Jesus is the Vocation Director

The Interior Life & Work of Vocation Directors

The role of Vocation Director comes with high expectations and a steep learning curve. Fr. Tim Monahan, who served for nine years as the Vocation Director of the Archdiocese of Chicago, sets out key principles for accompanying discerners and building collaborative relationships throughout the diocese. Above all, whether the harvest is rich or lean, he shows how Vocation Directors can sustain their friendship with Christ while finding joy in their work.

Topics include:

• Defining your role as vocation director
• Clarifying the vision of your bishop
• Managing your expectations, both for the work and the outcomes
• Key leadership qualities of vocation directors
• Building relationships with brother priests
• Working with discerners
• Focusing on accompaniment, not recruitment
• The Capacity-Freedom-Desire model
• Keeping track of candidates, inside and outside the diocese
• Working with parents
• Creating a leadership team
• Making use of a vocation committee
• Retaining and nourishing your priestly identity
• Accepting your own limitations
• Spiritual principles for vocation directors
• Fifteen key documents for Vocation Offices

Praise from brother vocation directors

“Fr. Monahan has given us the blueprint, the long-needed structure and lens, by which all Vocation Directors can better understand their role as Christ walking with and forming his disciples. This book will unify and strengthen vocations work for generations to come.”
Fr. Blake Dubroc
Vocation Director, Diocese of Lafayette
President, National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors

“A deeply pastoral guide for those entrusted with accompanying men discerning the priesthood… Fr. Monahan reminds us that the vocation director’s primary task is not recruitment but accompaniment, helping men listen to the voice of Jesus, the true Vocation Director. An invaluable resource I wish I had when I was vocation director!”
Fr. Burke Masters
Author of A Grand Slam for God 

“Fr. Monahan shows us that fruitful vocation ministry is not built on peer-pressure, self-reliance, or quick results. This book will certainly encourage priests to serve discerners with greater freedom and joy.”
Fr. Josh Johnson
Director of Blessed Stanley Rother House of Formation, Diocese of Baton Rouge

“Just as To Save a Thousand Souls has become the standard guide for men discerning the priesthood, this book is the essential companion for vocation directors guiding them on that journey.”
Fr. Chase Hilgenbrinck
Vocation Director, Diocese of Peoria

“Diocesan vocations ministry is a unique call at the heart of the Church’s mission. So often, new vocation directors can flounder as they lean into this ministry without much guidance or support. Fr. Monahan’s book provides a solid foundation on which new vocation directors can stand, grounding them in both the Church’s wisdom and practical experience from the fertile field of priestly vocations.”
Fr. Eric Augenstein
Director of Seminarians, Archdiocese of Indianapolis
Vice-President, National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors

About the Author
The fourth of eight children, Fr. Timothy Monahan was ordained in 2009 and served in parishes for six years, then as the Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Chicago for nine years. He received his BBA in Finance from the University of Notre Dame, his STL in ecclesiology from the Institut Catholique de Toulouse, and his DMin in pastoral theology from the University of St. Mary of the Lake, with a primary focus on the work and spirituality of vocation directors. In addition, he completed certificates in spiritual direction and teaching prayer in the parish with the Institute for Priestly Formation. He loves sports, travel, reading, and spending time with family and friends.