A Harvest of Vocations: Priestly Vocations Nearly Double in Denver, Reaching Record 110 Seminarians
The Archdiocese of Denver has seen a 96% increase in the number of seminarians in just three years. Two men beginning formation at St. John Vianney share how prayer, personal invitations and the witness of holy priests helped them respond to God's call.
Vocations are booming in the Archdiocese of Denver, where the number of men in formation has nearly doubled in three years.
With the new largest entering class in the history of St. John Vianney Seminary beginning formation this year, the number of archdiocesan seminarians has risen to a record 110 men, a 96% increase from 56 men during the 2023-2024 academic year.
That number of men in formation for the priesthood is precisely half the number of current archdiocesan priests — both active and retired — according to a 2025 survey of the Archdiocese of Denver’s presbyterate. It is only 64 fewer than the number of archdiocesan priests active in ministry.
This growth comes after several years of renewed efforts to foster a culture of vocations, including the Archdiocese’s Called By Name campaign, which garnered nearly 900 nominations in 2025 and another 400 names in 2026. Nearly 100 of those men attended a discernment retreat at St. John Vianney after the first campaign, and several subsequently entered seminary.
This year’s 34 brand-new seminarians set a new record for an entering class for a third year in a row. Last year’s 27 brand-new seminarians nearly doubled the previous record (13) for an entering class.
In Denver Archbishop James Golka’s eyes, the surge in vocational discernment reflects another example of the Holy Spirit’s miraculous work in the Church.
“God is doing something incredible in his Church, especially here in Northern Colorado, right now,” the archbishop said. “We have unprecedented numbers of individuals seeking to become Catholic. We have the highest number of seminarians in recent memory. Thanks be to God! He always knows what we, his people, need, and he is providing in spades, especially with men discerning the call to become good, happy, holy and healthy future priests.”
The culture of vocations, currently bearing fruit throughout the Archdiocese of Denver, builds on the good and devoted work of countless priests and deacons, as well as that of Archbishop Emeritus Samuel J. Aquila.
“My brother priests and deacons walk with these young men day in and day out as they discern God’s will for their lives, and I’m deeply grateful,” said Father Jason Wallace, archdiocesan director of vocations. “For those of you reading this article, please pray for our seminarians and for all those discerning what God might be calling them to, that he might raise up happy, holy and healthy priests for his people.”
For many seminarians, including David Lopez Gutierrez and John Bogumill, the witness of these holy men is the biggest draw to consider their vocations.
David Lopez Gutierrez and his family on move-in day at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver. The Lopez Gutierrez family during a vacation in Mexico. L-R: Jesus Santana, Father John Croghan, pastor of the NW Triparish, David Lopez Gutierrez
(Photos provided)
Learning to Give Himself
Whether while growing up in Mexico or at his home parish of St. Michael’s in Craig, David Lopez Gutierrez remembers the joyful, dedicated witness of priests, saying that witness helped “the priesthood become super appealing” to him as a teen.
Lopez Gutierrez had already been growing in faith, spending time in prayer and service at St. Michael. But as the idea of priesthood bubbled up for him, he found himself as intrigued as he was nervous.
“I remember it vividly, saying to God, ‘Don’t ask this of me. I’m not ready. I don’t want to go,’” he said, recalling a particularly powerful time in prayer about his vocation.
In the meantime, Lopez Gutierrez attended nursing school. He also got “super involved in church,” altar serving, helping with the youth group and serving as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion.
But all that work, worthy as it was, left him feeling burdened more than excited.
“I started seeing the priesthood as a burden,” he remembered. “I was so involved that I was always there, but I wasn’t there. I came to realize that I was giving it all, but I was not giving myself.”
Realizing that, Lopez Gutierrez began to recalibrate, leaving behind some of the things he was doing in order to focus on who God was asking him to be instead.
“It was like the Lord was inviting me to a deeper relationship with him in prayer,” he said.
As he continued nursing school, he found himself better able to integrate his faith into his work, “learning to see every patient as Christ,” he said. Through his work in the medical field, Lopez Gutierrez said he came to see just how powerful a witness could be.
Yet, he still felt like something was missing, and the priesthood began to resurface in his mind. Amid several invitations to consider priesthood from parishioners, seminarians, priests and Archbishop Emeritus Samuel J. Aquila, Lopez Gutierrez knew he had to at least apply to St. John Vianney.
Now nearly three months into his first year in seminary, he counts the experience as a great gift from God.
“It’s just been a great blessing to be able to have a year dedicated to growing in love with the Lord and figuring out who you are,” he told the Denver Catholic. “Learning to be a brother, too, to the other 28 guys in the spirituality year, I’ve got to say it’s a great blessing.”
