We are nearing the end of a historic year for our seminary program. We jumped up from six seminarians to 12, and I’m very grateful for all of the support we have received to help our men engage in their formation. About half of our seminarians are at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans and the other half are at St. Joseph Seminary College in Covington, Louisiana.

After a man is accepted to the seminary, we consider which environment would be ideal for him to start his time as a seminarian. As you would expect, the atmosphere in New Orleans is city immersed. Classes are held within two large buildings on the west end of New Orleans, and while there is space to play basketball and tennis out back, there is not much in the way of nature – with mostly cars zooming up and down South Carrollton Avenue.

St. Joseph is nestled in the farmland north of Covington. It’s less than an hour to the Mississippi line on I-55. There are plenty of walking paths, a river and lakes. It’s a nature-lovers paradise, but it is more isolated from the conveniences of the city.

Both places are beautiful and have pluses and minuses. The biggest consideration is typically the age of the new seminarian. Anyone who is still within the age-range of an undergraduate college student will start at St. Joseph. The community there tends younger and I would be concerned about someone in their early 20s feeling comfortable and confident at Notre Dame at such a young age. Once a man turns 25, typically we send him to New Orleans so that he doesn’t start to feel like a ‘senior citizen’ in the community. I know, it’s funny to think of someone in their 20s thinking of themselves as ‘old!’

We have used seminaries in different parts of the country throughout the years, including during my time as Vocation Director, but typically I like to keep our men at these more local seminaries so long as the program there remains solid. It is a great gift to be able to drive to see our guys.

Bishop Kopacz has made it a priority to attend annual evaluations in person, which is not typical, but it is a great gift. His presence helps the men feel connected to the diocese and to realize how seriously we are taking their journey through formation. When Bishop and I come down for evaluations we like to pray evening prayer with them and take them out to dinner so that the day isn’t just ‘all-business.’ We also ask the guys at the ‘other seminary’ to drive up, or down, for the occasion so we can all be together. I think this has helped create an atmosphere of trust and accountability over the years. I am grateful for these trips because it has really helped me continue to update the bishop on the men’s progress in a way that is consistent and personal, and he gets to check in on them himself, which means so much to our seminarians.

(Father Nick Adam is Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Jackson. He can be contacted at nick.adam@jacksondiocese.org.)

We are in the midst of ‘application season’ in the diocese. Typically this time of year, we have several men who are considering whether they are called to enter seminary formation, and Father Tristan Stovall and I try to walk with them as best we can. Our goal is to help them discover whether seminary is the place for them.

We discover this through one-on-one conversations so that they can ask me what seminary life is all about. They also are encouraged to visit the seminary at some stage so they can see what it’s really like. So many young people (and older people) think that a seminary operates like a monastery, but it’s not!
As Father Tristan and I get to know a discerner, there comes a point when it is appropriate to ‘hand him an application.’ Sometimes the discernment process ends without an application, but once the application is in hand, then we can plug the applicant into more resources to discover whether he’s called to the seminary.

We have the applicant work with the St. Luke Center in Louisville, Kentucky, a firm of Catholic psychologists who conduct testing that is called for by the Church. Since St. Luke works exclusively with applicants for formation, they know what to look for in a good applicant, and they give the candidate and me great information.

Once the application is turned in and the testing at St. Luke Center is through, we ask the candidate to meet with our Vocation Committee. This is a group of laity from various parishes who hear the story of the candidate and then ask him questions to get to know him better. This group has been working with me since 2020, and they have seen many applicants through the process. The Vocation Committee gives their opinion to me and Bishop Kopacz, and then a final decision is made on the candidate.
I am confident that our application process helps men whether or not they end up enrolling in the seminary. It also helps us be generous but judicious with the resources entrusted to us to provide education and formation for our seminarians. We provide resources to these applicants to help them understand who they are and what God is calling them to do, and I am grateful for the collaboration of experts and the people of God in the process.

Please keep all those men applying for the seminary this year in your prayers, and pray that God’s will, not ours, be done!

(Father Nick Adam is Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Jackson. He can be contacted at nick.adam@jacksondiocese.org.)

Our seminarians are back at school following Christmas break. Many of our men spent time in their home parishes or in other parishes throughout the diocese. One of the movements of formation is a desire to spend time in the parish and in the rectory as guys progress closer to priesthood. I hosted several of our seminarians here at the Cathedral Rectory, and I’m grateful to other brother priests who made their homes available as well.

Beyond spending time with family and in parishes, our seminarians also participate in diocesan events as they are able when they are home. The winter SEARCH retreat hosted by the Office of Youth Ministry has long been a great event where our guys can share their gifts. SEARCH has long been a keystone event for high schoolers in our youth groups and Catholic schools. It is a weekend-long retreat that has helped countless young people come closer to Christ at this key point in their lives.

