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Brother Donatus Vervoort had been responsible for teaching Church History at Newman Theological College for over three decades. In 2013 he received the title of professor emeritus.

On October 17, 1973, the Senate of Priests gave authority to Fr. Karl Raab to form a Committee on Vocations. The Committee chose its name: The Vocation Team. Fr. Karl Raab and Fr. Larry Pederson were the first two co-directors.
The Vocation Team, a committee of the Senate of Priests, met monthly. Its working guidelines were prepared in September 1982.

At one time, the Vocation Team was made up of 15 members representing Diocesan Priesthood, Religious Communities of men and women, Catholic Women’s League, Knights of Columbus, Serra Club, Edmonton Catholic School Board, St. Joseph’s College, and the Rural Catechetical Team.

In 1999 the Vocations Office was formally established within the structure of the Archdiocese. The Vocations office continued to work with the Vocations Team to bring displays and presentations about vocations to parishes and at Archdiocesan events.

Rev. Sylvain Casavant was appointed the first Vocations Director of the newly created office. Initially the office organized a number of initiatives including a Eucharistic Adoration for Vocations, the St. Therese Vocation Society, parish visits, reinvigorating the Serra Club in Edmonton.

Born Allan Harvey Joseph Wachowich to Polish parents his family was one of the first five Polish families to immigrate to Alberta in 1944. Wachowich attended St. Joseph’s highschool as was an altar boy at St. Josephs Basilica.

While Wachowich originally intended to be a priest his education lead him to a long career in law. He received both his Bachelor of Arts in 1957 and his Bachelor of Laws in 1958 from the University of Alberta. He was called to the bar in 1959 and held a number of positions before being appointed Chief Justice of Alberta in 1993 a position he held until 2009 when he retired at the age of 75.

Wachowich served on the boards of many religious organizations including the Western Catholic Reporter, the Friars, the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace, Catholic Charities, and he founded St. Thomas Moore Catholic Lawyer’s Guild in 1963.