Laypeople find their place in vocation ministry

By Dan Masterton

Lori Benge (left), the lay director of vocations for the Adorers of thhe Blood of Christ, pictured with Sisters Caryn Crook, O.S.F. and Jill Reuber, O.S.B. and Maureen Cetera at the 2024 NRVC Convocation. Photo courtesy of the NRVC.

In the modern Catholic Church, there are more and more examples of roles traditionally held only by priests or religious that are now being restructured or staffed differently. Catholic high schools, perennially run by a priest or religious as president or principal, are turning to a lay administrator. Diocesan offices that once depended on priests and religious to direct various departments are now appointing laypeople to director roles within the bishop’s staff. Vocation ministry offices, once the purview of only professed religious, are likewise incorporating more lay staff into the work. The National Religious Vocation Conference currently counts 71 laypeople on its membership rolls.

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