Bishp Earl Boyea by Diocese of Lansing / Facebook (Left), Adobe Stock (Right)
CV NEWS FEED // With new data showing the vital role of personal encouragement and prayer in discerning priestly vocations, Bishop Earl Boyea is calling on Catholics to support young men who may be hearing God’s call.
“Encourage a young man to consider the priesthood or to attend Eucharistic Adoration; he could be your future pastor,” said Bishop Boyea, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations.
His appeal comes in a press release that the USCCB issued ahead of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, which is May 11. The release also highlights findings from the annual Ordination Class of 2025 Study, conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University.
The survey found that nine in 10 men to be ordained this year said someone personally encouraged them to consider the priesthood. Most often, this encouragement came from a parish priest (60%), a friend (52%), or a fellow parishioner (42%). The influence of personal relationships stood out as a powerful factor in discerning a vocation.
“We express our deepest gratitude to the many priests, family members, mentors, formators, and laity who have encouraged and supported these men in their discernment of their call to the priesthood,” Bishop Boyea said.
Eucharistic adoration also emerged as a significant part of vocational discernment. Seventy-eight percent of the future priests said they regularly participated in Adoration before entering seminary.
The data revealed that many ordinands began considering priesthood early in life, with 35% discerning during elementary school and another 20% in high school. Nearly half attended Catholic elementary school, and over a third attended Catholic high school. Most were baptized Catholic as infants and raised in stable, married households.
Bishop Boyea stressed the need for ongoing prayer and support from the faithful for clergy.
“We pray for the continued fidelity of the newly ordained to the voice of God and for the faithful to whom they will minister,” he said. “As witnesses of hope, we thank them for their courage to commit their lives to what Pope Francis said is a call that embraces their entire existence.”
