Posts Tagged
Catholic Vocations
Pope Leo XIV: Lack of priests is a ‘great misfortune’ for the Catholic Church

By Nicolás de Cárdenas ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 25, 2025 / 16:57 pm Pope Leo XIV said during an audience with French altar servers in Rome on Aug. 25, the feast day of St. Louis IX, king of France, that the shortage of priests is “a great misfortune” for the Catholic Church, encouraging …
Hundreds nominated for priesthood in Denver ‘Called by Name’ campaign

By Kate Quiñones Denver, Colo., Aug 18, 2025 / 06:00 am The Archdiocese of Denver asked parishioners to share the names of young men they thought would make good priests. The result? More than 900 names. But names aren’t the only outcome of the Called By Name campaign, which launched in May. …
CARA study: Mary’s role strongly shapes vocational paths in U.S. Church

By Tessa Gervasini Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 16, 2025 / 15:30 pm A new study has found that “reciting the rosary privately” is the most popular Marian devotion among those discerning a religious vocation. The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University published its June 2025 report: “Impact …
On Vocational Discernment to my Sisters in Christ

When navigating the wild world of vocational discernment, there seem to be two prevailing strategies. One approach is to keep a meticulous regimen: swiping between dating apps and convent contact pages with disciplined rigor until God’s plan becomes plain. The other is to sit back and prayerfully wait for the …
Striving to build something Beautiful

When I was young, a priest spoke of Our Lady with these words: “The greatest prayer you can offer in this life is for the grace to give the Holy Spirit the freedom to do with, in, and through you whatever He wishes, as Our Lady did in her Fiat. …
Over 400 men in U.S. to be ordained in 2025; most felt called to priesthood by age 16

By Tessa Gervasini Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 17, 2025 / 14:03 pm More than 400 men will be ordained to the priesthood in the U.S. this year, and on average they began to consider becoming a priest at just 16 years old, according to an annual CARA survey. The Center for Applied …
Pope Francis: ‘Every vocation is animated by hope’

By AC Wimmer CNA Newsroom, Mar 19, 2025 / 09:25 am Writing from Gemelli Hospital, Pope Francis emphasized the role of hope in vocational discernment in his message for the 62nd World Day of Prayer for Vocations released by the Vatican on Wednesday. “Vocation is a precious gift that God sows …
US Diocese of Columbus sees number of seminarians double

By Fr. Paweł Rytel-Andrianik & Wojciech Rogacin At his episcopal ordination in May 2022, Bishop Earl Fernandes quipped that there were more bishops being ordained that year than priests in the Diocese of Columbus. The congregation laughed, but Bishop Fernandes’ remark reflected the gravity of the situation. “At that time …
This small diocese is leading the country in vocations to the priesthood

By Jonah McKeown CNA Staff, Feb 12, 2025 / 15:30 pm The small Midwestern diocese of Wichita, Kansas, continues to lead the nation in many metrics related to priestly vocations, according to a new report from Vocation Ministry, a Texas nonprofit that supports vocations programs in parishes and schools. The report, which serves as …
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur select new director of mission integration

[Cincinnati OH] – Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in Reading, Ohio, have selected Donna Groene to serve as director of mission integration for the congregation’s Ohio Province. Groene previously worked for 35 years at Mount Notre Dame High School, which is owned by the Sisters. Her most recent role …