‘Now is the time: to dispel the myths and misunderstandings that drive how we help people discern life as a husband, wife, priest, sister, or a faithful single person;to stop viewing religious vocations as a problem to be solved; to pray, and do more than pray, for an increase in vocations to priesthood and religious life.’
On April 16, 2009, Dr. Kristina M. DeNeve, Office of Evangelization for the Diocese of Green Bay, presented research about emerging adulthood and the factors leading to successful vocations as a spouse, religious, ordained or flourishing single. Fr. Tom Long, Diocese of Green Bay Vocation Director, and the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity collaborated to plan the event for all interested in 
vocations and young adults, especially Vocation Contact Persons in parishes.
Five characteristics of Emerging Adulthood age 18-25 based on Jeffrey Jensen Arnett’s Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens through the Twenties were highlighted:
- identity exploration, trying different things
- age of possibilities, optomistic
- age of instability
- self-focused
- age of feeling in-between
Positive characteristics of Millennials (emerging adults) to keep in mind when considering church vocations include:
- They want to change the world, and they think they can do it.
- They want to tell you what they think and they expect you to listen to them.
- Work means more than a paycheck. They also want to make a difference.
- As the first generation to be born into the Internet Age, they are very tech savvy and like to use it while multitasking.
- The environment is very important to them.
- They feel their greatest contributions can be through their knowlege-not their pocketbook.
- They are our country’s most culturally diverse generation and want to live in diverse neighborhoods.
- They think like extrepreneurs, but consider relationships more important than making money.
Participants entered into group discussions, heard about the best predicators of a priestly vocation and were provided with further thoughts to consider when ‘marketing’ to the Millennials.
How do these thoughts resonate with you?
