If you work for the Catholic Church and want to put more people in the pews hit subscribe. Each week, we’re sharing tips and tricks to help you communicate more effectively, work more efficiently, and grow more intentionally as a professional Catholic minister. Become the leader your parish needs and build a thriving church community.
Most parishes say they want more vocations. But few are building the kind of culture where vocations can actually grow. In this episode, Jon sits down with Fr. Travis Crotty, Vocations Director for the Diocese of Sioux City, to unpack what’s really behind the decline in vocations and what parish leaders can do about it.
They explore why the “vocations crisis” didn’t start today, what healthy vocation-producing parishes have in common, and why programs and posters aren’t the solution.
The conversation gets practical. At the center of it all is one simple truth: vocations don’t come from strategies. They come from a lived, visible, joyful faith.
If you want more vocations, you don’t start with recruitment. You start with culture.
Key Takeaways
Vocations grow where faith is lived, not just taught
The real vocation gap began 30 years ago, not today
Exposure to priestly life makes discernment possible
Families create the seedbed through sacramental living and witness
A personal invitation is one of the most effective catalysts
Notable Quotes
“Everybody wants somebody else’s son or grandson to be a priest.”
“A life lived in relationship with Jesus and his Church is better than a life lived without him.”
12 Mar 2026
142. Your Calendar Isn’t the Mission
Many parish leaders feel controlled by their calendars. Meetings, interruptions, and constant demands leave little room for the most important work of ministry.
If discipleship is truly a priority, it must show up in how leaders schedule their time.
In this episode, Jon and Thai share three simple shifts that transform the parish calendar: reclaim each day with a short prayerful routine, protect one block of time each week, and evaluate recurring meetings to decide whether they should be condensed, cut, or improved.
Key Takeaways
Your calendar reveals what you truly prioritize in ministry.
When the calendar dictates parish life, discipleship becomes optional.
A daily rhythm of prayer and planning helps leaders act intentionally.
Many meetings can be shortened, eliminated, or improved.
Notable Quotes
“The calendar, it's a tool; not the mission.”
“When the calendar dictates the parish, discipleship becomes optional.”
“The calendar mirrors back to you the things that you have prioritized.”
“Decide not to have any more bad meetings.”
6 Mar 2026
141. Sheep Without a Shepherd: How Parishes Break Out of Survival Mode
Many parishes aren’t growing, they’re just trying to survive, and survival mode becomes its own weekly rhythm: urgent issues dominate meetings, important decisions stall, and discipleship gets postponed.
Ministry like this is exhausting – parishioners don’t know where to go and leaders feel like they can’t lead. Using Matthew 9:36 (“like sheep without a shepherd”), the episode calls leaders to move from reacting to shepherding.
The practical path forward is simple: diagnose what hijacks your week, identify what must be protected, then pick one “stop-doing” move (stop, condense, or delegate) and replace it with scheduled margin for people, prayer, or planning.
—————
Key takeaways
Survival mode is predictable: urgent needs dominate, meetings get heavy, important decisions don’t get made, and discipleship gets pushed down the road.
Survival mode isn’t just busy. It’s disorienting, leaving leaders reactive instead of shepherding.
“Predictable urgency can be redesigned” when you add guards and boundaries instead of reacting to everything.
If you can’t name your top priority in one sentence and your conversations are only logistics, you’re likely stuck in survival mode.
One small boundary won’t break the parish, but it can break the survival loop.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
8 ratings
Contact Catholic Ministry Professionals
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Catholic Ministry Professionals?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
