By Michael Gresham
The Texas Catholic
IRVING — Sixty-four young men representing 46 different schools and 27 parishes across the Diocese of Dallas gathered May 31 for the 2025 Calling of Andrew: Venite et Videte Retreat, an immersive weekend designed to help them prayerfully discern whether God may be calling them to the priesthood.
Led by the diocesan office of Vocations and hosted at Holy Trinity Seminary, the retreat offered young men an opportunity to see seminary life up close, meet priests and seminarians, and reflect on God’s call in a community of peers who are also asking life’s big questions.
“The primary goal for this retreat was to close the gap between the altar, the seminary, and the discerner in the parish,” Father Mark Garrett, diocesan director of vocations, said. “Often there is a veil shrouding the pathway forward in priestly vocational discernment, and we have to create opportunities for that veil to be lifted and the pathway forward to be visible to young men who are honestly discerning priesthood.”
The name of the retreat, “Venite et Videte,” Latin for “Come and See,” echoes the Gospel invitation Jesus extended to His first disciples and reflects the welcoming and transparent atmosphere of the weekend. For attendees, the retreat blended moments of prayer and spiritual direction with casual, personal experiences of fraternity, including meals with priests and seminarians, recreational time, and shared liturgical prayer.
“These are special moments for the guys who attend this retreat and all the future Venite et Videte retreats,” Father Garrett said. “They are special, because whether it is sitting down with the Bishop Edward J. Burns at lunch, playing Ultimate Frisbee or ping pong with a seminarian or priest, or praying evening prayer together — we are sharing our lives with each other. That creates a fraternity and relationship that is not possible in the midst of regular parish life.”
Father Garrett added that the retreat is part of a broader diocesan effort to promote a culture of vocations — one in which young men can see, hear, and experience the joy and purpose of the priesthood in both an impactful and tangible way.
“I hope each man walks away having spent some time in intentional prayer about their vocation, with a new or deeper relationship with a seminarian or priest, and has had some fun along the way,” Father Garrett said. “The priesthood is a joy-filled life. Hopefully, they experienced a taste of that joyful life.”
For more information about the Diocese of Dallas Office of Vocations or upcoming discernment events, visit www.dallasvocations.org.
Cutline for featured image: Participants in the Diocese of Dallas Calling of Andrew: Venite et Videte Retreat take part in evening prayer May 31 at Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving. Sixty-four young men from parishes and schools across the diocese participated in the vocational retreat. (DREW MERLINO/Special Contributor)
