By Fr. John Adamski

Spring still hasn’t arrived fully in Baltimore and Washington. Last week I was in those two cities to visit three seminaries where men from Atlanta are preparing for the priesthood. My trip took me to three vastly different settings.

St. Mary’s Seminary College is in suburban Baltimore—a combination of old and new buildings spread over a campus with a widespread view of the city. Chris Mussell from St. Peter and Paul parish, Rick Allen from the Cathedral and Ron Bono are the Atlanta men studying there.

St. Mary’s Seminary (Roland Park) is the theology branch of the same institution, located in a different section of Baltimore. It consists of one enormous building which houses 370 men from all over the country who are doing their graduate work in theology. Atlanta is represented there by Pat Bishop from St. Thomas the Apostle parish.

Finally I went down to Washington to Theological College which is a seminary for diocesan students and a part of the Catholic University complex. It’s located directly across the street from the National Shrine of Our Lady. Two Atlanta men: Deacon McBrearity from the Cathedral parish and Paul Langsfeld from Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Why all this detail about seminaries? First, the big news in seminary circles last week was the announcement that Our Lady of the Angels Seminary in Albany, New York was closing. Our Lady of the Angels is an old seminary—my uncle graduated there over 45 years ago when it was a section of Niagara University and was located in Niagara Falls, N.Y. The campus was moved just ten years ago and brand new buildings were erected in Albany. A limited enrollment finally sounded the death knell for the school and it closes next month. Vocation directors and seminary educators are keenly aware of the need for men to serve the Church today when the closing of established schools has become an almost common phenomenon. Perhaps it moves us to become a little more supportive for the seminaries which remain open and functioning.

Secondly, I still sense that most people don’t have too much of an idea about what a seminary really is and how it operates. The three schools I visited last week are more and more typical of contemporary models of seminary education. Men from nearly every part of the country make up the student body. Rules and regulations are minimal; a great deal of emphasis is placed on personal growth toward maturity. The students are deeply involved in pastoral programs which being them out into the community at large. The men seem so very much like their counterparts at any first rate college or graduate school.

The only distinguishing characteristic of a seminary is probably its most important one; the students there are all seeking to respond to God’s call for service in the Church. Not everyone is sure what their call actually means. Many will make mistakes along the way Some will be ordained. Right now they’re just doing their best to grow as men who want to serve their fellow man. In a society which places so much emphasis on “getting,” it’s refreshing to see so many talented young people who seriously want to give and hope to accomplish that with their entire lives.

Seminarians have always been a relatively silent segment of a local Church. They aren’t even around here most of the year. They usually don’t wear Roman collars so it would be impossible to tell if the young man sitting next to you in Church was a seminarian or not. Nevertheless they are very important people for they are seriously involved in determining and pursuing the role of service within the Church –service for all of us, God’s people. The quality of their formation/preparation will largely account for the style of ministry which will comprise a large element of leadership within our communities of faith.

Seminarians give us a great deal: their lives. There are several things that we can do for them. A week ago Catholics celebrated a World Day of Prayer for vocations. We all can continue that effort throughout the year by praying for God’s help and strength for these young men who seek to dedicate themselves to His work. Most of our seminarians will be living here in Atlanta this summer and many will be working in parishes. That’s a great opportunity to meet them and share in their formation by communicating your ideas about the role of priests. The support of your own encouragement for me already in the seminary and those thinking about entering can be an enormous assurance for them.

I’ve mentioned before in this column some idea of our being together as a community sharing faith. Seminarians have often been a nearly invisible presence in that faith community. They shouldn’t be. They’re valuable and important people who can help all of us to reflect seriously on our own commitment to serve God and His people.