BOSTON -- On Priesthood Sunday Boston seminarians went out two-by-two giving witness talks at colleges and universities all around the archdiocese and beyond.

Director of the Vocations Office Father Daniel Hennessey said 80 seminarians visited 25 locations and attended 44 Masses as an outreach to expose young people to seminarians, Oct. 27, for The Omnes Gentes: Vocation Witness Talks.

"The idea was that we would have our seminarians go out two-by-two to speak to college and university students and young adults and parishes about their own vocation story and how God led them to the decision to enter the seminary to discern and prepare for the priesthood," he said.

Father Hennessey said the talks helped not only expose students to the call to the priesthood through the seminarians, but also in their own lives.

"We have found that when college students and young adults are thinking about their path in life, it is very helpful for them to hear the witness of others who have asked the same or similar questions of themselves," he said.

Father Hennessey said college campus ministries played a very important role in organizing the talks. Boston University, Emerson College, MIT and other colleges and universities hosted seminarians.

He said the students who attended the Masses organized at locations on campuses welcomed the opportunity to hear from the seminarians.

"Many of the seminarians said that the experience was a great experience for them, especially because they were so well-received by college students," he said.

St. John's Seminary in Brighton allowed the seminarians to use the morning that day for the talks rather than attending morning Mass.

Father Hennessey said seminarians also benefitted from giving the talks.

"A lot of the feedback revolved around the seminarians saying that it encouraged them in their own vocational discernment as well," he said.

"By giving their witness talks, they weren't specifically just going to speak about what the priesthood is, but they were going to speak about how they came to see that God was desiring them to enter the seminary to discern, and what that discernment and that figuring-out of their own vocation really meant," Father Hennessey said.

In collaboration with the Office for Vocations, beginning this week, The Pilot will be printing the text of a number of the seminarians' vocation talks.