Faith And Vocations Grow In Severna Park

Anecdotal stories of Christians returning to their faith or non-Christians exploring the faith have circulated in the news recently, and organizations like the Pew Research Center, the Worldwide Christian Database, and top universities like Harvard are earnestly tracking data and studying the results to identify trends, causes and effects, and forecasts.

For Catholic churches in the area, the number of newly initiated Catholics continues to grow significantly year-over-year, but as the Rev. James Proffitt, vicar for clergy for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, explained, there is another important trend occurring: more young men are discerning the priesthood.

“Right now, there are five young men from St. John the Evangelist, and one from Our Lady of the Fields (in Millersville) in priestly formation for the Archdiocese of Baltimore,” Proffitt said. “For the first time in recent memory, the Archdiocese of Baltimore is ordaining more priests than retiring them. Over the next two years, 17 men will be ordained priests, but that doesn’t mean we have ‘extra’ priests; it means we will have more priests to help meet the growing needs of our parishes and schools.”

On May 16, Archbishop of Baltimore William Lori ordained 12 men to the diaconate at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore. St. John the Evangelist parishioner Rev. Mr. Benjamin Oursler, former pastoral year seminarian at St. John the Evangelist Rev. Mr. Michael Moore, and Our Lady of the Fields parishioner Rev. Mr. Andrew Chase were among the 12 who will serve as transitional deacons for one year in preparation for a June 2027 ordination to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

St. John parishioners Rev. Mr. Stephen Kirby and Rev. Mr. Russ Sullivan, and former pastoral year seminarian Rev. Mr. Connor Schmidt are three of seven men who will be ordained to the priesthood on June 20. In addition to Oursler, Kirby and Sullivan, St. John parishioners Colin Lukas and Matthew Sitzwohl are also in priestly formation. Lukas graduated from St. John Paul II Seminary in Washington, D.C. in May and will enter Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, this fall, and Sitzwohl has completed his first year at St. John Paul II Seminary. A sixth parishioner, Brother Steven Sharpe, is a member of the Servant Priests and Brothers of the community Home of the Mother, an international order of missionaries.

Proffitt was the pastor at St. John the Evangelist for 10 years until 2019, and knows these men well, most of them since they were children.

“I believe what we are seeing in Severna Park is a normalization of priesthood consideration. St. John has a very good, solid sacristan program where from a very young age, boys are given the opportunity to grow in leadership, faith, reverence and community,” Proffitt said. “Families are strong in their faith and supportive of vocation discernment. Whether the boys enter the seminary or they bring their faith into their communities, I am continually impressed by their maturity and zeal about their faith.”

Kirby, who will be ordained a priest next month, was first active in the Mass liturgy as a member of the children’s choir, an altar server, and ultimately a sacristan.

“As a child, I was inspired by the music of the Mass, and learned how to praise God with song,” Kirby said. “Of course, I loved serving and being a sacristan. That community is very supportive, as is all of my St. John family, which continues to pray for me and my brother seminarians.”

The Rev. Erik Arnold, pastor at St. John the Evangelist since 2019, feels one of the biggest reasons for the number of men from Severna Park considering the priesthood is that although they come from an affluent area, St. John families are cultivating the faith at home in ways that help children and youth see that real joy and fulfillment don’t come from material affluence alone.

“We have parents that are teaching and showing their children that the deepest joy and fulfillment we can experience comes from something bigger than just having a comfortable life around us. That kind of home environment is good soil for the seeds the lord is planting to grow,” Arnold said.

“Another big factor is that with so many young men following the lord’s call into ministry, it’s become real and visible for our younger youth and children. Our kids are growing up seeing people that they’ve known over the years entering seminary and suddenly it has become a real option for them as well,” Arnold continued. “It’s not something distant or foreign, but familiar. And that familiarity helps remove some of the doubts or worries one might have. None of us are perfect; we all come from real families, with real issues and struggles, but when we see someone else responding to God, even with their own imperfections, it gives us confidence to follow the lord as well.”

For Oursler, a lifelong member of St. John, faith began in the home, which proved to be the soil for him to flourish.

“Growing up in St. John the Evangelist parish family has been one of the most significant blessings of my life. The parish has truly been home for me,” Oursler said. “I am deeply indebted to the numerous clergy who have served here, and in a particular way, our former pastor, Fr. Jim Proffitt, who hired me as a sacristan and offered the possibility to get to know parish priests, as well as our current pastor, Fr. Erik Arnold, for his supernatural fatherhood and priestly witness during these years of seminary. Most of all, I thank the innumerable parishioners who have prayed for and encouraged me along this journey. It has not been in vain.”

The Archdiocese of Baltimore is the nation’s oldest Catholic diocese and holds the title of “Premiere See” in the U.S. Catholic Church. Proffitt said that there are 58 men in priestly formation today, and that number is expected to grow to more than 70 by the start of the 2026–2027 school year.