Featured ‘Nods of the Week

These ‘Nods come straight from you! Each week, Nod to the Collar showcases submissions from our community—videos, stories, or artwork—that celebrate the dedication of our priests. Have something to share? Create your own ‘Nod and join the collection—and don’t forget to like and share the ones that inspire you!

‘Nod News

Four hundred men who, in one way or another, heard a call and decided to answer it with their lives.

That is something at ‘Nod to the Collar we think is worth celebrating.

The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) recently released its 2026 national survey of men preparing for priestly ordination, offering an encouraging look at the men who will soon begin serving parishes and communities across the country. Of the 428 ordinands invited to participate, 334 responded, representing 110 U.S. dioceses and eparchies and 34 religious institutes.

The numbers tell an interesting story. The average age of the men preparing for ordination is 33. Nearly half are 30 or younger, while another 38% are between 31 and 40. They are not all men who knew from childhood exactly what they wanted to do with their lives. In fact, their stories of discernment began at very different points.

Some first considered the priesthood as children. Others heard the call during high school, college, or later in adulthood. The average ordinand first considered becoming a priest at about 16 years old — but for many, that first thought was only the beginning of a much longer journey. And perhaps that is one of the most beautiful things about a vocation: hearing the call and answering it are not necessarily the same moment.

So what actually helps a young man take that first thought — Could God be calling me? — and eventually turn it into a vocation?

According to the 2026 survey, people matter. A lot. Ninety-two percent of respondents said someone in their lives encouraged them to consider the priesthood. Seventy percent identified a parish priest as someone who encouraged them to consider the vocation. Friends, mothers, parishioners, fathers, teachers and catechists also played significant roles.

Think about that.

Seven out of ten of these future priests can point to a parish priest who helped them consider a vocation.

That doesn’t mean those priests “created” a vocation. A calling to the priesthood ultimately comes from God. But it does remind us that God often works through people — through a priest who takes the time to know a young man, a parishioner who offers encouragement, a mother who recognizes something in her son, a teacher who sees a gift he may not yet see in himself.

Sometimes a vocation begins with something as simple as seeing a priest live his vocation well. And that is something we at ‘Nod to the Collar understand deeply.

We spend a lot of time telling the stories of priests who show up for their people. The priest who remembers a parishioner’s name. The priest who makes a young person feel welcome. The priest who stays after Mass to talk. The priest who makes someone laugh when they need it. The priest who delivers a homily that stays with someone for years. The priest who simply makes himself available.

We call those moments “‘Nods” because they deserve to be noticed. The 2026 vocation statistics offer another reason to notice them. The influence of a good priest may not end with the people sitting in his pews today. It may continue into the next generation of priests.

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