Close to 800 young men from the Archdiocese of New York have responded to a call for interest in the priestly life, according to the archdiocese's director of vocations.
"That number is pretty surprising. I'm not going to lie. It's more than I would have hoped for, for sure," Father George Sears told The Good Newsroom, the news outlet for the archdiocese, in a telephone interview July 18.
Launched on May 4, the "Called By Name" program encourages young men who feel called to the priesthood to begin the process of discernment. It also invites priests, family members, friends, and other members of parish communities to suggest young men they feel would be suited for a vocation to the priesthood.
While not exclusive to the Archdiocese of New York, the program is seen as having been effective in producing candidates for the priesthood.
"The program and the blueprint of it are not unique to us, but I'm very happy to say that I know a good idea, and I'm willing to steal it if I can," said Father Sears, who is also pastor of Good Shepherd Parish in Manhattan.
Father Sears credited a deepening of faith among Catholics for the interest in the priesthood.
"Over the past couple of years, it seems like people who are more religious, and especially men who are more religious, feel a little bit under attack. And I think the zeitgeist has changed a little bit. So, there's kind of a renewed interest in both Catholicism and just the role of men in the church. You see that especially in young people," he said. "That's kind of independent of 'Called by Name,' but I think we're seeing more young men interested in the priesthood because of that."
Father Sears said that after a discussion with their parish priest, those interested will have the opportunity to meet with him and New York's archbishop, Cardinal Timothy P. Dolan. They will participate in a process that will include prayer and more exposure to what the priesthood means and requires.
As far as the predicted outcome, Father Sears shared, "I was talking to somebody who was in marketing, and they said when they do big invitations like that, if they get 1%, that would be a lot. Usually, a real success is like 2 or 3%," Father Sears said. But he emphasized the added bonus is that all these men are referred by actual individuals.
"If we got 40 or 50 viable candidates out of this, well, great," he said.
Even for those who do not discern Jesus Christ calling them to the vocation of priesthood, "Called By Name" may offer people the opportunity to become more involved in the life of the Catholic Church in other ways.
"Hopefully, we'll be able to identify other people that we might want to get more involved in the parish. Maybe we have a Knights of Columbus group, maybe we need somebody to bring Communion to the sick, or maybe teach catechesis," he said.
"So, we'll also identify in the parishes other good men who could serve as good Christian role models for future generations, too," he said. "Those are all good things."
