They’re doing something right.
This story is from 2023, but just popped up in my feed today. It’s news to me — and I think more people should know about this.
From Catholic Extension:
Something is going on in the Diocese of Little Rock, Arkansas, something that should give us hope for the future of Catholicism.
Vocations to the priesthood have skyrocketed. In the past 15 years, 51 men have been ordained. Twenty-five more are in the seminary. During this 15- year period, the median age of priests has fallen from 65 to an amazing 49 years old.
“Here in Arkansas, we’ve promoted vocations across the board in the life of the Church and created a culture of vocations in our parishes, in our youth programs, in our schools,” said Bishop Anthony Taylor of the Diocese of Little Rock, pictured below pointing to a composite photo of the diocese’s seminarians. “And our young men have responded.”
To grasp how stunning these numbers are, the nation’s largest archdioceses with millions of Catholics would have to ordain more than 1,000 priests in the same 15-year period to keep pace with the Diocese of Little Rock. No diocese in the nation has exceeded 200 ordinations in that time frame, according to the Official Catholic Directory.
Little Rock, a statewide diocese, was founded on the same day as the Archdioceses of Chicago and Milwaukee. Yet Catholics there are still only 5 percent of the total population. The number of vocations is not just what’s impressive. The strength of those ordained is what’s most powerful.
Fathers Stephen Hart, Mauricio Carrasco, Stephen Gadberry and seminarian Chase Feltner are among those who have come through the ranks in the past 15 years. They have a lot in common. They are smart, fit, focused, affable, articulate and easy to be around. They are, for lack of a better term, joyful.
