The new year is upon us and we continue to build on the momentum that we started back in the summer. Our partnership with Vianney Vocations continues and we have some work to do!
More than 130 names were submitted back in November during our first-ever Called By Name weekend, when parishioners took part in encouraging young men in their parish to think about the priesthood and to help the Department of Vocations connect them with resources to help their discernment. Our Vocation Team, which is a group of priests from across the diocese, will begin reaching out to all of those young men this month and inviting them to take part in a discernment group.

You may remember that we launched a few six-week discernment groups last fall and more than 30 young men took part. We expect that those numbers will greatly increase this spring. I would like to thank all of those who participated in the Called by Name campaign. Think about it: the Department of Vocations has over 130 more contacts than we had before. That is God at work.
The next big discernment trip will be hosted by assistant vocation director Father Tristan Stovall. Father Tristan is taking college age and above guys to Notre Dame Seminary at the end of January. The men will tour the seminary, take part in classes and visit with our seminarians as well as the other men at NDS. We will have a seminary trip to St. Joseph College Seminary a little later in the spring for our younger discerners. These trips are always important and thanks to Called by Name and other initiatives, more men are being invited to participate.
Our goal continues to be ambitious, but full of confident faith in the Lord: 33 seminarians by the year 2030. We have two applicants for the coming year so far, and we will see what the Lord has in store when our discernment groups launch, and God continues to work on the hearts of the young men who are participating.
As you discuss our vocation efforts with possible discerners, parents and your Catholic friends, help them to understand that seminary formation is not just for men who know they are called to be priests. Seminary formation is for any man who is open to the will of God and thinks that priesthood might be his call. Too many people dismiss the possibility of going to seminary off hand because they misunderstand what the seminary is for.
The seminary exists primarily to form young men, and many of them become priests, but not all. Many of the guys who start seminary formation don’t end up getting ordained, and that is ok. If a man has the requisite maturity and the correct attitude and openness to formation, he will end up being a better Catholic professional and husband than he would have been without that formation.
Thank you all for your incredible support of our programs. I have been inspired by the amount of phone calls, letters and gifts that we’ve received to keep our programs going and to support our men in priestly formation. Thank you, and Happy New Year. Let’s go find some more seminarians!

(For more information on vocations, visit jacksonvocations.com or contact Father Nick Adam at (601) 969-4020 or nick.adam@jacksondiocese.org.)