Vocations
Every vocation begins with a ‘yes’ to God’s call.
Mission Vocations Lead (Vocations Director): Rev. Kristopher Schmidt
Phone: 780-469-1010 ext. 2154
Recent Content on Vocations
- Sr. Catherine reflects on her vocation: ‘I have called you by name’
- Vocations Awareness Committee: New committee hopes to build ‘culture of vocations’
- Friar Aldin Canobas: Hope for a Church where the richness of charisms shines brightly
- Sr. Rezebeth Noceja: My formation took commitment, openness and lots of humility
The Lord calls each one of us to live holy lives by entering into a unique relationship with Him through a particular vocation. Each vocation is a path of love, service, and holiness, where we respond to God’s invitation to share in His mission.
- Holy Orders – the Priesthood and the Permanent Diaconate.
- Consecrated Life – Religious institutes, private and public associations of the faithful, secular institutes, and consecrated virgins.
- Married Life – In Holy Matrimony, the husband and wife offer each other in exclusive and life-giving generosity, whose expression of love yields growth in spousal love and parental love.
- Single Holy Life – The single holy life is the state in which one offers her or his virginal and celibate consecration in witness of the Age to Come, in which “none are married or given in marriage, but are like the angels in heaven” (Mt 22:30).
Priesthood
Called to serve. Formed to lead. Sent to love.
Wondering about Priesthood?
Contact Fr. Kris Schmidt, our Mission Vocations Lead (Vocations Director)
Phone: 780-469-1010 ext. 2154
Find out more at a Come & See Weekend at St. Joseph Seminary
Each year, St. Joseph Seminary and the Vocations Office of the Archdiocese of Edmonton offer a weekend live-in experience for men discerning a call to the diocesan priesthood. We call them Come & See Weekends.
If you’ve been thinking and praying about the priesthood, now’s the time for action — come and see for yourself! Ask questions, express your concerns, and pray for God’s will. There is no cost and no obligation.
Check out the details here .
Watch our vocation series, Be Not Afraid, to learn more about the stories of our local priests.
Permanent Diaconate
Called to serve. Formed to lead. Sent to love.
What is the Permanent Diaconate?
Receiving the Sacrament of Holy Orders, a deacon is an ordained minister in the Church called to model Christ’s humble service — both within the parish and in the world. A permanent deacon’s ministry evolves in response to the needs of the Church and his unique gifts, modeled after the threefold apostolic ministry of the Bishop: the ministries of charity (love and justice), the Word of God, and sacrament.
Permanent deacons assist in preparing the faithful to celebrate the sacraments and live out their baptismal vocations. They are entrusted to preach, teach, counsel, and offer spiritual guidance to God’s people.
Deacons may also baptize, witness marriages, and preside at wake services and funerals (without Mass). In all that they do, permanent deacons act as true servants of Christ, bringing His presence to the margins of society.
Read our brochure for more information on the Permanent Diaconate.
Discerning the Call to Serve
The Archdiocese of Edmonton invites Catholic men — typically between the ages of 35 and 60 — who feel drawn to serve Christ and His Church in a deeper way to prayerfully discern the vocation of the Permanent Diaconate.
Information sessions are hosted periodically throughout the year for men and their wives who wish to learn more about this calling. To express your interest or to inquire about future sessions, please contact the Vocations Office.
Consecrated Life
Answering God’s call through prayer, service, and love for the world.
Do you feel called to religious life?
There is a wide and beautiful range of opportunities to live out your faith through the vocation to religious life. Consecrated men and women in the Archdiocese of Edmonton belong to many different communities and orders, each with a distinct charism, mission, and purpose in serving God’s people.
Since the arrival of the Oblate Priests and the Sisters of Charity of Montreal (Grey Nuns) in the mid-1800s, consecrated persons have faithfully served in parishes, hospitals, schools, orphanages, and homes for the aged across the Archdiocese. Today, they continue their vital mission in parish ministry, education, healthcare, pastoral care, and spiritual direction — helping to bring the light of Christ into every corner of life.
Consecrated life is a profound response to God’s call — a life of prayer, service, and dedication marked by the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
For further information on each order, click on the name:
Where possible, we have linked each community name to its website; not all orders maintain websites.
Orders of Women Religious
- Congregation of Notre Dame (CND)
- Congregation of Sisters of Merciful Jesus (CSMJ)
- Daughters of Wisdom "Montfort Sisters" (DW)
- Discalced Carmelite Nuns (OCD)
- Faithful Companions of Jesus (FCJ)
- Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement (SA)
- Les Filles de Jesus de l'Alberta (FJ)
- Missionary Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart and of Mary Immaculate (MO)
- Religious of the Virgin Mary (RVM)
- Sisters of Assumption (SASV)
- Sisters of Charity of Montreal "Grey Nuns" (SGM)
- Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul (Halifax) (SC)
- Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception (SCIC)
- Sisters of Holy Cross/Soeurs de Sainte-Croix (CSC/SSC)
- Sisters of the Holy Names (Polish) of Alberta
- Sisters of Our Lady of Charity (OLC)
- Sisters of Our Lady of the Cross (NDC)
- Sisters of Providence (SP)
- Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul (Kingston) (SP)
- Sisters of St. Joseph (in Canada) (CSJ)
- Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate (Polish) of Alberta (SSMI)
- Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate (Ukrainian) (SSMI)
- Soeurs de la Charity de Notre Dame d’Evron (SCE)
- Ursulines of Chatham Union (OSU)
- Ursulines of Jesus (UJ)
- Ursulines Sisters of Prelate (OSU)
Orders of Men Religious
- Congregation of St. Basil "Basilian Fathers" (CSB)
- Congregation of the Sons of the Immaculate Conception (CFIC)
- Discalced Carmelite Order "Canadian Carmelite Community" (OCD)
- Order of Friars Minor "Franciscans of Western Canada" (OFM)
- Oblates of Mary Immaculate "Lacombe Province – Canada" (OMI)
- Oblates of Mary Immaculate "Assumption Province – Polish" (OMI)
- Order of Preachers (OP)
- Redemptorists (CSsR)
- Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB)
Societies of Apostolic Life
Secular Institute
Associations of the Faithful
- Madonna House Apostolate "Marian Centre" (MH)
- Companions of Angela and Francis (Koinonia/CAF)
Consecrated Virgins
Be Not Afraid Video Series
Witness the beauty of vocation through stories of courage and grace.
Be Not Afraid is a powerful series of videos and companion articles that share the stories of twelve priests and religious sisters who faithfully serve within the Archdiocese of Edmonton. Through their journeys, we witness the beauty of God’s call and the courage to live it out with love and devotion.