The bus ferrying the altar servers from Church of Nativity in Burke to the Battle of the Servers, hosted at St. Leo School in Fairfax, was electric with anticipation for the day, brimming with 35 servers coming to take part in the fun and games.
While growing up, I was blessed to have a number of priests in my life to interact with, but I did not have many opportunities to interact with many seminarians. It wasn’t until high school that I first got to interact with a seminarian who was stationed at my parish for the summer. It was surprising to see a young man studying for the priesthood, and his example helped me realize that the priesthood is a calling that can be answered at a young age.
As I sit here thinking and writing, I am looking at three awe-inspiring volcanos on a beautiful 75-degree summer day, in a place called “The Land of the Eternal Spring.” Where am I? Why am I, as an Arlington seminarian, in this picturesque locale? I am in Antigua, Guatemala, beginning my last week of a two month Spanish immersion, so I can better serve a growing population in our diocese.
Arlington seminarians Andrew Clark, Joe Flaherty and I traveled to Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., where we were immersed in a program oriented toward a deeper holiness for those pursuing the priesthood of Jesus Christ. With a mission of guiding seminarians into a life of interiority, IPF effectively drew us into a deeper relationship with our Divine Creator.
Though fewer in number, the vast majority of our young priests are men of integrity and courage, ready to embrace the challenges ahead and the demanding vocation of spiritual fatherhood with generosity, fidelity and joy.
The Mass of Admission for Candidacy is held after seminarians finish their philosophical studies (after two years or four years depending on if they graduated college) and as they enter into theological studies. Candidacy is the formal recognition by the church that a seminarian has reached “a maturity, joy and serenity in your discernment that coincides with the beginning of the study of theology,” according to Fr. Michael C. Isenberg, director of the Office of Vocations.
What’s so beautiful about the straight, level throw of a frisbee, a perfectly tight spiral touchdown pass, an accurate cross on a corner kick, or a graceful bump-set-spike?
As a young man setting foot on the campus of Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Md., for the first time in 2006, fresh out of high school, I had aspirations of one day making the journey across campus to the seminary to study for the priesthood.
This is the first year that newly ordained priests are men I entered the seminary with six years ago. Some are my close friends—the kind you cannot help but thank God for — and all are my dear brothers in Christ.
The Mass of Admission for Candidacy is held after the candidates finish their philosophical studies (after two years or four years depending on if they graduated college and as they enter into theological studies. It is the next stage in the progression to Holy Orders.
