"How many seminarians do we have this year?" As I travel around the diocese, this is one of the most common questions that I receive from both the clergy and members of the laity. People are understandably impressed when I mention that we have more than doubled our numbers over the past five years, going from 11 seminarians to our current number of 23 [please refer to back cover of this issue].
While I am always happy to share the good news of the progress that has been made regarding our numbers, I have to admit that this is not the greatest source of satisfaction for me in my work of promoting vocations. What really gives me hope is the culture that exists in our diocese. I truly believe that we are growing into a culture of vocations where people are taking an active role in praying for and promoting vocations. Let me give you two areas that give me hope.
First and foremost, I credit much of the growth to the joyful witness of our priests and our seminarians. Their love for their vocation and their fidelity to it is truly inspiring, especially for young people. They are able to see how giving one's life to following Jesus can be an extremely joyful and fulfilling experience. I am convinced that a part of the reason for that joy is the love and support that they receive from their parishioners. Having traveled with the bishop all over the diocese, I am impressed at how much you all love the priests and seminarians of our diocese. Please continue to pray for them and to love them, for in doing so, you are contributing in a significant way to strengthening this culture of vocations.
The other source of encouragement is to be found in the families of our diocese. In a particular way, I am impressed with the active role that fathers are taking in regard to the spiritual formation of their wives and children. This past June, several fathers and sons participated in a pilgrimage hosted by the Office for Marriage and Family Life. Along with two other priests and one of our seminarians, I had the joy of joining the trip and I was blown away with how serious the fathers were in living out their faith. It was evident that such fidelity had borne great fruit in the lives of their sons, as they were some of the most respectful young men I have met and many were very comfortable speaking about their openness to the reality that God has a plan for their lives and their desire to follow that call, whatever it may be. I see similar things happening in other gatherings of men throughout the diocese, whether it be with the Knights of Columbus, the "That Man is You" program, various men's conferences held in the diocese, and retreat experiences such as "Cursillo."
When fathers take their role of being the leader of the family seriously, especially in regard to their spiritual responsibilities, their families follow and the faith of the entire family is strengthened. The stronger the family as a whole is in living out their Catholic faith, the stronger are the roots that are being planted in the lives of their children — roots that will bear fruit in their being committed disciples of Jesus Christ and open to the vocation that the Lord has planned for them.
In addition to praying for the spiritual fathers of our diocese, please continue to pray for and support the natural fathers in our diocese. Their growth and dedication to embracing their role as leaders guiding their families to Heaven is, and will continue to be, a source of great blessing to the wonderful culture of vocations that is present in our diocese.