As Bishop John M. Smith recently looked out at the seven men he was about to ordain as transitional deacons – with the prayerful expectation that they will be ordained priests next year – he described them as an “abundant harvest.”

It is indeed a season of “abundant harvest” in the life of the Diocese of Trenton. With three ordinations in close succession, the diocese has gratefully welcomed the addition of 14 new permanent deacons, seven new transitional deacons and five new priests.

These are fairly impressive numbers given the universally recognized reality that the Church is experiencing a shortage of vocations. At a time when many dioceses in the country have only one or two men ordained as priests, and some sadly have none, we in the Church of Trenton have been truly blessed with a healthy number of priest ordinations for most of the past five years.

Adding to our sense of joy and hope is that next year’s priest ordination class is expected to be even larger, based on the seven transitional deacons just ordained. Over the next four years, we may be fortunate enough to see the ordination of the 23 additional seminarians in formation for the diocese, and we are hopeful that the seminarian classes still coming in will be equally robust.

We are also fortunate to count among our ordained ministers 442 permanent deacons, a number which puts us second only to the Archdiocese of Chicago. Considering that the Diocese of Trenton, with our approximately 800,000 Catholics – some counts puts us below, some above – falls squarely in the middle in size among dioceses in the nation, it would seem safe to describe these diaconate numbers – which don’t include the 14 just ordained – as extraordinary.

In the area of lay ecclesial ministry, the diocese is no slouch, either.

Our Institute for Lay Ecclesial Ministers has graduated nearly 100 commissioned men and women, most of whom are happily engaged in collaborative ministry in the parishes and schools of the diocese.

As any good farmer and amateur gardener instinctively knows, we have only God to thank when our efforts are rewarded with a good harvest. Recognizing God’s hand in the abundant harvest that we have been given is also the first and most natural thing for us, in the Diocese of Trenton, to do as well.

But we also need to recognize the hard work, dedication, creativity and perseverance that have gone into these positive and promising developments in the diocese. We need to recognize that there are many people engaged in the effort to “find, form and link,” to plant the seeds of a vocations, cultivate that love of the Lord and help those who choose to serve the Lord in ministry to fulfill their dream.

It has been a season of good news for the diocese. We are grateful to God for all of it, as well as the gift we have been given in the appointment of Coadjutor Bishop-elect David M. O’Connell. We are confident that, upon the retirement of our beloved Bishop John M. Smith, Bishop O’Connell will be able to continue to lead this extraordinary diocese in ways that truly give glory to God.