COME AND SEE WEEKENDS Opportunities for New Beginnings Retreats offer young men

BY JESSE DE LEON South Texas Catholic

Discerning a call to the priesthood requires prayer, reflection, and guidance. Some young men in the Diocese of Corpus Christi were given the opportunity to explore the experience of discernment more deeply when they attended a Come and See Weekend offered by the Office of Vocations. There were two opportunities for young men to learn more about what it is like to be a seminarian. One took place at St. Joseph Seminary College in Covington, Louisiana, from March 31-April 2, and a second was offered at Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving, Texas, April 13-15.

Bob Cummings, Director of the Office of Vocations for the Diocese of Corpus Christi, along with Fr. Charles Silvas, Chaplain at St. John Paul II High School, coordinated the visit to St. Joseph Seminary College in Covington to give 16 young men from St. John Paul II High School an opportunity to get a firsthand experience of what life in the seminary is really like. Overall, there were approximately 170 participants from Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Mississippi.

“When we first arrived, they were in awe,” says Fr. Charles. “All of them had been looking forward