VATICAN CITY -- Too often when Catholics try to talk to young people about vocational discernment, "it's as if we were speaking Esperanto to them, because they don't understand a thing," Pope Francis said.

VATICAN – When it comes time for young people to make an important decision in life, if the possibilities do not create excitement and trepidation, "it's better to go to bed" and think about it some other time, Pope Francis told middle school and high school students.

MANCHESTER, England – Ordinations to the priesthood in Spain have soared by 24 percent in the last year.

VATICAN – Answering the Lord's call demands the courage to take a risk, but it is an invitation to become part of an important mission, Pope Francis said.

MADISON, Wis. – Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison died the evening of Saturday, Nov. 24, at St. Mary Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, the diocese has announced. He was 71.

As lofty and august as the title superior general may sound, Basilian Fr. Kevin Storey has no illusions about his next four years leading 154 men who teach and preach in Basilian parishes, universities and high schools from Colombia to Canada. 

You’d almost think it wasn’t a big deal to Anne and Dane MacCarthy, the Vatican honouring the Toronto couple for their years of service to the Church.

For cloistered communities like the Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood, interaction with the outside world can be very limited. Yet, vocations in Canada are growing for the order. 

PHEONIX, Ariz. – Toronto's Cardinal Thomas Collins has a provocative message for priests, bishops, and seminarians struggling to attain holiness: “You must become fire.”

VATICAN – That only men can be validly ordained to the priesthood is a truth that is part of the Catholic faith and will not and cannot change, said Cardinal-designate Luis Ladaria, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

“You are servants of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. That’s who we are. That’s who the people expect their priests to be,” Cardinal Thomas Collins told his two new priests in his homily.

Canadian Jesuit Deacon Adam Hincks was one of the first people in the world to read Pope Francis’ latest apostolic exhortation, a distinction that isn’t lost on the 36-year-old astrophysicist.

OTTAWA – The Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Quebec have discussed the ordination of married men to the priesthood, but have reached no conclusions, said the Assembly’s president.

Of course Mario Biscardi was given prior notice that he was to receive the highest honour the Vatican bestows on any layperson. 

When it comes to discerning vocations, there are always going to be fears because no one knows what tomorrow brings. But whatever your vocation is, joy is the ultimate aim.