Vocations Initiative Surpasses 100,000 Followers and Launch New High Calling Program for Priest Vocations

 Catholic Vocations Initiative, Shepherding Future Shepherds, Surpasses 100,000 Followers and Subscribers
National initiative reaches millions with priest-positive media and partners with the High Calling Program to help men move from inspiration toward serious priestly discernment
PHILADELPHIA, PA - Shepherding Future Shepherds, a national Catholic vocations initiative of the International Institute for Culture, has surpassed 100,000 combined social media followers and email subscribers and announced a new partnership with Avila Institute’s High Calling Program to engage and support men considering a priestly vocation.
The recent milestone reflects growing interest in hopeful stories about priests and meaningful ways Catholics can support priestly vocations and the future of the Church.

That growth comes amid an urgent national priest shortage. According to data from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, the number of Catholic priests in the United States has declined by more than 40 percent since 1970. As dioceses and parishes respond to having fewer priests, Catholics can face parish mergers and closures, reduced access to Mass and the sacraments, and greater strain on ministries serving families and communities.
Since launching in 2025, Shepherding Future Shepherds has generated more than 7.8 million views of priest-positive media and built a weekly prayer community of more than 6,100 participants. These results demonstrate a strong desire for authentic and hopeful stories about priests, as well as practical ways Catholics can help foster a renewed culture of vocations. “Catholics are eager for authentic stories about priests and meaningful ways to encourage new vocations,” said Matthew A. Haas, Program Director of Shepherding Future Shepherds. “The generosity of our donors and the support of bishops, priests, Catholic partners, and thousands of people who pray with us each week have made this progress possible. Our next step is to build a bridge from inspiration to discernment so that more men can receive the guidance they need to respond generously to God’s call.”
Through its partnership with the High Calling Program, Shepherding Future Shepherds will identify and engage men who may be open to priestly discernment, help them consider appropriate next steps, and connect qualified candidates with High Calling and other trusted partners for deeper formation and accompaniment.
The High Calling Program provides intellectual, spiritual, pastoral, and human formation for men discerning the Catholic priesthood. According to High Calling Program data as of August 2026, 669 men have completed the program and 337 are in seminary formation.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with Shepherding Future Shepherds in service to the Church,” said Dr. Joseph Hollcraft, Director of the High Calling Program. “Their work is reaching men and families with a hopeful and compelling witness to the priesthood. Together, we can help more men take their initial interest seriously and receive the preparation and support needed to discern the Lord’s call.”
Shepherding Future Shepherds has received endorsements from more than 10 bishops, along with other respected Catholic leaders. Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks of New York, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations, praised the initiative for taking “concrete and intentional steps” to build a culture that invites men to discern the priesthood. “Helping men hear the voice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, calling them to follow Him as priests is needed now more than ever,” Archbishop Hicks said.
Shepherding Future Shepherds began by addressing public perceptions of the priesthood through true stories of priests whose lives demonstrate the joy, sacrifice, courage, and diversity of Catholic priesthood. Its storytelling platform, ThankAPriest.com, releases a new featured priest story each month.
To date, Shepherding Future Shepherds has shared 16 priest stories, each highlighting a different background, personality, gift, and path to the priesthood. Recent stories include Father Scott-Vincent Borba, who left a successful career in Hollywood and the beauty industry; Father Burke Masters, a former baseball player whose love for the Eucharist led him to the Catholic faith and eventually the priesthood; and Father Donald Calloway, whose conversion from addiction, crime, and spiritual confusion led him to become a Marian priest, author, speaker, and vocation director.
“These stories help young men see that God calls all sorts of men to the priesthood,” Haas said. “The priesthood is not a distant ideal from centuries ago. It is a living, holy, and joyful vocation in the Church today.”
Shepherding Future Shepherds uses a four-part strategy to elevate the priesthood, educate Catholics about vocations, engage men who may be open to discernment, and help them embark on a deeper vocational journey through trusted partners and resources. The High Calling partnership marks the initiative’s expansion from public awareness and inspiration into direct engagement with potential discerners, including referrals to trusted formation and accompaniment.

To learn more about the initiative, visit FutureShepherds.org. To read its featured priest stories, visit ThankAPriest.com.
Background
International Institute for Culture
The International Institute for Culture is a Philadelphia-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1989 by Dr. John M. Haas in response to the call of Pope St. John Paul II for the re-evangelization of culture. For more than three decades, the IIC has provided cultural and educational programs for priests, seminarians, and laity to deepen their understanding of the Faith and bring people closer to Jesus Christ.
Shepherding Future Shepherds
Shepherding Future Shepherds is a comprehensive Catholic vocations initiative designed to address the critical shortage of priests in the United States by identifying and filling key gaps in vocational support. Through media, storytelling, prayer, education, partnerships, and discernment resources, Shepherding Future Shepherds works to restore confidence in the priesthood and inspire more men to consider whether God may be calling them to serve as priests.
High Calling Program
The High Calling Program, an initiative of Avila Institute, provides formation and guidance for men discerning the Catholic priesthood. The program helps men deepen their relationship with Christ, grow in self-knowledge, and receive intellectual, spiritual, pastoral, and human formation as they discern whether God is calling them to the priesthood. ###Source - https://futureshepherds.org/wp-content/uploads/SFS-Press-Release-August-2026.pdf