Father and pray for poor sinners. By your same Holy Spirit put your word on their lips and your love in their hearts, to bring good news to the poor and healing to the brokenhearted. And may the gift of Mary, your Mother, to the disciple whom you loved, be your gift to every priest. Grant that she who formed you in her human image may form them in your divine image, by the power of your Spirit, to the glory of God the Father, Amen.