National Vocation Awareness Week, celebrated this year Nov. 2-8, 2025, is an annual week-long celebration of the Catholic Church in the United States dedicated to promoting vocations. Catholic Times Editor, Andrew Hansen, interviewed Father Zach Samples, the new Promoter of Vocations for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois who started in his new role in August. 

Q. What does your role of Promoter of Vocations look like?

A. Basically, I get to travel across the diocese to share my love of the priesthood with folks involved in our parishes and schools. When I visit our parishes and schools, I speak about what it means to discern our vocations and work to promote the different states of life available in our Church. My main focus in this role is to accompany men in our diocese as they discern God’s will for their lives and to invite them to consider diocesan priesthood as part of that process. My campus minister in college used to say that we should always be discerning what “our next good step” is. So, I’m here to walk with people as they are considering what their next good step should be. This might mean exploring a call to holy matrimony, consecrated religious life, or to the priesthood.  

Q. What are some common misconceptions people have about vocations?

A. The biggest misconception is the belief that we are in charge of our futures. From the moment we can speak, we are asked the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” When we answer that question, the first word that comes out of our mouth is, “I.”  So, that means, that since the moment we could speak, we are trained to only think about what “I” want when it comes to our futures. Now, we are not robots, and God is not controlling us with some sort of divine joystick from Heaven. At the same time, if God is perfect, and He is, and if He desires our happiness, holiness, and for us to join Him in eternal life, and He does, then He has a path for us to follow to accomplish that. That is where our vocations come into play.

Q. What are the biggest challenges young people face today in discerning a vocation?

A. This really varies from person to person. For some, they might feel a call to priesthood or to religious life but are also in a very serious relationship with someone they truly love. For others, they might be confident that Jesus desires for them to be His priest, but their parents and loved ones are not supportive and might even actively oppose their discernment. Still for others, there are sometimes education, financial, psychological, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being free to discern God’s will. The key here is that none of these valid concerns have to be roadblocks. If God is truly calling you to a vocation in the Church, all of these can be worked out. I’m happy to help in any way I can. 

Q. Who were the key people or moments that helped you discern your own calling?

A. The first priest to ever talk to me about priesthood was a newly ordained priest at my home parish when I was in fourth grade. Every time I would serve at Mass, he would say, “Zach, you should be a priest.” I usually just ignored him because this was not what “I” wanted (see my answer to #2), but it at least planted a seed. Then, when I got to college, I met Fathers John Titus, Chris House, Brian Alford, Steve Arisman, and others. Each of them, in their own unique way, humanized the priesthood for me. They helped me to see that priesthood could really be possible in my life. Aside from them, prayer, growing in relationship with Christ, going on retreats and mission trips, seeing Pope Francis in Philadelphia, some amazing supportive friends, and so much more helped me to realize my call.

Q. How can families and parishes better support young people who are discerning?

A. The reality is that priests are not dropped off on the front porch of parish rectories by some sort of divine stork. They come from families and parishes in every corner of our diocese.  Anyone reading this Q&A right now could have a future priest or consecrated religious sister or brother sitting around their dinner table or in the pew in front of them in their local parishes. So, the key is to be accepting, supportive, and encouraging to young men and women. God loves us more than any of us ever could. Because that is true, He would never call us to a state of life that did not have the possibility of bringing us true and lasting peace.

Q. What advice would you give to someone who feels a “stirring” but isn’t sure what God is calling them to?

A. The first step would be to not ignore it. First Kings tells us that God often speaks to us in a “still small voice.” This is true in our vocational discernment. Bishop (Thomas John) Paprocki often jokes that it would be nice if God called us on our cell phones to tell us His plan for our lives, but this doesn’t happen. Instead, He speaks to us in those stirrings of our heart. Prayer is all about developing a relationship — a friendship — with Jesus Christ.  The more we pray, the more His will for our lives becomes clear. If you are feeling a stirring in your heart, don’t ignore it, take it to prayer, and then discuss it with a trusted priest in your life.

Q. Are there specific prayers, devotions, or saints you recommend for those discerning a call to priesthood or religious life?

A. There is no “one size fits all” approach to developing a prayer life. That said, there are forms and types of prayer that can be extraordinarily helpful to discern a call to priesthood or religious life. Eucharistic adoration is probably at the top of the list. Sitting in quiet prayer face-to-face with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is one of the best ways to grow in relationship with Him. Our callings come from that relationship. The closer we are to Him, the easier it becomes to hear His call. Developing a devotion to the Blessed Mother is another key way to discern. As Mary said at the wedding feast at Cana, “Do whatever He tells you.” That pretty much sums it up.  

Q. What gives you hope and joy in this ministry?

A. A month or two ago, I had a meeting with a man who is actively discerning a call to the priesthood. He and I have had many discussions and have been working together on some things in his life that have been inhibiting his freedom to actively discern God’s will. This young man has made incredible progress, grown in his relationship with Christ, and you can just see the barriers fall one by one. It is so clear that the Holy Spirit is guiding this chapter of his life. The fun part is that this young man’s story is not unique. God does that for all of us. We just have to find a way to acknowledge it. We are all in this for Christ and His Church. What could be more hopeful? What could be more joyful?