This year has been quite a year for me in seminary formation. The 2009-2010 year started way back during the second week of August as the new seminarians arrived at St. John Vianney College Seminary for New Student Experience. When the returning seminarians arrived back for the year on August 20th, we met a LARGE group of new men who had already bonded and congealed. The first few months were a bit difficult adjusting to the large number of seminarians, the largest sized house in some 35 years. However, once the returning men and the new men came together, walking on the same journey of discovering the Lord’s love for each one of us, we were able to bond as a house of brothers. It was going to be an interesting, grace-filled 50th Anniversary Year for the seminary community!!
On Thursday, September 17, 2009, the seminary community welcomed Christopher West, who came to share a bit about John Paul II‘s Theology of the Body. At the time of his visit, Mr. West had been receiving criticism of many people stating that his commentary on the JPII’s work had been misrepresented by the Theology of the Body Institute. However, the seminarians here can attest to the powerful ministry of Christopher West and the institute he founded. The day after his visit, Justin Cardinal Rigali (Archbishop of Philadelphia) and the Most Rev. Kevin Rhoades (then Bishop of Harrisburg) issued a joint statement in support of Christopher West. They wanted to “express strong support for the important work of the Theology of the Body Institute and, in particular, that of Christopher West.” They continued by saying:
A very good morning to all of you! Tomorrow, the festivities for the celebration of St. John Vianney College Seminary‘s 50th Anniversary begin. Judging by the number of people who have already RSVP’d, we are looking at having a packed house for the next few days. Our Rector/President, Msgr. Michael Carruthers spoke with us the other night about this being an opportunity for the alumni who are returning to experience the healing touch of Jesus Christ. The alumni will be touched by everything we throughout the duration of their visit. May the Holy Spirit guide us throughout the events.
Preparations are still underway for the tremendously joyous celebrations that will take place from Thursday evening through Sunday afternoon. All of the seminarians have been recruited to help out in some capacity. I will be singing with the awesome guys in Schola for the major liturgical events of the reunion. I will also be giving tours on Friday afternoon; that reminds me, I have to get some interesting facts to tell them. (Thanks to Timbo for the awesome idea!!) But, before all of this begins, I have to keep up with school work and…clean my room.
There will be pictures posted every night after the festivities have ended for the day, so be sure to check out the blog a lot over the next few days. After the 50th we have Vocations Awareness Weekend, so there will be many posts over the next couple of weeks. You will all be on the roller coaster ride with me.
A few years back, when news of the clergy sexual abuse scandal hit the church, many people would think that young men would be turning away from the church and ignoring the call of our Lord to the priesthood. The biggest fear was that the number of men entering the seminary would drop dramatically. Though the clergy abuse scandal may have had some impact on numbers immediately after the news broke, things have not remained that way. In the past couple of years, numbers at seminaries across the United States and globally are on the rise.
In fact, at St. John Vianney College Seminary this year, the number of seminarians is at 35-year record high. The seminary welcomed 35 new seminarians at the beginning of August, bringing the total number of seminarians to 76 for the year. We are witnessing hope.
MIAMI | When former Air Force pilot Ryan Boyle, 32, finished his stint in the military to pursue a 10-year call to the priesthood, he inadvertently helped make history.
“The last time we had numbers like this was more than 35 years ago,” said Msgr. Michael G. Carruthers, rector-president of the seminary, which is marking its 50th anniversary this year.
St. John Vianney opened in 1959 as a high school seminary for the then newly created Diocese of Miami. It now takes in students from throughout Florida, other U.S. dioceses and the Bahamas who are pursuing a bachelor’s degree in philosophy or a two-year degree in pre-theology in preparation for the priesthood.
The larger-than-usual entering class has created some extra work for the faculty and staff.
“It’s been a lot of hard work, but we’re very excited. We’ve been adding extra tables, chairs, and preparing to accommodate these young men here,” Msgr. Carruthers said.
He credited Archbishop John C. Favalora’s support for the seminary – particularly his resistance to the idea of moving the education and training of priests-to-be away from the seminary setting – for “enabling the growth of a healthy environment and a strong model of priestly formation” that made the growth in enrollment possible.
“Some suggested that we have a study house attached to a university,” Archbishop Favalora said, where future priests would attend classes with other college students while living and being instructed on the particulars of the priesthood in the study house. “However, neither the U.S. Catholic bishops nor I agreed with that. Seminarians need to be trained in the seminary. That is how it is done and how the bishops want it done.”
The historic number entering the seminary also seems to defy the economic reality.
“I’m proud these men are answering God’s call. There is a lot of pressure, especially during these hard times, to go and do something else. However, they are here seeking (Christ),” Archbishop Favalora said. “It really shows that God’s ways are not our ways.”
The archbishop visited the seminary Aug. 22 to officially open the academic year with the traditional Mass of the Holy Spirit, during which he invoked the guidance of the Spirit upon the seminarians, their professors and the seminary’s staff.
“We’re invoking the Holy Spirit to transform us into something greater than what we appear to be,” Archbishop Favalora said. “We’re asking the Holy Spirit to make holy the work we’re going to do.”
“The Holy Spirit is the breath of the seminary. It is a string that connects us to Christ whom we follow,” said Martin Nguyen, 20, a third-year seminarian from the Diocese of Orlando.
“It is an honor to pass on the priesthood from one generation to the next. Passing on the faith is what this seminary is all about, and I’m very proud to see so many taking on that tradition,” Archbishop Favalora said.
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This year has been quite a year for me in seminary formation. The 2009-2010 year started way back during the second week of August as the new seminarians arrived at St. John Vianney College Seminary for New Student Experience. When the returning seminarians arrived back for the year on August 20th, we met a LARGE group of new men who had already bonded and congealed. The first few months were a bit difficult adjusting to the large number of seminarians, the largest sized house in some 35 years. However, once the returning men and the new men came together, walking on the same journey of discovering the Lord’s love for each one of us, we were able to bond as a house of brothers. It was going to be an interesting, grace-filled 50th Anniversary Year for the seminary community!!
“The last time we had numbers like this was more than 35 years ago,” said Msgr. Michael G. Carruthers, rector-president of the seminary, which is marking its 50th anniversary this year.
