Dan Masterton and Br. John Eustice, CSV, took their vocations message right to the source: Catholic educators and pastoral leaders attending the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) three day conference in New Orleans.

Br. John Eustice and Dan Masterton get set up.

“We’re aiming to speak with educators and offer them ideas and resources to grow vocation culture and foster awareness and discernment in young people,” says Masterton, the assistant vocations director for the Viatorian Community.

The conference is the largest gathering of mission-driven teachers and leaders, who are united in community and driven by faith.

The pair set up shop in the exhibition hall at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, offering prayer cards, stickers and St. Viator pamphlets. But they also provided flyers with some baisc vocation activities and a QR code to direct people to an online folder of more expansive resources.

All their preparations and traveling paid off. They spoke with elementary and secondary teachers from all over the country, religious from men’s and women’s communities, and diocesan priests and bishops.

Dan Masterton with co-author Cari White

Masterton himself presented a session on bringing Catholic Social Teaching into all areas of a school, with concrete suggestions for the major academic areas of schools.

He also had the chance to promote his two published books — Cultivating Faith: A Guide to Building Catholic High School MInistry and Exploring Faith: A Guide to Retreat Ministry — with this interested audience, and even do a book signing.

“Next year’s conference is in Irving, Texas and we intend to go again,” Masterton says, “so we can keep imagining ways the Viatorians can be a part of supporting teachers of the faith and building vocation awareness as the Church tries to walk with young people.”