STEUBENVILLE, OHIO — Franciscan University of Steubenville will host its 30th annual Religious Vocations Fair on Friday, October 10, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Pope St. Paul VI Event Center, Christ the Teacher Hall.

For three decades, this fair has been a day of grace and encounter, offering Franciscan students and Catholics from across the Ohio Valley and beyond a unique opportunity to meet priests, religious brothers, and religious sisters who have joyfully given their lives to Christ and his Church.

More than 50 dioceses and religious communities of men and women will be represented at this year’s milestone event, sharing their charisms and personal experiences of faithfully living out their vocations.

“This Religious Vocations Fair has borne great fruit over the years in helping everyone involved take one more step in seeking to respond to God’s call in their lives,” said Father Jonathan St. André, TOR, vice president for Franciscan Life at Franciscan University. “I am grateful that in the last 30 years, presently, and moving forward we continue to provide opportunities for encounter between our students and brothers, sisters, and priests in this concrete way.”

The fair is organized through the Office for Personal Vocation and Koinonia, the priestly discernment household at Franciscan University.

David Schmiesing, dean for Personal Vocation, noted, “The Religious Vocations Fair gives our students and the general public the opportunity to meet and speak with men and women who have heard and responded not only to God’s call to the priesthood or religious life, but also to a call to a particular religious community or diocese. This fair is not primarily about gathering information on different vocational options, but about truly encountering our guests, hearing their stories, and in some cases establishing relationships that will lead to next steps in discerning and living out their own personal vocations.”

Participating communities include orders from the Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinians, Norbertines, Paulists, Passionists, Carmelites, and many others. Dioceses represented include Steubenville, Pittsburgh, and Columbus, along with the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh.

The Religious Vocations Fair is free and open to the public. Local parish groups, families, and individuals discerning their vocation are especially encouraged to attend.