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"I am really pleased how the people have responded to our seminarians. … There is a greater awareness all over the diocese about who our guys are," he said. "We've got more work to do on that with working with the religious (orders) and developing that. We are in a better place than we've been in a long time. "

Vocations growth in Arkansas is still relatively new. In 2001 the diocese had 12 seminarians, compared to 35 in 2010. The diocese went decades with ordaining only one or two priests a year. From 2009 to 2011 Bishop Taylor has ordained seven priests and will ordain four more this year.

The priest/parishioner ratio in the Diocese of Little Rock, however, is about average. The diocese is ranked 74th with one active diocesan priest to serve 2,357 registered parishioners. The diocese has had consistent seminarian growth since 2005 so as a larger number of seminarians get ordained the priest/parishioner ratio is expected to improve.

Interviews with several vocations promoters in the state shows there are eight reasons why the Diocese of Little Rock is a "vocations-rich" diocese.

1. We are relatively small

What it takes to be in top 15 ‘vocations-rich' dioceses Click here

The Diocese of Little Rock, with only 131,976 Catholics, is the largest in the list of top 15 dioceses. All other vocations-rich dioceses have fewer than 115,000 Catholics. One researcher noted that the bishop and vocations director of smaller dioceses have an easier time at meeting and fostering relationships with prospective seminarians.

"If you are living in a city like Los Angeles I think it would be harder to find time to contemplate and pray. (Here in our state) you have time to think about God and not living in such a rat race," Msgr. Friend said.

2. We invest priest personnel to foster vocations

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor has assigned four priests to work in vocations: Msgr. Friend, who is also the vicar general, collaborates with three associate vocations directors, Msgr. Richard Oswald, prefect of the House of Formation; Father Rubén Quinteros, vice prefect of the House of Formation; and Father Erik Pohlmeier, who is also the pastor of Our Lady of the Holy Souls Church in Little Rock. Msgr. Friend, Msgr. Oswald and Father Quinteros live in the House of Formation with the seminarians and discerners.

"Having a full-time vocations director makes a big difference," Msgr. Friend said. "It is key to have that."

Msgr. Friend and Father Pohlmeier visit the seminarians at their seminaries two times a year. At the seminary, Msgr. Friend and Father Pohlmeier will meet with the rector, formation staff and seminarians to evaluate how the discernment and formation process is going. They also make sure to spend time away from the seminary with the seminarians.

"It is community building," Msgr. Friend said. "We will go out to eat together, go bowling … I try to spend time with them. … I see how they interact together, who is showing leadership, who I need to encourage to do different things."

Liz Tingquist, diocesan youth and campus ministry director who works closely with the vocations office, said young people are drawn to Msgr. Friend.

"He is so charismatic and full of joy and love," she said. "They see Jesus in him. Young people are looking for role models. … They want to be a part of that. There are young men who are drawn to that as they should be."

During the dedication of the House of Formation March 8, Bishop Taylor said other bishops are surprised to hear that he has four priests working in seminarian formation.

"Dioceses larger than our own only have one priest in part-time ministry for vocations," he said. "I am convinced if we lay a solid foundation now, we will have solid priests for the future. If we skimp on the foundation we provide to them now, we will pay for it later."

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Bishop Taylor also visits the seminaries at least once a year, which is not common for all bishops.

"He will try to spend time with each one of them. He is building a relationship. He knows the guys and knows their names. He knows his seminarians. That is real important for keeping guys in (the seminary). They see that the diocese really cares for them. It really helps the guys in discernment."

But Msgr. Friend said recruitment and retention really should be a goal for every priest.

"All the priests need to be working in vocations," he said. "They all need to be promoting it in their parishes. We all have to invest ourselves in that."

3. Seminarians recruit other seminarians

Some of the best recruiters are the seminarians themselves, Msgr. Friend said. When a prospective seminarian visits a seminary, the current diocesan seminarians are the ones to give him a tour and answer questions. An annual discernment retreat each winter is organized and led by seminarians. Plus, Msgr. Friend said, someone discerning a call to the priesthood is drawn to the close fraternity the Little Rock seminarians have.

"It is like trees in a forest," Msgr. Friend said. "They help support each other … They are a happy group of guys. I enjoy being around them. It is very contagious. … They also are very good about asking young people to consider a vocation."

4. Catholic schools, programs and organizations promote vocations

More events and groups are in place to encourage vocations. It is more common to see parishes with vocations committees and ongoing awareness of the need to pray for vocations, such as the vocations chalice or cross program and holy hours in several schools and parishes.

Chuck Ashburn, the former vice principal at Catholic High School in Little Rock, said the boys' high school is the perfect place to foster vocations among Catholic boys. For the past four or five years Ashburn has chaperoned students who are discerning a vocation to a Come and See weekend at two different seminaries. He also was the adviser for the Theology Club, which was attended by many prospective seminarians.

