International Meeting with Pope Leo XIV - PRESS RELEASE

In the context of the Jubilee of Seminarians and Priests, the Dicastery for the Clergy is promoting an important moment of encounter, reflection, and sharing, entitled “Joyful Priests – ‘I have called you friends’ (Jn 15:15)”; an international gathering in the presence of the Holy Father Leo XIV, addressed to all those engaged in vocational ministry and priestly formation.

The event will take place on Thursday, 26 June 2025, from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm, at the Auditorium Conciliazione, Via della Conciliazione 4, Rome. The title chosen for the meeting, taken from the Gospel of St. John – “I have called you friends” (Jn 15:15) – recalls the heart of the priestly vocation as friendship with Christ the Good Shepherd and joyful service to the People of God, in discovering and fulfilling the Master’s call, which is first and foremost a call to joy.

The meeting will open with a moment of prayer, followed by a greeting from Lazarus Cardinal You Heung sik, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, who will introduce proceedings, underlining the value of the gathering in this Jubilee Year of Hope.

Thereafter will follow the first session dedicated to five significant experiences of vocational ministry, offering a global overview of good practices underway on different continents. Fr José Alberto Estrada García, former Secretary for Vocational Ministry of the Mexican Bishops' Conference, will present the experience of the Monterrey Diocesan Vocational Centre, as a concrete example of local vocational accompaniment. For Italy, Fr Michele Gianola, Director of the National Office for Vocational Ministry, will present various dimensions of vocational ministry currently underway in the country. From Argentina, Dr Maria Lía Zervino will illustrate an experience of youth ministry that fosters vocations to the priesthood, consecrated life and Christian marriage. For Ireland, Dr Maura Murphy, General Director and Co‑Founder of Holy Family Mission, will share her testimony on a surprising vocational revival launched by young people themselves: from an all‑time low of six (6) new entrants to the National Seminary in 2017, this year saw that number rise to seventeen (17). For Spain, Fr Florentino Pérez Vaquer, Director of the Secretariat of the Episcopal Sub‑commission for Seminaries of the Spanish Bishops' Conference, will present the recent launch of a new vocational ministry project.

At the heart of the “Joyful Priests’” meeting will be the intervention of Pope Leo XIV – a time of listening and reflection on the meaning of the priestly vocation today, on its beauty and on the call to holiness and communion in the daily life of said ministry. A space for dialogue is expected to follow, with questions, testimonies, and an exchange of experiences.

The second part of the meeting will focus on five examples of good practice in the initial formation of seminarians. From the United States of America, the Rev. Ben Sawyer, of the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas, will outline the experience of that Diocese, which is recognised as an exemplary model in the promotion and formation of priestly vocations. From Africa, Fr Guy Bognon, PSS, General Secretary of the Pontifical Work of Saint Peter, will share testimonies on how, in the context of an abundance of vocations, prudential discernment and reliable integral formation are being accentuated, with the subdivision of large Seminaries into smaller communities, coupled with the introduction of manual work as an educational tool, especially in contexts of poverty.

From the Philippines, Fr Emmanuel Cruz, Rector of Immaculate Conception Major Seminary, in the Diocese of Malolos, will present an integral, participatory and missionary style of priestly formation that is closely linked to small basic ecclesial communities. His Excellency, the Most Rev. Luis Augusto Campos Flórez, Bishop of Socorro e San Gil Diocese, in Colombia, and President of the Episcopal Commission for Ordained Ministers, will share the experience of the San Carlo Major Seminary of said Diocese, which is organised into five distinct communities, in five separate houses, at the centre of which is a Chapel that testifies to the living presence of Jesus in their midst. Finally, from Brazil, the seminarian Pedro Henrique da Silva, Vice-coordinator of the National Missionary Council of Seminarians, will give a presentation on the national network that comprises more than one hundred and ten (110) local groups who promote missionary experiences, training meetings, and a triennial national conference.

The event aims not only to be a formative and informative moment, but also a fraternal occasion for encounter among priests, formators, religious men and women, and lay people committed to vocational ministry and initial priestly formation.

The meeting is scheduled to conclude at 6:00pm, in order to permit participation in the Vocational Vigil at St. Peter’s Basilica.

Participation is free, but registration is required through the official website of the Dicastery for the Clergy www.clerus.va, while seats last.