“May you know the hope that belongs to his call.”
-Ephesians 1:18
Those living in the world today know many things: despair, anxiety, doubt, confusion. To say we are living in a time of great hope doesn’t seem like the obvious description, and yet, as Christians, we know this to be true – for hope requires “placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit” (CCC 1817).
As Catholics around the world continue to celebrate the Jubilee Year of Hope, our local Church in the Diocese of Scranton also rejoices in hope as more of our young people decide to answer the Lord’s call. This year, Bishop Joseph Bambera accepted five new seminarians from three different countries, four different counties, and five different parishes.
The increasing number of seminarians for the Diocese of Scranton correlates to national trends noted in the 2025 CARA Report, which surveyed more than 300 men preparing for priestly ordination across the United States.
God has given you a vocation to serve him in a way that no one else can. This vocation may be to serve him as a diocesan priest. If you place your trust in the Lord, you too can discover the hope found in loving and serving God and then share that hope with a world that is all too familiar with despair.
- Have you ever felt called to follow a plan greater than your own?
- When you hear God’s word, are you filled with a desire to share it?
- Do you want to lay down your life to minister to God’s people?
- Are you drawn to the diocesan priesthood?
If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, God may be calling you to serve his people as a priest. Where do you go from here?
- First and foremost, listen to God’s voice in prayer. As the Catechism tells us, “Hope is expressed and nourished in prayer, especially in the Our Father, the summary of everything that hope leads us to desire” (CCC 1820).
- Connect with your parish priest and become active in the life of your faith community through the sacraments, service, and fellowship.
- Check out the material available on this site and our social media accounts for more information about events and discernment tips.
- Reach out to our vocation director, Fr. Alex Roche, for a conversation.
- Trust that your God has a plan for you, that he sustains you through it all, and that he is inviting you to know the hope that is found in his call.
To get in touch with the Vocations Office, please email vocations@dioceseofscranton.org or contact Father Alex Roche, our Diocesan Director of Vocations and Seminarians.
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