Hope for the Future -- Help Them Today

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Over the course of this past year, our diocese came together to celebrate the "Year of the Priest" in many wonderful ways. The prayers and sacrifices that were offered for priests will continue to bear fruit for many years to come. Although the "Year of the Priest" is over, our work is not done. We must continue to offer prayers and sacrifices for priests, religious, and families so that the Church may continue to bring the saving grace of Christ to the world.

This past June, two men were ordained for our Diocese. They have graciously responded to the voice of Jesus Christ in a unique way. These two priests, Fr. Dan Viertel and Fr. José Castañeda, are a great gift to our Diocese. This coming fall, the Green Bay Diocese will have twenty-five seminarians at various seminaries. What an inspiration!  

We also welcome a new Vocation Director, Fr. Daniel Schuster, who will work with the seminarians and help our young people discover their God-given calling. Faith is growing, and based on the size of our Diocese, I feel that we should eventually sustain around forty seminarians.

 As the number of seminarians grows, so does our need to support them. A generous gift of $10, $20, $40 or even more to the Seminarian Collection (learn more through our audio and video files below) will make a huge difference in the level of support we can provide them. Each year, your gift is used to fund a portion of their education.  This year, we expect these costs to exceed $700,000. Please prayerfully consider making a gift to this important Collection and encouraging new donors to come forward. To make a gift download and submit a pledge card.

Thank you for being a real support to our seminarians. As more priests are ordained, our parishes will be able to continue to be vibrant places where people can come and draw grace from the sacramental life of the Church. People need hope. People need Christ. People need priests for the next generation.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

The Most Reverend David L. Ricken, DD, JCL

Bishop of Green Bay

Give Now to the Collection Online with the Catholic Foundation

Video #1: Father Daniel Viertel, who was ordained in June 2010, reflects on how he was blessed with people's support throughout his seminary studies. Watch

Video #2: Father José Castañeda, who was ordained in June 2010, reflects on how he was blessed with people's support throughout his seminary studies as he left Gautemala to serve in this country and our Dicoese. Watch

Meet Our Seminarians:  Here

Learn more about how the Seminarian Collection
helps men from our Diocese become priests:

• Listen as Bishop Ricken explains that we are the "Diocese of Hope." Our seminarians are part of the great hope we share. Listen to our newly ordained priests, Fr. Daniel Viertel and Fr. José Castañeda, discuss why they love the priesthood and thank you for your support of the Seminarian Collection. (length: 8 min - bilingual)
• Read about Michael Warden, one of our seminarians, as he shares his calling to the priesthood.
• Check out our background information, which includes a brief history of the Seminarian Collection, how the funds are used, a list of current seminarians, and more.
• Complete pledge form and return it to your parish or to the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Green Bay.
• We also provided parishes with a poster, suggested bulletin announcements, and a transcript of the audio message.
  
  

For more information or if you need more materials, please contact Fr. Schuster at 920-272-8293 or 1-877-500-3580, ext. 8293 (from 920 and 715 area codes), or e-mail.