He believes young people need to know that ‘God is calling them after a purpose — whatever God has created them for — some definite purpose.’
From OSV News, words of wisdom from Bishop Earl K. Fernandes of Columbus, who in two years has overseen a remarkable transformation in his diocese:
When he was ordained as bishop on May 31, 2022, he observed that there were more bishops ordained than priests that year in the diocese since there were no priestly ordinations and just 17 seminarians.
But this past year, the Diocese of Columbus has had 16 men enter the seminary, with 12 in the application process for next year. The diocese has a total of 37 seminarians and five priestly ordinations this year, as well as three men ordained to the transitional diaconate.
Bishop Fernandes is focused on fostering vocations through the joyful witness of priests of all ages in the diocese.
He brought up the example of 87-year-old Msgr. James Walter, a faithful, hardworking priest who “would bring young men to the Josephinum (seminary) for the come and see weekends” and “even in his old age, he radiated a type of a joy” that the bishop saw attracting people to the life of a priest.
The diocese has priests and religious teaching in diocesan high schools because Bishop Fernandes believes “day-to-day contact with young people” and “building a relationship of trust goes a long way.”
As a newly ordained priest, he taught in a Catholic high school in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and two of his former students became priests with many others getting married and baptizing their children in the church. “Having a regular relationship with the church,” he said, “is an important thing even before we propose priestly and religious vocations.”
In the diocese, he reinstituted the Andrew Dinner, a dinner every few months with young men who are discerning where they are able to engage and pose questions to him and seminarians. The diocese also has a Marian Dinner with religious sisters for young women discerning entry into religious orders.
The diocese launched the Melchizedek Project as well, in which young priests meet once a month with those who are discerning to read and discuss Father Brett Brannen’s book “To Save a Thousand Souls: A Guide for Discerning a Vocation to Diocesan Priesthood.”
“That’s been effective,” Bishop Fernandes said, because “it gets men who are discerning into a regular rhythm of prayer and discerning with others” and gives them “a spiritual guide who accompanies them.”
There are also Quo Vadis discernment retreats for high school students at the Pontifical College Josephinum seminary.
He believes young people need to know that “God is calling them after a purpose — whatever God has created them for — some definite purpose.”
