The crucial work of raising up young men willing to discern a priestly vocation and the formation of our seminarians is a responsibility entrusted to the entire People of God – the Church. By your generous financial support of the 2026 Fishers of Men Appeal, the seminary education and the formation of the future priests of the Diocese of Harrisburg will continue. We have been blessed in recent years with many excellent and faithful new priests. Thank you for your past generosity, which has enabled that blessing, and we hope that we can count on your support of this year’s appeal to assure that this blessing continues into the future.
Good Priests do not just happen.
September 2026
Dear Friends,
I pray that this letter finds you well. Once again, I am writing to request your support for our Fishers of Men Appeal which, as you know, provides vital support for those men pursuing their call to the priesthood. The Lord has continued to bless our Diocese with many courageous men who have answered the call. In response, He has also greatly blessed us with many generous benefactors who support these men through their prayers, talents, and financial gifts. The formation of our seminarians to be holy and virtuous priests is a mission entrusted to all of us, and today, I invite you to join us on this most important mission.
In addition to ordaining Rev. Andrew Heidelbaugh to the priesthood this year, I am happy to inform you that Bishop Senior has accepted five new men to begin their formation to the priesthood! This is the largest group of “new men” that we have had enter formation in 7 years! This much needed blessing comes with the added responsibility to support these men on their journey. That is the purpose of the Fishers of Men Appeal. This appeal makes it possible for our 13 seminarians (five of them new) to receive this formation, which costs approximately $65,000 a year, including the costs of tuition, room and board, foreign language studies, summer formation programs, occasional counseling, and other miscellaneous costs.
This appeal also makes it possible to support more men discerning if God is calling them to the priesthood. Our largest event each year is our Quo Vadis Days Retreat. This is a summer retreat for young men 15-25 years old who are discerning a vocation to the priesthood. This year, we had 79 young men attend from across our Diocese. That is the second consecutive year that we have doubled our previous average of 35-40! This is, no doubt, a result of increased prayers across our diocese, preaching about vocations, inviting young men to discern, and the increased efforts in our parishes by priests and lay people to encourage young men in their discernment. Of those 79 young men, 23 of them wanted a personal follow-up meeting with me to seriously discuss the possibility of entering seminary. As I work through follow-up meetings, I have been beyond impressed with the quality and sincerity of these young men and am hopeful that many will take the leap of faith. God has truly blessed us with many young men open to His call, and I have faith that just as He provides the young men who will be our Fishers of Men, He will provide the resources to form them. I ask you to please consider whether you are being called to support the men who will be your future priests.
Your generosity will make this appeal tremendously successful and as a result, will greatly benefit our seminarians, our parishes and our entire Diocese. I pray we can count on your support this year. God can do a lot with a little; He fed thousands with just a few loaves and fish. He can do incredible things with your gift too, no matter the size. Gifts can be made via check made payable to the Diocese of Harrisburg or you can make a secure online donation below.
On behalf of each seminarian who will be directly blessed by your generosity, and the future parishioners whom they will serve, thank you for your generosity and be assured of our prayers! Please continue to pray for vocations!
Sincerely,
Rev. Joshua R. Weaver
Director of Vocations