"I think you want to become a priest." This was the content of an instant message that my twin sister sent to me almost 10 years ago before I had ever seriously considered the possibility of entering the seminary. Over the next few months, several of my co-workers would joke with me, telling me that I was going to become a priest. My response to these suggestions was always one of casual dismissal. Then one day, a woman whom I had never met turned around after Mass one morning and asked me: "Have you ever thought about the priesthood?" At that point, I knew the idea of the priesthood was no joke, but something that I needed to take seriously.

I offer this experience from my personal story to highlight something that is very important to keep in mind about promoting vocations to the priesthood and religious life. The point is this — we all have a role to play. I often wonder what would have happened if those people in my life did not have the courage to make the suggestion to me about the priesthood.

I have no doubt that there are young men and women in our families and parishes who are in a similar situation that I was in nearly a decade ago. Some may be seriously considering if the Lord might be asking them to do something truly special with their lives by giving themselves completely to him and his church in a religious vocation. Admitting this to others can be a risky thing because a vocation to the priesthood or religious life is not something that many people in our society consider "normal." That is where our words of encouragement to somebody who we feel might have one of these vocations are crucial.

In 2012, a study was done to look at various factors influencing a person who was considering the possibility of a vocation to the priesthood or religious life. The study found that community encouragement plays a significant role in the process that a person goes through as they pray about what the Lord is calling them to do.

"The number three seems to be critical in making a difference in the life of someone contemplating a vocation," said Father Shawn McKnight, USCCB's executive director of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. "When three or more people encourage someone to consider a religious vocation, he or she is far more likely to take serious steps toward answering that call."

As you can see from my story, it was the third different suggestion that I received that motivated me to take the next step in discerning the possibility of a call to the priesthood. We should never underestimate the important role that each of us has in helping young people to discern their vocation. Your words of encouragement may be that final nudge that they need in order to take the next step in their journey closer to the Lord. Please do not pass up these opportunities when they come your way.