I appreciate Abbey Schuhmann, our diocesan youth coordinator, for having the seminarians help plan and execute liturgies and to help accompany the teens who are on retreat. This tradition goes back at least 2012 when I was in seminary. Back then, Father Aaron Williams was a SEARCH alum who made it a priority to provide beautiful opportunities for liturgical prayer for the teens while he was a seminarian. He passed that role to Father Andrew Bowden, who passed it to Deacon Will Foggo, who is passing that role (I think!) to Joe Pearson.

I was very proud to see Deacon Will at SEARCH this year leading adoration and benediction for the teens. It was a full-circle moment for him, having been a youth group member at St. Paul Flowood and a SEARCH participant, and now leading the teens in prayer as an ordained minister. This is the sort of homegrown story that I always try to highlight. The seminarians we have are from our communities, and, when ordained, will serve our communities. So much goodness can come forth from this type of continuity, both for the people of God and for the seminarians and priests of our diocese.

I was a little embarrassed, however, during benediction. Like a proud dad, I got my phone out to take a picture of Deacon Will, and I forgot to put it on silent. So when I took the photo, there was a loud click in the midst of the beauty and silence of benediction. Whoops. Sorry, Lord.

Each January the seminarians and Bishop gather for an Epiphany Party to celebrate the birth of the Savior. This has been a fun tradition that began when I ran out of time one year to get everyone together before Christmas. It ended up working out well because Epiphany falls after all the busyness of the days leading up to Christmas and New Year’s, and the seminarians are still on break. I am grateful to my assistant in the Vocations Office, Debra Padula, who has been the ‘party planner’ in the Vocations Office for many years now. Debbie has done a great job creating fun traditions that our guys look forward to each year. She really goes for it with the Epiphany theme, helping us proclaim that Jesus is King while keeping everything to a very strict budget. The best tradition, I think, are the crowns from Burger King that she has for all the guests. The crowns are specially decorated with the diocesan seal taped to the front. It’s a fun gag and it sets a great tone for the evening.

This is one of our core events that are held each year that help to foster fraternity among our men. I’m especially happy when I see them ‘coming early and staying late’ when we have events. This means that they enjoy each others’ company and are forming bonds that will last beyond their years in seminary. In a diocese that is so spread out, it is important that we provide our seminarians with opportunities to build fraternity and actively show them how to do it. Our men do this on their own as well. Each spring a group of guys will head up to Starkville to see a Mississippi State baseball game and spend the weekend at St. Joseph Parish. They also go to concerts together in the New Orleans area while they are in school, and they are very intentional about a weekly meal together as diocesan brothers.

Each summer we hold a convocation with all of our seminarians over a few days deep in the woods at a great deer camp that is donated to us by parishioners here in the diocese. These official events only work if our men understand the importance and the urgency of building bonds of friendship and trust with one another. I’m grateful to say that ‘they get it,’ and they are very intentional about this part of the their preparation for priesthood. I know it will serve them well when they enter into ministry, and they’ll be able to lean on one another for support and encouragement when the going gets tough!

(Father Nick Adam is Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Jackson. He can be contacted at nick.adam@jacksondiocese.org.)

I began working in vocation ministry officially in August 2019, when Bishop Joseph Kopacz asked me to serve as vocation promoter for the Diocese of Jackson. It is hard to believe that was more than six years ago.

During that time, I have sat across from dozens of young men at various stages of discernment. Over the years, I have come to recognize that while every discernment journey is different, there are common pathways we must be prepared to help young men navigate. The truth is that the final “yes” to enter seminary comes only after many smaller “yeses.”

A young man may not yet be ready to apply for seminary, but for a year or two he may need tools to help him remain engaged in the discernment process, deepen his prayer life, and receive support from other men in similar circumstances.

Thankfully, over the years I have encountered many helpful resources for men in this “pre-seminary” stage of discernment. One of those resources is the High Calling Program offered by the Avila Institute. I have written about this program before. Our first discerner to use it was EJ Martin – and look at him now.

High Calling is a fully online, pre-seminary program that includes about a dozen three-week modules addressing various aspects of discernment. Its faculty includes well-known and vetted seminary professors, experts in spiritual life and discernment, and vocation directors.

This year, I was honored – and a little intimidated – to be invited to teach one of the modules. My topic was the role of friendship in the life of the priest. Over three Wednesday evenings, I guided about 60 students through “Spiritual Friendship” by St. Aelred of Rievaulx, a classic work of Catholic spirituality.

Teaching the text required me to read it closely, and it proved beneficial for me as well. St. Aelred encourages intentionality in developing deep, trustworthy friendships and sharing one’s life with the Lord beyond surface-level interests. This is a particularly practical topic for men considering the seminary. Priesthood is sometimes misunderstood as a vocation for those drawn primarily to solitude, but cultivating strong, healthy friendships is essential to maintaining our humanity as celibate priests.

