Serra USA President Urges Prayers for Clergy and Religious

By Anne McCormack
Editor of The Serran

How often do you include current and potential vocations to the priesthood, permanent diaconate and religious life in your prayers? Now’s a good time to add Catholic vocations to your daily private and parish petitions. Additionally, if your parish doesn’t already have a Vocations Team or Committee, please consider starting one as an essential component of your community's ministry. 

National Vocation Awareness Week is just around the corner, taking place November 1-7 this year. It is a time officially designated by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to promote and pray for vocations to the priesthood, permanent diaconate, and consecrated life.

Lake Charles’ own John J. Halloran, Jr., has been praying for vocations since he joined the Serra Club of Lake Charles in 1990. The Lake Charles Serra Club is one of hundreds of clubs across the world that make up Serra International, an organization whose specific mission is to promote, encourage and affirm vocations to the ministerial priesthood, permanent diaconate, and consecrated religious life in the Catholic Church.

This past July, Halloran, a retired US Army Colonel, became president of Serra International’s USA Council. In this role, he leads about 8,000 lay Catholics across the country in fulfilling Serra’s vocation-focused work. Now, more than ever, Serra’s work is vital to the future of the Church as vocations to the priesthood and religious life have declined steadily in the past 50 years.

“Serra is important to me because I have experienced the shortage of priests in my lifetime, especially in the military,” Halloran says. “During Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom I, I might see a priest every four to six weeks, and it was usually one from a Navy ship making his rounds to offer Mass and Confession.”

The presence of priests in civilian life is likewise sparse. According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, the statistics paint a dire picture: While the US Catholic population has grown by about 2 million since they started recording such data in 1965, the number of priests has plummeted by over 40 percent, down from over 58,000 to about 34,500 in 2025. Last year, there were 3,674 parishes in the United States without a resident pastor.

“These days, we have priests who serve multiple parishes,” Halloran said. “Many years ago, there was one priest for about every 1,000 laypeople. Now we have one priest for about every 4,000 laypeople. Decades ago, the United States would send priests to other countries; now the reverse seems to be true.”

As for religious sisters, while CARA counted just shy of 180,000 working for the Church in 1965, the 2025 figure of 33,135 reflects an even steeper downward trend.

Halloran’s top goal as president of Serra’s US Council is to get more American Catholics concerned and passionate about promoting religious vocations to join Serra and amplify its mission. The theme for his two-year term, “Concern, Commitment, and Courage” describes the qualities needed for those who feel called to be a part of the Serra apostolate.

Locally, the 100 members of Serra Club of Lake Charles support the diocese’s vocations initiatives by coordinating fundraising and awareness activities.

One particular highlight of the year is the club’s annual Clergy and Religious Recognition event, which honors priests and sisters celebrating milestone anniversaries with Mass, lunch, and a gift of $10 per anniversary year. This event took place in September at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church in Sulphur, where 13 priests, 8 deacons, and 5 religious sisters were honored for their combined 910 years of service. Over the 19 years that this program has existed, over $112,000 has been presented to local priests, permanent deacons and the sisters.

Born and raised in New York, Halloran moved to Lake Charles in 1987. He married his college sweetheart, Nila, and were married for 45 years before she “was deployed to Heaven,” as Halloran says. They had three children, who in turn produced 16 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Nila was an emergency room registered nurse and was also a member of the Serra Club of Lake Charles. The Hallorans made St. Theodore Catholic church in Moss Bluff their parish home.

Halloran entered the military as a Regular Army 2nd Lieutenant. He retired with the rank of Colonel after 32 years of service in 2008. Much like his military career, he rose through the ranks of Serra, serving as his club’s president for 11 years and then moving up through the organization’s national and international hierarchy. He was installed as the US Council’s president in July at Serra’s 83rd international convention in Indianapolis and will complete his term in 2028.

Serra International was founded in Seattle in 1935. About 15,000 lay Catholics make up its membership in Serra Clubs all across the world. For more information on Serra International, visit serrainternational.org, or serraus.org for Serra’s activities in the United States. If you are interested in joining one of the two Serra Clubs in the Diocese of Lake Charles, contact John Halloran at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..