“Who doesn’t want to be a superhero?”
These were the words of Fr. Kurt Perera, director of Vocations for the Diocese of Phoenix and formator at St. Mary’s House, who spoke to a packed church during a special vocations Mass earlier this month at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Tempe, Ariz.
The congregation was brimming with young boys and men.
During his homily, Fr. Perera spoke about the reality that God calls ordinary men to do extraordinary things for His Kingdom through the priesthood, and he boldly invited everyone present to be open to the possibility that the Lord might be calling them or someone from their own family to this profound way of life.
This was the second of a dozen parish visits that Fr. Perera, joined by local seminarians from Nazareth Seminary, will make around the diocese over the next six months to promote vocations to the priesthood.
“My hopes are threefold,” shared Fr. Perera. “First, to gather Catholics for a Mass specifically offered for an increase in priestly vocations. Second, to spark interest in men to discern the priesthood. And finally, to raise awareness of our new seminary (Nazareth Seminary) and encourage the laity to foster vocations within their parishes and families.
“Ultimately, the goal of this initiative is to ignite a deeper response to Christ’s call and help unmarried Catholic men discern and hear God’s quiet voice amid the noise of the world.”
The idea for these intentional parish visits came from Bishop John Dolan, who, as a former vocations director himself, used to visit parishes and invite men to discern the priesthood. This is the second year these vocational parish visits are taking place.
Fr. Perera was joined by 10 young and joyful seminarians who participated in the Mass as altar servers, each of whom recently moved into the newly opened St. Mary’s House at St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix, where they are completing their Philosophy Year.
“These 10 men who are discerning the priesthood make up one-fifth of the seminarians in our diocese,” Fr. Perera shared with the congregation, as they took in the striking visual.
This year, the Diocese of Phoenix has a record number of 50 seminarians receiving formation.
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After the closing announcements at Mass, Br. Damien, who is discerning with the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit and is a seminarian at Nazareth Seminary, shared his testimony, which stirred hearts and brought laughter to those who filled the pews.
The seminarians stayed after Mass, connecting and engaging with parishioners, including men who wanted to know more about life as a seminarian.
“In addition to helping men respond to the call of Christ in their lives, this is also an incredible opportunity to start introducing our seminarians to the various communities and people of God they may be serving as priests one day,” said Fr. Will Schmid, lead formator at Our Lady of Perpetual Help House, who led the vocational visits last year.
“Men in the pews see other young men like themselves and hopefully they start asking themselves, ‘If God is calling him, could He also be calling me?’
“It is a powerful sign of hope for the future of the Church,” continued Fr. Schmid. “God is doing something amazing with priestly vocations and it is a sign of the Holy Spirit working in a profound way in our diocese.”
Nazareth Seminary was established in October 2023 by Bishop John Dolan. This historic formation program is fully local and is based on a home-style model, the first of its kind in the 54-year history of the Diocese of Phoenix. Nazareth Seminary is comprised of four formation homes: Nazareth House – formation years, located near St. Gregory Parish in Phoenix, opened in 2019; Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH) House – spirituality year on campus of OLPH in Scottsdale, opened in August ‘23; St. Mary’s House – philosophy years at former friary at St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix, opened Oct. 1, ‘24; and St. Joseph’s House – theology years, expected to open in fall of 2026.
Upcoming Vocational Parish Visits:
- October 20, 2024, “Seminary Sunday”* at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Mass, St. Mary’s Basilica (Phoenix)
- October 27, 2024, at 9 a.m. Mass, Holy Cross Catholic Church (Mesa)
- November 2, 2024, at 5 p.m. (Saturday) Mass, St. Andrew (Chandler)
- November 10, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. Mass, St. Joan of Arc (Phoenix)
- November 24, 2024, at 10 a.m. English and 12 p.m. Spanish Masses, St. Germain (Prescott Valley)
- December 8, 2024, “Seminary Sunday” at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Mass, St. Mary’s Basilica (Phoenix)
- January 12, 2025, “Seminary Sunday” at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Mass, St. Mary’s Basilica (Phoenix)
- January 26, 2025, at 9 a.m. Mass, St. Louis the King (Phoenix)
- February 2, 2025, “Seminary Sunday” at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Mass, St. Mary’s Basilica (Phoenix)
- February 16, 2025, Mass time TBD, Prince of Peace (Sun City)
- February 23, 2025, at 11 a.m. Mass, St. Mary’s (Chandler)
- March 9, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. Mass, St. Thomas Aquinas (Avondale)
- March 30, 2025, Mass time TBD, Our Lady of Joy (Carefree)
- April 6, 2025, Mass time TBD, Our Lady of the Lake (Lake Havasu)
* “Seminary Sundays” take place once a month; seminarians will serve at Mass and will be available afterward to greet parishioners and answer questions