The diocesan Vocations Office will sponsor a father-son hike at Clear Creek Metro Park and two events at the Pontifical College Josephinum in the next few weeks.
The hike, also sponsored by Wilderness Outreach, will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 25 at the park, just off U.S. 33 along the border of Fairfield and Hocking counties, and conclude with lunch at about 1 p.m. Hikers will walk about 6 to 8 miles, take part in a Mass and hear a talk on discernment.
A luncheon for middle-school and high-school boys will take place from 11:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4 at the Josephinum, 7625 N. High St., Columbus. Father Joseph Rolwing, a former college basketball player and recently ordained priest of the Diocese of Columbus, will share his vocation story. To RSVP, email Patricia Vandewalle at pvandewall14@gmail.com.
Young men discerning whether they are being invited to the priesthood are invited to a “come and see” weekend at the Josephinum from Thursday to Sunday, Nov. 6 to 9. Those attending will have a chance to get to know some of the seminarians, faculty and staff and take part in introductory presentations on discernment, student life and the college seminary formation program, and have time for prayer, sports and fellowship.
The Vocations Office also sponsors several Melchizedek groups for those discerning priesthood. Participants get together once a month for dinner and to discuss a book about priestly life. Groups meet at Columbus St. Patrick, Westerville St. Paul the Apostle, Worthington St. Michael, Lancaster St. Bernadette, Hilliard St. Brendan the Navigator, Newark St. Francis de Sales and Columbus St. Catharine of Siena churches, the St. John Paul II Scioto Catholic Community in Portsmouth and the Columbus St. Thomas More Newman Center.
The office also sponsors Discernment 180, an opportunity aimed at growing in holiness and prayer to help young men answer the question “Should I go to seminary?” The program includes daily readings from the Church Fathers and other spiritual writers, as well as tips for better discernment. The full program is at https://discernment180.com/home.
Father Michael Haemmerle, diocesan vocations director, invites all men considering the priesthood to contact him at mhaemmerle@columbuscatholic.org. Information on vocations programs may be found at www.vocationscolumbus.org.
Gold Mass rehearsal set for Nov. 10
A rehearsal for the fourth annual Gold Mass for diocesan priests and parish musicians will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10 at Columbus St. Joseph Cathedral, 212 E. Broad St. The Mass will be celebrated Sunday, Nov. 16 at 5:15 p.m. with Bishop Earl Fernandes as celebrant.
The Holy Spirit will be asked at the Mass to bless all those who work in music ministry, both professionally and as volunteers, in a truly important labor for the glory of God and the sanctification of souls. Performers and church musicians are frequently called upon to bring musical inspiration to the liturgy, audiences and classrooms.
Rehearsal and Mass participants are asked to RSVP to Dr. Richard Fitzgerald, cathedral music director, at richardkfitzgerald@gmail.com or call (614) 241-2526. All music selections and practice recordings for the event are available at www.cathedralmusic.org.
Youth choirs invited to special Mass
All school and parish choirs with members in grades 4 to 12 are invited to participate in the inaugural diocesan Pueri Cantores event and Mass on Saturday, March 7 with Bishop Earl Fernandes at Columbus St. Joseph Cathedral.
Pueri Cantores is the official student choral organization of the Catholic Church. Its mission is “to evangelize and catechize choristers through the medium of sacred music, aiding them in growing in their faith and rooting them ever deeper to the Church.”
Registration will begin at 11 a.m., with rehearsals, lunch and snacks leading up to a choral prelude at 4:45 p.m. and Mass at 5. The conductor will be Paul French, music director of Chicago Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church and director for 12 seasons of the William Ferris Chorale of Chicago.
There is a registration fee of $150 per choir and $25 per singer that includes medallions, snacks and other festival expenses. There is no cost for conductors and chaperones. Participants must bring their own bag lunches. Financial assistance is available. The registration deadline is Saturday, Feb. 7.
For more information, go to info@pcchoirs.org.
Apostolates offered for those with same-sex attraction, gender confusion
The Diocese of Columbus offers several apostolates for people dealing with the effects of same-sex attraction or gender confusion.
Courage is an apostolate for people seeking to live a life of faith and chastity while experiencing same-sex attraction. It offers support through prayer, fellowship and spiritual guidance in alignment with the teachings of the Catholic Church. Meetings are confidential. For more information, visit couragerc.org or contact couragecolumbus@columbuscatholic.org.
A similarly named group, EnCourage, provides support for family members and friends of those who experience same-sex attraction. Rooted in prayer, fellowship and Catholic teaching, EnCourage offers a compassionate community for those seeking to better understand and love their loved ones while remaining faithful to Church teaching. For more information, visit couragerc.org/encourage or contact encourage@columbuscatholic.org.
Connected Through Christ is a support group for family and friends of those with gender confusion. The goal is to help to treat with compassion those with gender confusion without denying a Christian understanding of male and female as articulated in science, Scripture and the teachings of the Catholic Church.
It is a Catholic apostolate, but non-Catholic Christians are welcome to join, with the understanding that it functions as a Catholic group. For more information, contact ctc@columbuscatholic.org.
Scioto pastor to lead pilgrimage to Poland
Father Stephen Smith, pastor of the Portsmouth-based St. John Paul II Scioto Catholic Parish, will lead a pilgrimage to Poland from Wednesday, April 28 to Friday, May 7, 2026.
All nine nights of the trip will be spent in Poland – three in Warsaw, one in Czestochowa and five in Krakow. Participants will visit many places related to Pope St. John Paul II, including his birthplace in Wadowice. One day trip will travel from Krakow to the sites of the Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps.
The price will be determined by the number of pilgrims taking the trip. The first payment is due Saturday, Nov. 15.
For more information, contact Greg Kuns of Pinnacle Pilgrimages at (419) 307-3711 or mrgwkuns@yahoo.com.
Related to: Local News: Ohio March for Life set for Oct. 3 in Columbus – Catholic Times: Read Catholic News & Stories