‘Called by Name’: Utah diocese initiative invites young people to consider religious life

The Diocese of Salt Lake City, Utah, announced that it will participate in the Called By Name Weekend on Jan. 24–25. The program is part of the diocese’s vocation initiative.

The effort invites parishioners to nominate devout single Catholics, aged 14–49, whom the parishioners think may be a good priest or religious sister.

“These nominations are not meant to include every active young man or woman or single person in the parish, but only those whom you truly believe, after prayer, the Holy Spirit may be calling to priesthood or consecrated life,” the diocesan announcement explained. “Once names are submitted, Bishop Oscar A. Solis and the Vocations Office will reach out to those nominated with gentle encouragement.”

Parishioners will be able to fill out the nomination cards left in their pews during the weekend or complete a form online. 

The bishop will send the nominees a personal letter, invitations to vocation dinners, and opportunities to discern in other diocesan events “in a supportive, no-pressure environment,” the announcement added. 

The Called by Name program has been used in other dioceses across the country, and in the Diocese of Jefferson City, Missouri, which has 75,000 Catholics, parishioners nominated more than 500 young men who they felt could be called to the priesthood.

“Your prayerful nomination could be the very moment the Holy Spirit uses to awaken a vocation that will one day say ‘yes’ to God’s invitation to serve,” the announcement concluded. “The Office of Vocations believes the Holy Spirit has already placed future priests and religious sisters in our midst and is still calling them here in Utah – and with courage and faith, as the People of God, we will help call them by name.”