Holy Orders

Holy Orders

He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest." - Luke 10:2

A Call from God

The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults teaches us, that from the moment of Jesus' conception in the womb of Mary until his Resurrection, he was filled with the Holy Spirit.  In biblical language, he was anointed by the Holy Spirit and thus established by God the Father as our high priest. As Risen Lord, he remains our high priest. . . . While all the baptized share in Christ's priesthood, the ministerial priesthood shares this through the Sacrament of Holy Orders in a special way.

Ordination to the priesthood is always a call and a gift from God. Christ reminded his Apostles that they needed to ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into the harvest.  Those who seek priesthood respond generously to God's call using the words of the prophet, "Here I am, send me" (Is 6:8).  This call from God can be recognized and understood from the daily signs that disclose his will to those in charge of discerning the vocation of the candidate.

Learn more about Vocations and Seminarian Formation in the Diocese of Jefferson City

To learn more about how the Office of Vocations supports vocation discernment, current programs and how our parish can further support vocations, click here.

About the Priesthood and the Permanent Diaconate

Young and adult men who are curious about the priesthood and who may be discerning a vocation are encouraged to contact he Parish Office and speak to one of our priests who would be very happy to answer questions and to share some of his story.  Adult men between the ages of 30 and 55 who wish to learn more about the permanent diaconate and who may be discerning a vocation are also encouraged to contact the Parish Office or the Vocations Office at the Catholic Chancery, 573-635-9127.

Vocations at Cathedral of St Joseph

Heavenly Father, bless our diocese with the grace of many vocations to the priesthood from our parish. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, grant those You have called, the courage to follow Your will. Grant also to those serving as priests the grace to serve with the faithfulness of Christ. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Cathedral of St Joseph Vocations Committee

The mission of the Cathedral’s Vocations Committee is to promote vocations by prayer, personal contact and projects involving the parish, school and families in an effort to be blessed with dedicated priests, deacons, consecrated persons, and faith-filled and generous parents and single people.

Called by Name

The parish Vocations Committee is sponsoring “Called By Name” - a program of vocation awareness. After prayerful consideration, I believe the person named below has the qualities needed in a future priest, sister, or brother. Perhaps our Lord Jesus is calling him or her to this particular path of discipleship.

The fruit of our prayers

Our vocations committee works tirelessly to support vocations in our parish and community. We encourage you and your family to pray for vocations, sign up to "host" the Christ the High Priest icon, and get involved with our mission. Our prayer and encouragement assists young members in our parish in discerning their vocation. Below, you can see the number of seminarians, priests and religious from our parish.

Seminarians from St. Joseph Cathedral Parish currently enrolled
Priests have been ordained from the St. Joseph Cathedral Parish
Professed Religious from St. Joseph Cathedral Parish