The good Lord has brought you here.
Thanks be to God for your desire to know more about Vocations in the Archdiocese of Winnipeg. Whether you are here as one who would like to know more about the priesthood, religious life or would like to see whether God might be calling you to the priesthood in the Archdiocese of Winnipeg, I’m here to help you. I invite you to take some time and look through the information on this website or other helpful sites listed here. If you require further assistance please feel free to call or email me.
You might also want to consider coming for our discernment group meeting or a discernment retreat. Wherever the good Lord might lead you. You can use this prayer to give yourself more completely to Our Lord. Keep walking with the Lord with frequent recourse to prayer, Sacraments, and works of Mercy and you will find yourself and your vocation. Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother, of all the saints and Angels may Almighty God bless you Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
– Rev. Peter Nemcek, Director of Vocations
Heralds of Good News is a Missionary Society of Apostolic Life, started in Eluru diocese, India in 1984. The specific aim of the Society is the promotion of vocations to priesthood, the training of seminarians and the supply of zealous and hardworking missionaries to the dioceses in India and abroad, which experience a shortage of priests due to the lack of local vocations.
Fr. Roy George Vazhaplankudiyil – Immaculate Conception Church, Fisher Branch
204-372-6388
georgeroy890@yahoo.ca
Fr. Nepolian Suvakin – Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, Camperville
204-524-2268
Fr. Soosai Antoniyar – Sacred Heart Church, Roblin
204-937-2575
For over 450 years, Jesuit priests and brothers have lived an amazing story of serving the Church in new and unexpected ways. We are still men on the move, ready to change place, occupation, method — whatever will advance our mission in the Church. We are expected to do anything or go anywhere to teach Jesus Christ and preach His Good News.
Fr. Frank Obrigewitsch, S.J. (Local Superior) – St. Ignatius Church, Winnipeg
204-783-5922
Fr. Andre Lico – Immaculate Conception Church, Winnipeg
204-942-3778
Assumption Province of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate was established in Canada in 1956. Their principal ministry is among the old and new Canadians of Polish descent. Since 1965, the scope of their ministry has broadened to include work among Italian immigrants and, gradually, among other immigrant and ethnic groups as needed. As men dedicated to Our Lord and the mission of the Church, they bring the Good News to these people in their language and help them acclimatize to a new society, culture and way of life. This ministry finds expression in conventional forms, including parishes, the Retreat House, and preaching of parish missions, while at the same time seeking new ways to evangelize in an ever-changing society.
Fr. Tomasz Koscinski, O.M.I. – Holy Ghost Church, Winnipeg
204-586-0421
OMI Lacombe Canada was founded in 2003 in response to the changing face of the Roman Catholic Church in Canada. They are part of the worldwide congregation of priests and brothers called The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, who serve the poor in more than 60 countries on five continents. The Oblates first arrived in Canada in 1841. As the young country grew, they grew with it, quickly moving west and serving First Nations, Inuit and Metis people along with the early European immigrant communities, and founded most of the dioceses west of Ottawa. Today the 185 Oblates in OMI Lacombe, Canada devote their lives to the service of the poor throughout the country’s smallest towns and largest cities. Called to live in an apostolic community, we live our mission in the community. Most of the members of OMI Lacombe Canada live in communities under one roof with other Oblate brothers and priests.
Brother Thomas Novak, o.m.i. – St. Kateri Tekakwitha Indigenous Church, Winnipeg
204-287-8583
The Sisters of St. Benedict are a community of monastic women. They have lived this way of life for the last 1500 years; they each together and pray together daily, make united decisions and use their unique gifts to serve one another and others. These women follow a rule of life which St. Benedict wrote in the 6th century. The life outlined in the Rule is a way for ordinary Christians to live a relationship with God and others in an extraordinary way.
Sr. Dorothy Levandosky, OSB
204-338-4601
Filles de la Croix spirituality is one of Christocentric spirituality from which so many of the saints drew from. Simply, everything rests on Christ, the Incarnate World, the true center of the world. Filles de la Croix contemplate Jesus in his childhood, his apostolic life, his poor and suffering life, his death and resurrection, his glorious life, his dwelling among us in the Eucharist, and his presence in the poor.
Sr. Evelyn Pierret, f.d.l.c. – Winnipeg
204-256-7343 fdlcray@mts.net
The Missionaries of Charity Sisters (Mother Teresa’s Sisters or the Sisters of Mother Teresa, as many know them) is a religious community in the Catholic Church, founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta (now St. Teresa of Calcutta) in 1950 in Calcutta, India. Their community is dedicated to serving the poorest of the poor, irrespective of social class, creed or colour. We deliberately choose to show God’s concern for the poorest and the lowliest, remaining right on the ground while offering immediate and effective service to those in need until they can find someone who can help them in a better and more lasting way.
Sr. M. Jonathan, M.C. – Winnipeg
204-582-2773
The Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions (RNDM) in Canada have served primarily as educators. In numerous towns and cities in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, western Ontario and Quebec, the Sisters operated primary and secondary schools and music departments. Their educational endeavours have included nurturing and challenging intellectual curiosity, encouraging prowess in the arts, developing athletic abilities, encouraging civic responsibilities, and fostering faith development.
Sr. Denise Kuyp, RNDM – Winnipeg
204-691-0640 dkuyp@shaw.ca
The Archdiocese of Winnipeg offers a Permanent Diaconate Formation Program. The diaconate is a distinct order within the Church and is open to both single and married men as a permanent ministry. “The permanent diaconate manifests, through its threefold ministry of Word, Liturgy and Charity a preferential love for the poor, and so serves as both exemplar and animator for the Church’s own baptismal mission of compassion and loving service (diakonia) in the world.” Aspiring applicants are asked to contact one of the Co-Directors of Permanent Diaconate Formation, Deacon Michael Thibert or Deacon Gilles Lorteau, diaconal.formation@archwinnipeg.ca.
“The deacon’s ministry is meant to be a ‘driving force’ for the Church’s ministry of service. By ordination the deacon is configured to Christ in his servant role and is meant to be a living sign of the servant hood of his Church.” – Pope John Paul II
Vocation in a religious context is how God calls you to serve Him in the world.
God calls you through Baptism and Confirmation to serve Him in a specific way of life. You can follow God’s call as a single person, married person, ordained priest or a vowed religious. It is important first to determine which way of life God is calling you. This process of determining God’s call for your life is known as discernment.
The Archbishop decides which seminary is a good place for you based on his conversations with you and his knowledge of the institutions. Common seminaries that our priests have attended are St. Joseph’s Seminary in Edmonton and Sacred Heart Seminary in Wisconsin.
If after your personal discernment, you’re ready to learn more about the next steps for you, you can reach out to Fr. Peter Nemcek, the Director of Vocations for the Archdiocese of Winnipeg at vocations@archwinnipeg.ca.
