Father Mark Vyverman of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Portage recently recalled the impact of the support he received from the Diocese of Kalamazoo during his seminary days.

In turn, he urged his parishioners to offer their support for current seminarians.

Though it has been 36 years this fall since Vyverman was in seminary at St. Meinrad in southern Indiana, he reflected on the ways in which the support through the Bishop’s Annual Appeal helped him to feel borne up by his home diocese eight hours away.

“The next generation of seminarians for the Diocese of Kalamazoo is benefitting from your support,” he said in St. Catherine's Sept. 27 church bulletin.

While parishioners may have already received a personalized pledge card in the mail, Vyverman noted that they can also go to the diocese website and donate directly online.

“With the changes in the appeal this year, once we reach the 50% mark, monies that are donated come back to the parish to help us out in these extreme times,” Vyverman said.