Several US religious congregations and organisations are taking advantage of social media to "introduce" individuals discerning a call to a vocation and the seminary, convent or monastery that fits them.

There are 40,203 diocesan and religious-order priests in the United States, as well as 5,015 seminarians, 17,816 men who have been ordained as permanent deacons, 55,045 religious sisters, and 4,518 religious brothers.

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Families, friends along with several fellow seminarians from the Seminary of the Good Shepherd at Homebush are in Rome tomorrow for the Diaconate Ordination at St Peter's Basilica of Australian priests in training, Nicholas Rynne and Daniel McCaughan. The two young men began their training for the priesthood at Sydney's Seminary of the Good Shepherd before moving to Rome to complete for the final four years of their studies at Rome's Pontifical North American College. Visit this article to read more.

Australian-born Father Kevin O'Neill who was elected Superior General of the Missionary Society of St Columban in Los Angeles last week is not the only member of his family to pursue a priestly or religious vocation. Fr Kevin's identical twin brother, Fr Peter O'Neill is also a Columban priest while the brothers' sibling, Sister Kate O'Neill is Province Leader for Our Lady of the Missions in the Philippines where she works with street children and those addicted to drugs, helping rehabilitate them and reunite them with their families.

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The Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart will celebrate the grand opening of The Rose Gardens at Santa Teresita: A Neighborhood of Care, their first assisted-living cottage for the elderly, on Sept. 8 in Duarte, Calif.

Ever since young Frank Jones went to the local Catholic youth group to meet girls at age 15, he was inspired by the joy and happiness of the local priests and vowed to join them.

Vocation Awareness Week has every reason to celebrate. On Saturday, 4 August, eight priests were ordained by Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell while in Nashville, Tennessee three young Australian women professed their vows as Dominican Sisters of St Cecilia. The next day a further four Australians became novitiates receiving the Dominican habits and a new religious name.

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Last week from Sunday 5th to 12th August the Church in Australia celebrated National Vocations Awareness Week.

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A Spanish women's religious order that has welcomed in pilgrims traveling on the Way of St. James for over thirteen years, is now burgeoning with new vocations. The Augustinians of Conversion began their journey in 1999, when Mother Prado left the country's Augustinian convent where she had been living for several years.

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When Luke Strand started college nine years ago, he wanted to earn a marketing degree, a job in the business world, then a house and children. Now he’s a priest and that’s not all. His brother, Vincent, is on his way to being ordained a Jesuit priest and their youngest brother, Jake, was ordained in the spring.

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