Called by Name Campaign Helps Many to Begin Discerning a Vocation

Story by Shelley Wolf

The cards are all in. Now the letters are going out. The Called by Name vocations initiative is in motion.

Since August, Archbishop Christopher J. Coyne has been actively sending out letters to vocation nominees, inviting them to discern a call to the priesthood, to the religious and consecrated life or to the diaconate. Additional batches of letters will be mailed throughout the fall.

The nominees are fresh names that resulted from the Called by Name vocations initiative, which was held in parishes throughout the archdiocese on the weekend of June 8 and 9. During that weekend, all parishioners were asked to fill out cards to nominate someone they thought might make a holy priest, sister, brother or deacon.

“It took over a month to receive all the cards,” says Father Anthony Federico, director of Vocations and Seminarians. “It’s actually up to 506 – we got one more straggler yesterday.”

With a total of 506 nominees, 74% of nominations were for the priesthood, 14% were for religious and consecrated life, and 12% were for the diaconate. A total of 63 parishes participated in the Called by Name program.

Father Federico was especially moved by the many wonderful comments written on the cards.

“It was heartwarming to read the nominations,” he says. “Parents nominating their children. Wives nominating their husbands to be deacons. Siblings noticing something special in each other. Many from grandparents.

“My favorite one was from a mom and read, ‘Although it is difficult for me, I am ready to offer the Church my only son as a priest, if that is God’s will for him.’”

Service to the Catholic Church proved to be a common theme.

“We heard a lot about young people who serve their parish as lectors and altar servers or who volunteer in different ministries,” Father Federico adds. “They seem to have a few things in common: joy in service, willingness to go above and beyond, and a deep love for the Lord and the Church.”

All of the nominations were reviewed for appropriateness for a vocation within the Catholic Church. Now, Father Federico must wait to see how many of the nominees who receive letters will take the archbishop up on his offer.

“The real discernment begins when the person receives a letter from Archbishop Coyne inviting them to contact the Vocations office and begin formally discerning their vocation,” Father Federico explains. “I am very hopeful that we will have a huge response.”

Those who call the Office of Vocations will be assigned to a spiritual director, who will help the nominee discover where God is directing his or her life.

These new vocation prospects, Father Federico stresses, are all due to the active participation of parishioners.

“God has not stopped calling men and women to serve the Church. The vocations that we need are out there,” he says. “The work of finding them does not belong to any one person. Called by Name gives every parishioner at every parish a chance to participate in the exciting new movement of the Holy Spirit currently taking place in the Archdiocese of Hartford.”

Most of all, Father Federico would like to thank parishioners, especially the parents, who nominated someone for discernment.

“I am truly grateful to everyone who took the time to fill out a card for Called by Name. It shows your investment in the future of our local Church,” he says. “Who knows – maybe the act of you writing someone’s name on a card will be the catalyst for the next priest or religious sister to come forward in the Archdiocese of Hartford.”