This year, the Archdiocese of Omaha launched Called by Name, a pilot initiative to help young men consider a call to the priesthood. Parishes and schools across the archdiocese nominated 200 young men they believed had the qualities of a good priest. Of those, 54 attended informational events with Archbishop Michael McGovern in March, held at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Humphrey and St. Wenceslaus Church in Omaha. Many came with their parents. Eleven parishes took part in the pilot's two discernment events. Each young man who attended will receive continued information in the coming months about discerning a vocation, along with opportunities to learn more about seminary life. Planning is already underway to continue Called by Name later this year. The archdiocese is also reaching young women earlier in life. In February, about 160 mothers and daughters gathered at the Pro Sanctity Retreat Center near Elkhorn for a first-of-its-kind Mother-Daughter Vocations Tea. Eighteen women religious, representing communities from as far away as Texas, joined them for conversation, a craft and Eucharistic Adoration. Father Scott Schilmoeller, the archdiocese's vocations director, told those gathered that Jesus wants to fill not just their cups, but their hearts. Both efforts are part of the same work: helping the next generation hear and answer God's call, whether to the priesthood, religious life, marriage or another vocation. Gifts to the Archbishop's Annual Appeal support the Vocations Office as it carries this work forward across the archdiocese.

When Andrea Corral first stepped into the Lay Leadership Ministry Formation Program classroom two years ago, she was already coordinating the Divine Mercy ministry at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in South Omaha. She never imagined how much the program would deepen her own faith. Over two years of monthly weekend classes Friday evenings through Sunday afternoons taught by Mundelein Seminary faculty, she and her classmates studied Scripture, Church tradition and the writings of the popes, building a theological foundation many had never encountered before. "It's not only the Word of God, the Bible, but more tradition and everything," Andrea explained. "It's very important for leaders to know where everything is rooted." She now brings that formation to her work teaching catechism before Sunday Mass and leading Assumption-Guadalupe's Kerygma evangelization initiative one of many ministries her graduating class has carried back to parishes across the archdiocese. Deacon Gregorio Elizalde, who manages Hispanic ministry for the Archdiocese of Omaha, launched the program in partnership with the Diocese of Des Moines, drawing 20 students from as far as South Sioux City and Norfolk. Faculty told him they had never seen a group complete two full years without a single missed class. The commitment paid off: The first cohort graduated at Mundelein Seminary, and the next class has already been accepted, with even more Catholics from across our Hispanic communities asking to join. None of this is possible without the Archbishop's Annual Appeal, which provides scholarships covering half of each student's tuition. It's an investment not just in twenty students, but in many parishes and in leaders who are already multiplying disciples of their own.