To Bless Our Callings: Prayers, Poems, and Hymns to Celebrate Vocation

Our review of To Bless Our Callings finds it to be a thoughtful and practical collection for anyone seeking liturgical and devotional language around vocation. Aimed at clergy, lay leaders, and families, the book's single biggest strength is its variety: more than two hundred prayers, blessings, poems, and sacred songs assembled from diverse Christian traditions that speak directly to different ages, professions, and seasons. This review focuses on how usable the material is for worship planning, pastoral care, and home devotion rather than as an academic reference.

Key Features

• Ecumenical selection: Draws on a wide range of Christian traditions, offering language that can be adapted across denominational settings.
• Age-appropriate prayers: Part I groups material for children, teens, young adults, mid-life and older adulthood, making it simple to find wording suited to life stage.
• Work and vocation coverage: Part II includes blessings for both common and overlooked occupations, allowing congregations to bless nurses, truck drivers, stay-at-home parents and others.
• Seasonal planning aid: Part III organizes prayers and blessings across the church year and cultural calendar to help plan worship and preaching about vocation.
• Portable resource: The collection's curated format makes it easy for pastors and lay leaders to pull short prayers and poems into services or pastoral visits.

Who It's For

The book is best for pastors, worship planners, chaplains, and small group leaders who need ready-to-use prayers and blessings for a broad range of vocations and life stages. It is also useful for families looking for liturgical language to mark transitions at home or for congregations wishing to celebrate the work of their members.

Those seeking in-depth theological essays or a scholarly history of vocation should look elsewhere; the collection emphasizes usable liturgy, poems, and hymns rather than extended theological analysis.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Wide variety of material supports inclusive, ecumenical worship planning.
• Clear organization by age, profession, and church year makes finding content straightforward.
• Includes blessing language for overlooked occupations, expanding who can be honored in congregational life.

Cons

• Not a theological treatise, so readers wanting deep academic reflection will find it limited.

Specifications

Title	To Bless Our Callings: Prayers, Poems, and Hymns to Celebrate Vocation
Author / Brand	Laura Kelly Fanucci
Content type	Collection of prayers, blessings, poems, and sacred songs
Organization	Part I Ages and Stages; Part II Work and Profession; Part III A Year of Blessing
Scope	Over two hundred pieces from diverse Christian traditions
Primary uses	Worship planning, pastoral care, home devotion

Our Verdict

To Bless Our Callings is a practical, inclusive resource for those who craft worship and pastoral moments around vocation. Its organized, ecumenical selections make it a good value for congregational leaders and families who want accessible prayers and blessings for many ages and professions without wading into academic theology.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this book include material for children?
Yes. Part I gathers prayers tailored for children, teens, and young adults as well as later life stages.

Are there blessings for specific jobs?
Yes. Part II offers blessings for traditional and often-overlooked occupations, from nurses to truck drivers and stay-at-home parents.

Is the collection organized for liturgical planning?
Yes. Part III highlights times across the church year and cultural calendar for preaching and praying about vocation.