Vocations to the Consecrated Life
The Consecrated life is a radical response to the call of Jesus Christ. A Consecrated man sets aside the great good of marriage and family to dedicate his life to grow in his love for God and to the service of the Church, his brothers in community, and young people. There are two different forms of Consecrated life. A man can be a Consecrated priest or a Consecrated layman in Youth Apostles. Both take promises of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
Consecrated Life as a Priest
Being a Consecrated priest in Youth Apostles is the priesthood with a Youth Apostles flavor. As a norm, they live Consecrated life together with the Consecrated laymen. They make promises of poverty, chastity, and obedience and commit their lives to ministering to God’s little ones. A Youth Apostle priest, as is true with any Catholic priest, has the privilege to bring Christ to others in a special way through the sacraments. The priests are essential to our community. They celebrate the sacraments for the lay brothers in our community houses, and for the youth in our programs.
The married brothers in community and their families are blessed with the presence of the priests. The priests are able to visit their homes and share meals with them. From baptisms, to first communions, to weddings, to anointing of the sick, the priests celebrate many sacraments for brothers in community and their families. The married brothers and their families are a blessing to the priests because they allow our priests to be extended members of their families.
Consecrated Life as a Layman
Consecrated laymen in Youth Apostles make promises of poverty, chastity, and obedience but they are not priests. They bear witness to Jesus’ example of humility and do the thankless tasks that are so necessary to demonstrate true care, build community, and minister to young people. They are a bond of unity in our community, creating a bridge among the married and single and Consecrated priests.
They also play a crucial role in welcoming new members to the community because of their regular presence in the house and their focus on hospitality. The Consecrated laymen in Youth Apostles are fundamental to our vision for our community because of their unique commitment to the humble service of their brothers, their central role in our community houses, their function as agents of unity. Consecrated laymen represent the heart of our community.
How to Pursue a Consecrated Vocation within Youth Apostles
There are a number of steps before a brother may ask to make a Consecrated commitment:
Participate in our Youth Apostles meetings for minimum 3 months
Request to become a Candidate
As a Candidate, you make a one-year commitment during which you participate in 15 formation topics and discern the call to make a Full Member commitment
With formation completed and after prayerful discernment you may ask to become a Full Member
After a year of volunteering at one of our ministries and living in one of our houses you may request to make a Consecrated commitment
Begin with a one-year Consecrated commitment
Contact us.
If you’re interested in learning more about how to pursue a vocation within Youth Apostles, fill out the form below and our Vocations Promoter will be in touch with you.