In short, he said, “This is home. This is where I’m supposed to be.”
For those beginning the journey closer to God’s heart, asking themselves and God what he has created them to do, Lopez Gutierrez had simple advice: “Don’t be afraid.”
“Just jump into it, because no matter what happens, he’s going to have your back,” he shared. “He’s going to love you, and he wants what’s best for you. He’s invited you to be a saint, to be with him forever. Trust in the love of the Father.”
John Bogumill conducts a children's choir at St. Mary Parish in Littleton
(Photos provided)
A Simple Openness
Growing up at Risen Christ Parish in Denver, John Bogumill was also inspired by the witness of a holy priest: none other than Monsignor Ken Leone.
“Just to see his joy, I think it was really contagious for me growing up,” he told the Denver Catholic. “He made a really big impact on me, and I thought about priesthood on and off.”
With a simple, childlike openness, Bogumill considered the priesthood. He even remembered answering the classic “What do you want to be when you grow up?” question by telling Monsignor Leone that he not only wanted to be a priest but also the first American pope-U.S. president combo.
Bogumill would eventually study at Benedictine College, where he was in a discernment group, before returning to Colorado to finish his degree at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. When he returned, he began working for Risen Christ as the music director.
In that capacity, he found himself in a “full-circle” moment with Monsignor Leone, driving him to and from a parish fundraising event. As they chatted in the car, Bogumill was struck by something the holy priest said about his own vocation.
Though he felt a call at a young age, Bogumill recalled Monsignor Leone sharing that “it wasn’t a big revelation,” but rather a “simple openness” to serving God and his people as a priest.
“To think about what an incredible priest he was, and how he impacted this archdiocese so much, it inspired me to maybe have a little bit of some basic openness and see what happens,” Bogumill said.
Over time, that openness grew, leading him to apply to the seminary. Now nearly three months into seminary, Bogumill is still discerning whether God is calling him to the priesthood. But that’s precisely why he’s at St. John Vianney. And that time has been a blessing for Bogumill, he said.
“It’s been really great. When they said how many guys there were going to be, initially, I thought it might be a bit much, but honestly, it’s kind of fun,” he said with a chuckle. “There’s a lot of energy in the house and a lot of great personalities.”
Bogumill said he’s especially appreciated his formators, like Father Brady Wagner, coordinator of the spirituality year, and the extra time for prayer and silence.
For those just beginning their journey with Jesus, he emphasized the importance of beginning with prayer.
“It always has to begin in prayer and coming to ever more fully understand our true identity,” Bogumill said. “We all hear the message on the surface that we are God’s beloved children, that we’re his beloved sons and daughters, but I don’t think on a surface level that really means much or changes people’s lives all that much. Prayer and reflection are means of allowing that truth to sink ever deeper into your heart, mind and soul.”
With that foundation firmly in place, following where God leads becomes all the easier.
“Once you come to understand to a greater level that you truly are a beloved child of God, then it’s really just a matter of opening yourself up to the will of God and trusting that what he wants for you is better than anything else you could think of,” he concluded.
Supporting Our Seminarians
For both Lopez Gutierrez and Bogumill, the journey of faith and vocation has never been a solitary one. With the witness of holy priests and the encouragement of their communities, they have been empowered to follow the Lord where he leads.
Now in seminary, both were quick to note that support remains just as essential.
“I am becoming more and more convinced that no one becomes a priest if people do not pray,” he emphasized. “I think it’s very much a group effort, and priests and seminarians really, truly can’t do it alone.”
Recalling the major adjustment of the first week of seminary — going from working a day job and living with three roommates to being unplugged from the world and living with 28 others — Bogumill shared that he felt sustained by his parish’s prayers.
“We moved in on a Sunday afternoon, and that morning, I was cantoring at Mass. Father Scott [pastor of Risen Christ] called me up at the end of Mass and invited everyone to pray for me,” he remembered. “I certainly felt those prayers during that first week of seminary.”
Lopez Gutierrez couldn’t help but agree. As he considered what he might want to say to the archdiocesan faithful who support the seminaries through prayer and financial generosity, the new seminarian was overwhelmed with gratitude.
“Thank you for the spiritual support,” he said, turning to the archdiocesan faithful. “Thank you for your prayers, because those keep us going. But thank you, too, for the financial support, because without you, none of this would be possible. It’s such a blessing that we’re here and we have all our attention on the Lord. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for letting me listen to what God wants of me, in order for me to be able to share that with you.”
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For more information on the upcoming Seminaries’ Appeal on the weekends of November 14-15 and 12-22, and to make a gift to support their work in forming men to follow God’s will, please visit archden.org/futurepriests.