While it was daunting to face 60 men eager to learn about priestly life, the experience gave me a deeper understanding of the High Calling Program. It was inspiring to witness the dedication of these men, including two from our own diocese.

I am grateful that this program is available to young men who are serious about discerning their vocation, and I hope it is helpful for readers to learn about one of the resources we are able to offer discerners because of your generous support.

(For more information on vocations, visit jacksonvocations.com or contact Father Nick at nick.adam@jacksondiocese.org.)

By Father Nick Adam
I’m still reflecting with joy on the ordination of Deacon Will Foggo, and I await with great hope his priestly ordination on May 16. This ordination was especially meaningful to me as vocation director because Will is the first seminarian I’ve had the privilege to see all the way through. Reaching this moment with him has prompted me to consider what has changed – and what has remained steady – since he began seminary in August 2020 and I began my role the month before.

One major difference, of course, is that we are no longer in the midst of a global pandemic. I called Will and Grayson Foley the “Bubble Boys” because they arrived at St. Joseph Seminary College at the height of COVID, when campus was closed to all nonessential personnel. The seminary was able to operate fairly normally, and infections stayed low, but the isolation and uncertainty of that “bubble” created real challenges. I remain proud of how they both handled those early years with faith and resilience.

Beyond that, the biggest shift in our vocation program has been the intentional expansion of ways we accompany young men discerning God’s call. We’ve strengthened our diocesan discernment groups, increased the number of seminary visits we offer each year, and become more present in schools and parishes. The addition of Father Tristan Stovall as assistant vocation director has been a tremendous blessing, and Bishop Kopacz’s steady support has helped build a culture where vocations are encouraged and nurtured throughout the diocese.

When men have a place to talk openly about their experiences of God’s call, they are far more likely to reach the point of “taking the leap” and applying to seminary. Will experienced that kind of accompaniment through Father Jason Johnston, who served as his chaplain at St. Joseph Catholic School in Madison and later as his campus minister at Mississippi State. That steady, personal support helped him discern with confidence. Over the past six years, more of our priests have embraced that same approach – walking with young men in their parishes, campuses and schools so they can explore God’s call in a healthy way.

I’m excited to have Will serving in Starkville as a deacon. He relates naturally to young people, and I know he will accompany anyone who approaches him with interest in the priesthood. I’m grateful for all those who walked with him to bring him to this moment, and I look forward with hope to the day he is ordained a priest for our diocese.

(For more information on vocations, visit jacksonvocations.com or contact Father Nick at nick.adam@jacksondiocese.org.)

By Father Nick Adam
We are looking forward to a unique Thanksgiving weekend at the end of November. Seminarian Will Foggo will be ordained to the transitional diaconate at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 28, at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson.

This is not the usual time for a deacon ordination. In recent years, they have typically taken place in the spring, but because of changes to the national formation plan for seminarians implemented by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Will’s class is scheduled for diaconate ordination late this fall and priestly ordination in the spring. After this year, the schedule should return to its usual rhythm.
Will’s journey is unique. He will serve as a deacon for about six months before being ordained a priest on May 16, 2026.

It will be especially meaningful for me to see Will reach this milestone. He began his seminary journey around the same time I became director of seminarians. I remember in the spring of 2020 receiving a call from Father Jason Johnston, Will’s pastor while he was a student at Mississippi State University, saying he thought Will might be contacting me soon about applying for seminary. I didn’t waste any time – I called Will myself and texted him the application that same day.

I already knew Will and his family well. They are longtime parishioners at St. Paul Catholic Church in Flowood, and his mother, Sheila, is a longtime teacher at St. Richard Catholic School in Jackson. Will had also attended a Come and See retreat in February 2020, so I had seen enough to know he was someone we should encourage and support.

Will entered seminary at the height of the pandemic, and I’ve been impressed by his steadiness and maturity throughout the process. He was part of the first group of seminarians who participated in our summer Spanish immersion program and has been active in diocesan youth ministry events such as SEARCH and DCYC. He has also served as master of ceremonies at Notre Dame Seminary for several years – a demanding role that requires ensuring liturgies run smoothly day after day, often with visiting clergy and dignitaries.

Please plan to come and pray for Will and thank the Lord for his vocation on Nov. 29. A reception will follow the Mass in the Cathedral Center. Will is also preparing to graduate from seminary with his master’s degree in theology. That ceremony will take place Thursday, Dec. 11, at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans.

It seems like just yesterday we were giving Will a tour of Notre Dame Seminary during that Come and See weekend – but that was nearly six years ago. His story is a great reminder that building a culture of vocations takes time, but it is always worth the effort.

(For more information on vocations, visit jacksonvocations.com or contact Father Nick at nick.adam@jacksondiocese.org.)