Mr. Rory Dayton

Please introduce yourself and your role with the NRVC.

My name is Rory Dayton, and I recently helped redesign and rebuild the NRVC’s website (in May 2026). While I’m not a vocation director myself, I help dozens of religious communities with online vocation promotion as part of my work with VocationCRM. Whether I’m building vocation websites, running digital advertising campaigns, or developing technology tools to help vocation teams better engage with discerners, it’s my mission to use today’s tech to build tomorrow’s Church.

How did you come to vocation ministry?

I came to vocation ministry by divine intervention! Several years ago, a friend introduced me to Fr. Tom McCarthy and the Augustinians, who at the time needed a new vocation website and social media approach. As I got more involved with vocation work and collaborated with other religious communities, I saw firsthand how vocation directors carry out meaningful ministry with often limited digital tools or support. As younger generations are increasingly encountering the world through digital spaces and asking life’s biggest questions to their search engines, being present and available online is an essential aspect of vocation ministry.  

I have really become passionate about helping religious communities tell their stories more effectively online. What keeps me engaged and excited is knowing that behind the screen, there are real people discerning God’s call for their lives - and great vocation directors accompanying them as they discern.

Please share one blessing and one challenge you encounter in your work.

One of the greatest blessings of my work is getting to witness the dedication, humanity, and faith of vocation ministers across the country. I’ve had the opportunity to work with so many people who care deeply about accompanying others through discernment, often with tremendous generosity and very little recognition. It’s meaningful to contribute, in my own way, to work that ultimately helps people encounter God more deeply and respond to God’s call for their lives.

One challenge is that vocation ministry can sometimes feel technologically and culturally outpaced. Many vocation directors are trying to communicate timeless truths in a very fast-moving digital environment, often without large teams or budgets. Part of my work involves helping bridge that gap in a way that still feels authentic and captures the charism of each community.

How has being a member of the NRVC helped you?

The NRVC has helped me better understand the realities, challenges, and hopes of vocation ministry on a national level. It has also introduced me to an incredible network of vocation ministers and religious communities who are deeply committed to their work. Their perspectives have made me better at supporting their needs as I learn directly from the people serving in ministry every day.

I also appreciate the NRVC’s openness to innovation and collaboration. As someone coming from the communications and technology side, I’ve always felt welcomed into conversations about how new tools and strategies can support the mission of vocation ministry. It has been a privilege to collaborate with the NRVC on digital initiatives and video projects to help strengthen and support vocation ministry nationally. It is such an honor to support this essential organization, its leaderful staff, and its joy-filled members!

What do you enjoy doing on your time off?

Outside of work, I really enjoy spending time with family and friends. A perfect Saturday would include a casual morning run with my wife (and more than a few cups of coffee!) before hosting a group for an afternoon pizza party, ending the night with a bonfire and s’mores.