“It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain.” – John 15:16
God has chosen each of us for a specific task: to go and bear fruit for His kingdom. Our mission is to answer God’s call and see how we can serve Him through our vocation. This is especially important for our young people as they discern the call God has for them.
Through the Raising Vocations Collection, we invest in ministries that encourage young men and women to say “Yes” to God’s invitation to the priesthood or religious life. The first year of this collection has been a great success thanks to your abundant generosity.
Together we have raised more than $600,000 through the Collection. These gifts will allow the Diocese to support so many young people as they answer God’s call and bring more people to Jesus throughout northeastern Wisconsin. So many wonderful families and individuals made this possible. This campaign is also critical in helping the Diocese reach the Vocations goal to have 30 seminarians by 2025.
Having 30 seminarians will help us have more priests to serve in our parishes and bring more people to Christ. Catholic campus ministries at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. It is here where campus ministers welcome college students and help them stay connected to their faith while away from home. Your gift also supports other ministries that increase vocations. We are grateful for your support and the support of thousands of families for this campaign!
Because of this great support, we can help more youth in our Diocese on their faith journey. One way we accomplish this is by offering funding for young people in our parishes across the Diocese to attend a youth conference called Steubenville. This inspiring conference helps young people begin to explore God’s will for them and grow deeper in love with Jesus. Many times, young people come back home with a fire in their belly for the Lord. This conference also works closely with our Vocations Director, Father Mark Mleziva, and shares with him the names of students who are interested in discerning priesthood and religious life.
Raising Vocations will also be helping some of our UW-Oshkosh college students attend the SEEK youth conference coming up in January 2025 and will further support their campus ministry to bring more young adults to Christ. These are just a couple of the ways Raising Vocations is inspiring our young people to become the future leaders of our Church.
Please pray for our youth and for an increase in vocations in the Diocese of Green Bay. Thank you for your support, and may God bless you abundantly!
If you would like to make an online gift to support ministries that increase vocations throughout the Diocese of Green Bay, visit https://www.catholicfoundationgb.org/give.