“I thought, ‘Is this really what God’s calling me to?’” said McNaughton, 28, a parishioner of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Austin. “One of the difficult things in seminary is you’re learning a lot about yourself, too. You’re undergoing a lot of change.”

But one day that week, he received a packet of letters from children who were praying for him back home in the Diocese of Austin. “Those little encouragements reminded me why I was here in the seminary, why I’m doing this,” he said. “It reminded me that I’m not alone.”

McNaughton is one of 60 men currently in formation for the Diocese of Austin — a significant number of seminarians for a diocese of any size, and it is expected to grow to 65 for the next academic year.

“This is an incredible blessing for our church and a testament to the work of our vocations ministry,” said Scott Whitaker, secretariat director for the Office of Stewardship and Development.

It is also a challenge, he added, as the cost of formation is nearly $70,000 a year per seminarian. This amount includes tuition, room and board, a monthly stipend for expenses and health insurance, if necessary. In addition, most men spend as many as 10 years preparing for their ordination day, depending on their educational background when entering the program.

But like the prayers of schoolchildren that buoyed McNaughton, the generosity and support of the faithful in Central Texas are helping to see the diocese through. In 2024, after realizing the traditional sources of funding for seminary formation — such as the Catholic Services Appeal (CSA), an endowment created with gifts to the Encountering Christ campaign and grants — were no longer enough to cover so many men answering the Lord’s call to serve as one of his shepherds, Bishop Joe Vásquez decided to launch an annual Seminarian Appeal in 2024.

In its inaugural year, the appeal raised double its $500,000 goal, leading the diocese to set the goal for the 2025 Seminarian Appeal at $1 million. Both one-time and ongoing gifts are welcomed and solely directed toward seminarian education.

Since Father Greg Gerhart launched the Vocation Ministry program in parishes three years ago, many have hoped and prayed for more men to study for the priesthood.

“The increase in seminarians is literally the answer to our prayers,” Whitaker said.

Now in his third year of configuration at St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston, McNaughton will be ordained to the transitional diaconate this spring and to the priesthood in 2026. He continues to be grateful for the people walking with him on his journey to priestly ordination.

“It’s definitely a journey that I could not do without the prayers and support of the people of the Diocese of Austin — all those people who have supported me throughout the years in seminary,” he said.