The Vocation Tree uses the term "personal avocation" instead of "personal vocation" in order to illuminate the distinction between the active dimension of living out one's unique call from God from the mission dimension embraced by responding to one's state in life vocation. Most Catholics hear the word "vocation" and think of the call to be a priest or a nun, and in a secular context the word "vocation" commonly refers to training in a skilled trade, like woodworking or plumbing. In the Christian understanding, both dimensions flow from the baptismal call to holiness:

• "State in Life" vocations involve lifelong choices made in response to God's call, having most to do with how a person will live his or her life - relationships, mission, commitments.
• "Personal Avocations" include the activities through which God calls a person to bear fruit, always discerned and chosen in the context of one's state in life vocation.