The Catholic Church's Call for Seminarians

As you might know, the number of young men going into the seminary has steadily increased over the years.  According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, there are 5,131 seminarians enrolled in America.  The latest Vatican statistics show a slight, but steady rise in the number of priest and seminarians worldwide.  Much of this can be attributed to the rising population as a whole.  In other words, if the world population increases, then the number of Catholics will increase.  If the number of Catholics increase, then the number of seminarians will in all likelihood grow as well.

To put this into perspective, the number of seminarians around the world rose from 115,919 at the end of 2007 to 117,024 at the end of 2009, an increase of more than 1 percent.  After attending a Sunday mass recently, I can understand how the recruitment efforts of the Catholic Church play a role in the slight, but steady increase of young men entering the seminary.  About two weeks ago at mass, the congregation participated in a "Called by Name", which is a program to identify and seek out young men who might be a good fit for the priesthood.  At the end of mass, parishioners filled out cards with the name and contact information of young men who they thought had the qualities of a priest.  I'm happy to announce that my name was submitted, and I received a letter from our pastor with this message:

Dear Joseph,

Praised be Jesus Christ.

As you may know, last weekend, our parish conducted the Called by Name program at all our Sunday masses.  We asked our parishioners to identify young men whom they believe might have the qualities, gifts, and talents needed to serve the Church as a future priest.

Joseph, you may be interested to know that someone in the parish saw those qualities in you.  Your commitment to God and the Church, concern for others, and desire to serve were recognized.  I encourage you to consider taking the time to examine carefully what the Lord might be saying to you.

Holy Cross will be holding a vocation event in the next couple of months, and you will receive an invitation to attend.  Please pray over this intention and ask the Lord to direct you.  

Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers.

Through my past writings, I have learned it's a good idea to steer clear of writing about my own religious views.  To be selected as a potential candidate for the priesthood is an honor, but it's important to keep in mind that one must receive a direct calling from God to pursue the priesthood.  Thus far, I have not received that direct calling, but I will take it as a compliment that someone in the parish sees the qualities of a priest in me.