On May 4, the Archdiocese of New York kicked off the “Called by Name” program, encouraging men to discern the priesthood in a unique way – by having others recommend them to the Archdiocese. By the third week of July, OSV News reports, nearly 800 men responded.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan invited people to participate in the initiative by video saying,
“We need good pastors after the heart of Jesus. We need good priests and there are some of you out there who I think can be good priests and there are some of you out there who know men who could be and we’re asking you to let us know who they are so we can invite them – and we’re not going to nag them and we’re not going to coerce them – we’re just going to say, 'Hey do you know that some people in your parish think you might be a good priest? Have you ever thought about it?'"
The response has been significant, both from young men open to discerning and from archdiocesan Catholics who know someone they think could make a wonderful priest.
Beginning of the road
The response to Called by Name is not a commitment to anything more than to be open to God’s call, the first step of any vocation.
When someone fills out the Called by Name recommendation form, the young man (ages 18-30) will receive a letter from Cardinal Dolan as well as resources from the Vocations Office and invitations to discernment events. It is an opportunity for young men to start down the road of considering whether God might be calling him to the priesthood.
In his invitation, Cardinal Dolan shared a bit of his own vocation story, saying
I was always fascinated by the priesthood and blessed with great priests at my parish. And so when I thought, 'Hey, I don’t know if I have what it takes and I don’t know why, but I think Jesus might be calling me to serve him as a priest.' I went in and I’ve never regretted it folks. It's the happiest life I could imagine. Have there been struggles? Have there been disappointments? Have there been heartaches? You bet, but you tell me one vocation where that’s not true.
The Archdiocese has a website dedicated to vocations: NYPriest covers everything from what a seminary is like to ways to discern your vocation. They even have a self-discernment test that allows men to consider whether they have some of the 20 qualities that may make them a good fit for the priesthood.
Around North America
The Archdiocese of New York is just one of many dioceses that have hosted a Called by Name initiative.
The Diocese of Baton Rouge first hosted one in 2008-09 and is doing so again. In the past year, dioceses from Winnipeg, Canada, to Davenport, Iowa, have implemented this community-driven discernment effort.
When the initiative launched in Davenport, the diocese explained that discernment isn’t necessarily a solitary endeavor:
“The discernment of any vocation is not exclusive, but ought to involve the church community as well. It is everyone’s business to help each other know and live out their vocation. Our hope is to help one another deepen our relationship with God so that someday we can be with Him and all the saints in Heaven.”
The Austin Diocese saw a significant increase in discerners and seminarians when they started Called by Name. In their 2023-24 Impact Report, they explained that 1,200 men were nominated in the initiative, contributing to the growing number of seminarians in their diocese, 60 at the time.
A Few Good Men
To Cardinal Dolan, the need is clear: “We need pastors, my brothers and sisters, we need priests,” he says earnestly in his video.
The men the Archdiocese is reaching out to don’t need to know if they are going to become priests to say yes to discernment groups and events. The Cardinal writes to the diocese that, “They simply need to love Christ and the Church, exhibit a strong faith, and have a heart for service.”
