Reverend William Hahn was amazed by the power of the Catholic Church when he was in college. In July, he took up a full-time position at the Pontifical Josephinum College, a seminary in the Far North. Before taking office permanently, Hahn learned from the former vocations director, Reverend Noble, who had held the position for 10 years and is still pastor at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Sunbury.
The Diocese of Columbus currently has 18 seminarians in various stages of formation, compared to 36 four years ago, so the Diocesan Vocations Office is intensifying its efforts to reach out to young people who are considering a religious vocation. Father Evan Cummings, a São Paulo father who works as a pastoral associate at the Newman Center in Ohio, believes that universities can be an excellent place to find young adults interested in vocations. Hahn, 44, a native of Logan, was raised Catholic but had strayed from his faith and got into the party scene when he went to college at Ohio University. He plans to visit Catholic high schools and preach in a different parish every weekend, talking to parishioners about priestly vocations. The Vocations Office of the Catholic Diocese of Columbus has a responsibility to connect with potential candidates and organize an opportunity for discernment at least once a year. Regional vocational promoters will contact potential candidates and facilitate visits to schools by priests or seminarians in the region one or more times a year.
They will also meet with discerners and their families, obtain feedback from a parish pastor about a person, accept opportunities to speak about vocations in public, and provide spiritual guidance to those who wish to discern the priesthood. In the past, it was common for young people attending Catholic schools to consider the priesthood. Late last year, Hahn was appointed director of vocations for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus by Bishop Robert Brennan. In his case, he attended Ohio State to specialize in environmental sciences and geology before entering the seminary of the Pontifical Josephinum College. The Catholic Diocese of Columbus recognizes the need to provide those interested in or contemplating religious life with various opportunities to learn and explore diverse vocations. Whether you're called to serve the community at large or help meet the needs of your own parish, there are ample opportunities to serve here at St.
John Neumann Catholic Church. The Vocations Office of the Diocese of Columbus is dedicated to helping young people explore their faith and discover their vocation. Through its outreach efforts, it seeks to connect with potential candidates and provide them with an opportunity for discernment at least once a year. Regional vocational promoters contact potential candidates and facilitate visits to schools by priests or seminarians in the region one or more times a year. They also meet with discerners and their families, obtain feedback from a parish pastor about a person's suitability for religious life, accept opportunities to speak about vocations in public settings, and provide spiritual guidance for those who wish to discern their calling. Father Evan Cummings believes that universities can be an excellent place for young adults interested in vocations.
Reverend William Hahn is doing his part by visiting Catholic high schools and preaching in different parishes every weekend. He encourages young people to consider religious life as an option for their future. At St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Sunbury, there are ample opportunities for those called to serve their community or parish. The Diocese of Columbus is committed to providing those interested in religious life with various ways to learn about and explore diverse vocations.