"I told every religion class that every Catholic male has the obligation to ask himself if they are being called. Some can answer quickly. Some need to go through three or four years of seminary to discern," he said.

Ashburn, the diocesan director of religious education and Christian initiation and pastoral and academic advisor for the House of Formation, said he felt the best way for him to recruit vocations was to ask the students if they had ever considered a vocation to the priesthood.

5. Parishes and the diocese encourage peer ministry

Tingquist, diocesan youth and campus ministry director, said the diocese provides a lot of ministry programs for teens. She said it is vital, especially for the smaller Catholic communities, for the diocese to offer retreats and conventions to strengthen the faith of young people. Msgr. Friend and Tingquist agreed that teens ministering to each other is the most effective model.

Examples include parish youth groups, Search and Cursillo.

"The kids who come back from Search have a greater understanding of their relationship with God," Ashburn said. "You see a difference in those who go and open themselves up. I would venture to guess that the guys from Catholic High would tell you that their Search experience played a big role in their discernment."

6. We are located in a religious state, but Catholicism is a minority

Tingquist said she believes this makes for a unique experience for Catholic young people.

"I really think bottom line it has to do with is there is a real sense, and it has always been this way throughout our history, is if we want the Church to be here we have to fight for that," Msgr. Friend said. "Everyone feels a greater personal responsibility to the Church and a more personal relationship with the diocese."

"It is not unusual to talk about your faith," Tingquist said. "At the same time, they are challenged. It is helping them to be more bold…. It's really a growing trend that it is cool to be Catholic."

Arkansas is ranked the fifth most religious state in the country, but only 4 percent of the state is Catholic.

"Even in our programs, we try to get people to think about their personal relationship with the Lord. Our folks here have a real hunger for the Lord," Msgr. Friend said. "They are taking their spiritual life seriously…. It's a priority for a lot of young people."

Of the top 15 vocations rich dioceses, all but one (Bismarck, N.D.) had a below average percentage of Catholics.

7. We are "intentional" about the faith

It has been said that some dioceses are doing better than others because the diocese or bishop is conservative, but Msgr. Friend said he doesn't think it is appropriate to assign labels. He said he sees the dioceses that are experiencing growth are full of clergy and laity who are being faithful to the Church.

"(The priests have to make sure) we are faithful to the Church, faithful to the diocese and faithful to the Lord… Everyone that is Catholic in the diocese needs to do that – living their faith…. That inspires people. We are living our relationship with the Lord."

Msgr. Friend praised the 56 active diocesan priests in Arkansas who are taking on more responsibilities than ever before. And they are working well past their retirement age.

"(Compared to) when I was ordained 25 years ago, I think we have half as many priests (today). We are ministering to even more people. That is inspiring, faithfulness to the diocese, to do whatever it takes to serve them ... Our priests are authentically living their faith. … To me it's about being clear about who we are as a priest and your identity.

"It is not about being conservative or orthodox. It's about being faithful to the Lord, it's being faithful to the Church and it's being faithful to the people of the diocese."

8. We are ministering to immigrants

A large part of the vocations growth in the diocese is because of Hispanic recruitment, said Msgr. Friend, who is bilingual. Of the diocese's 35 seminarians today, 12 are of Hispanic descent.

"We do it in a way that makes them feel a part of the same Eucharistic table as everyone else," he said.

Three of the four new seminarians to be ordained this year are Hispanic but have chosen to call Arkansas home.

"They grew up here. They really feel very much a part of the diocese. There was ministry going on when they went to church. I think it is very true with immigrants when they come to a new place, there is probably a greater openness to God and to the spiritual life."

"When a community begins to produce vocations whether it is a parish community or the Hispanics, it is a sign of maturity of overall faith in the community," he said.

Msgr. Friend said he is hopeful for the future of continued growth in vocations.

"It is an exciting time," he said. "For me, I am grateful I have been able to work to get priests for our future. … There are guys that are coming forward to be able to continue the work of (our retired priests) who have given their lives."

What it takes to be in top 15 ‘vocations-rich' dioceses

The Diocese of Lincoln, Neb., has been known as a "vocations-rich" diocese for the past 15 to 20 years. The largely rural diocese had 41 seminarians in 2010, according to the Official Catholic Directory, That year, Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz ordained four diocesan priests. By comparison, the Archdiocese of Baltimore had 504,062 Catholics and 42 seminarians.

Like most of the dioceses on the list, Lincoln is not in an overwhelmingly Catholic area, with 16 percent of the region registered in a parish.

The Lincoln diocese also has the highest ratio of priests to parishioners. The diocese had 123 active diocesan priests, making it one of the more vital dioceses in the country in terms of being able to teach and spread the faith. This translates into one active diocesan priest for every 777 Catholics, compared to a national average of 3,633.

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