By Christina Leslie | Staff Writer

Emails, texts, Twitter, Facebook: the avenues for instant electronic communications are many. But for those seeking to offer prayerful support or words of encouragement to men who have devoted their lives to serving God and their fellow man, the simple touch of pen (or crayon) to paper can live on long after the pixels fade. For thousands of Catholic students and seminarians both here and abroad, nothing beats the power of a handwritten card or letter.

The Seminarian Letter Project, instituted in 2000 by the New Jersey State Council of the Knights of Columbus, encourages students in Catholic schools and parish religious education programs to send letters and cards to men studying for the priesthood.

John Tirado of the St. Jude Council, Knights of Columbus, Blackwood, had designed the project with the two-fold purpose of nurturing vocations and stemming the declining numbers of men journeying to the priesthood in his home Diocese of Camden. The project proved so successful that Knights of Columbus councils statewide have adopted the practice. Inspirational, heartfelt and sometimes humorous letters by the thousands have been sent to men studying in seminaries throughout the country during the project’s 15-year history.

Kenneth Rhodes, Grand Knight of the KofC’s Trenton Council, has partnered with two local groups of students on the project for the past three years. Art teacher Antoinette Bennett of Trenton Catholic Academy, Hamilton, guides her students to generate letters and pictures, as does Our Lady of the Angels Parish, Trenton, faith formation leader Filippini Sister Carolyn Houck. Rhodes expressed his joy at the results and motivation for the undertaking of faith and evangelization.

“Each of the seminarians [of the Trenton Diocese] receive about eight cards and letters each, including one from me,” he explained. “We need to support these men following vocations. We need to show them that we appreciate and want to boost and support their journeys.

“I am proud of this program,” Rhodes continued. “Our seminarians do so much. We need to boost their morale and do what we can do to help them.”

Members of the Knights of Columbus Hopewell Council, Pennington, have written letters to seminarians for the past seven years. Grand Knight Robert Rushnak encourages the Knights to show their appreciation for the sacrifices made by the seminarians as they prepare to become priests.

“At least a dozen men volunteer to write to two or three seminarians each. I felt that, man to man, on that level it was the best,” Rushnak explained. “Writing is a lost art, for everybody does everything quickly like in an email. This is very personal; some of the men even write the letters in longhand.”

“We do get a few responses,” Rushnak said, “and I share them with the other Knights. The letters show gratitude for the men. It is important to say, ‘We recognize your sacrifices and appreciate it and we need you.’”

One grateful letter recipient, seminarian Thomas Barry, Jr., shared his appreciation for the communication and words of advice for another considering his own vocation in his reply to a correspondent named Stefan.

“I appreciate your support and need your prayers to carry through to priesthood,” Barry began in his handwritten response. “In order for something to grow, a seed needs to be planted, so keep that in mind as you go through life.”