Traveling Chalice Program
Show your support for Vocations
The Traveling Chalice Program is a simple and effective way for you to support vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
On Sunday after the 9 a.m. Mass, Fr. Bill presents the Chalice to a Family—or a couple or individual. The recipient then takes the chalice home, puts it in a prominent place in the home, and prays every day for vocations during the week.
There are suggested prayer cards, how to handle the Chalice, a book to record your experiences included. All details are below.
Recipients are to return the chalice to the sacristy the next Sunday.
Traveling Chalice Program Details
Please read these details before receiving the chalice.
What you will receive for the week:
1. The Chalice - Handle with care!
2. Prayer Cards - Please return
3. Book - To write experiences in
4. Wood Box to carry the items
Please return all these items on the next Sunday.
Five Simple Rules for Caring for the Traveling Chalice
1. Treat the chalice as a sacred object at all times
Handle it with clean hands, carry it carefully, and place it only in a safe, respectful location in your home.
2. Keep the chalice in a place of honor
Choose a dedicated spot such as a prayer table, mantle, or shelf. Choose a place you will see it often, or a place you designate as a meditation area. The center of your dining room table may be the best place, but move it to a nearby shelf during meals to avoid food mishaps.
3. Use the chalice as a focus for daily prayer
Gather as a family each day to pray for vocations; priests, deacons, religious life, and holy marriages. We’ve included some prayer cards to help you get started. The chalice should help center your prayer, not be used as a decoration or toy.
4. Do not eat or drink from the chalice
Even though it is not consecrated for Mass, it symbolizes the Eucharistic sacrifice. It should never be used for any practical purpose. Nothing should be placed inside the chalice.
5. Return the chalice in the same condition you received it
Before returning it, gently wipe it with a dry soft cloth, ensure all items from its case are accounted for, and transport it securely so it arrives safely for the next family.
If for some reason you can’t return the chalice on Sunday; return it during the week to the Parish Office in the Fiat Center.
Suggestions of what to write in the book
Utilize the ‘memory book’ to write down your experiences for the week, as well as the prayers that come about as a result. Here are some questions that might help you get started writing in the book.
1. Is there a favorite priest you remember growing up, and why? Do you have a special memory of him?
2. What is your earliest memory of a priest at your childhood parish, and what did he teach you about the church?
3. What priest has been the most influential during your life, and what made him stand out?
4. How did your childhood priest influence the way you pray or understand your faith?
5. Have you ever interacted with a priest in a casual setting, i.e.: classroom, outing, ballgame? What is your favorite memory of him away from church? Did he dress or act differently?
6. Can you recall a specific piece of advice or lesson from a homily and how did that strike you?
7. Do you have a feeling of being called by God?
