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By Erika Anderson, Staff Writer
ATLANTA—Though in two very distinct locations, St. Vincent de
Paul Seminary in Boynton Beach, Fla., and Blessed John XXIII Seminary in
Weston, Mass., both offer unique formation opportunities for men studying to be
priests.
Though neither are seminaries regularly used by the Archdiocese of
Atlanta, at Blessed John XXIII Seminary one man from the archdiocese, Arthur
Howard, is in formation, and one man, Fabio Alvarez Posado, is studying for the
priesthood at St. Vincent de Paul Seminary.
With a mission for forming priests 30 years old and older, Blessed
John XXIII is dedicated to preparing second-career candidates for the
priesthood. In 1964, with the encouragement and the explicit blessing of Pope
Paul VI, Blessed John XXIII National Seminary became the first seminary in
North America established for the formation of men answering the call to the
priesthood at a later time.
With an age range of about 30 to 60, the men come with various
backgrounds and represent virtually every sort of career, such as law,
business, medicine, banking, sales, military, social work and teaching, to
mention a few. Located just 13 miles outside of Boston, Blessed John XXIII has
a modern and well-maintained building. The chapel and dining room are located
on the first floor. Residence areas are on the first and second floors. In
addition to classrooms and offices, the building has a spacious and comfortable
library, audiovisual room, bookstore, laundry, seminarian lounge and
barbershop. There is also a room with computers available for student use.
Howard, 43, who has worked as a corrections officer, and most
recently as a regional manager for an agency that assists people with HIV, said
that there is a strong camaraderie among the seminarians.
“It’s wonderful being around older guys,” he said.
“Everyone has so much experience in the real world and that assists us in
everything we do. There is such a resourcefulness in the fact that we are older
men training for the priesthood.”
For some men the transition from the corporate world back to a
school environment can be hard. Howard, who will be ordained to the priesthood
in May 2003, said that the environment at Blessed John XXIII is conducive to
learning.
“It is a big adjustment because we are older guys who have
been out in the world for a while, but there is a real spirit of helpfulness
here,” he said. “I think everyone really looks at this as we are all
in this together. No one is in competitive mode.”
Rev. Mr. Doug Medlin, a transitional deacon who is currently
serving at Holy Family Church, Marietta, and will be ordained to the priesthood
in February, is an alumnus of Blessed John XXIII. He agrees that the seminary
is helpful to men discovering their “second vocation.”
“Everyone really understands where each other is coming
from,” he said. “To go from leading your own professional personal
life to a formation situation is really tough. It’s not easy even there
(at Blessed John XXIII), but being with others who are going through the same
thing makes it a little better.”
Rev. Mr. Medlin feels that the seminary is strong when it comes to
teaching the sacraments, theology and “definitely homiletics.”
“I feel that I am very well-prepared,” he said, adding
that situations at Holy Family have prompted him to turn to his seminary
lessons. “If there has been something I needed to review, I have all my
notes here. They have been immeasurably helpful.”
There are 85 men in residence at the seminary and Howard said that
being within 15 minutes of Boston provides not only cultural experiences, but
ministry opportunities as well. He is currently serving at a day shelter in
Boston.
“I provide a ministry of presence there and counseling if
needed,” he said, adding he has also served at a prison facility for those
with mental illness who have committed sexual offenses.
Though Howard said that the hardest part of his seminary
experience is being far from his family, he has enjoyed his formation process.
“I really feel this is a wonderful match for me,” he
said.
Heading south, from the cold climate of Boston to the balmy
breezes of Boynton Beach, Fla., St. Vincent de Paul Seminary also has a unique
formational focus.
In response to the increased Hispanic presence in the United
States, the south Florida seminary fosters a bilingual and multicultural
environment.
St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary was opened in 1963 by the
Vincentian Fathers at the invitation of Bishop Coleman F. Carroll, the first
bishop of Miami. On July 1, 1971, the Vincentian Fathers withdrew from the
seminary, and its operation continued under the direction of the Archdiocese of
Miami until September 1981. At that time the seminary received confirmation
from Rome for regional status, with ownership and operation under the auspices
of the Archdiocese of Miami and the Dioceses of Pensacola/ Tallahassee, St.
Augustine and St. Petersburg. In October 1984, the Dioceses of Palm Beach and
Venice were formed and joined the corporation which owns the seminary. In 1991,
the Diocese of Orlando became a non-owning member of the seminary corporation.
In 1998, it became an owning member and thus united the Province of Florida in
the formation of its future priests.
At the seminary, classes are offered in both English and Spanish.
Father Rafael Castaño, a native of Colombia and a parochial
vicar at Holy Cross Church, Atlanta, attended SVDP from 1994-98. He said that
while studying there he felt “very welcomed and very comfortable.”
“I felt it was a very multicultural group because there were
men there from so many different dioceses,” he said. “Because of
that, I instantly felt familiar with the environment.”
So familiar, Father Castaño added, that improving his
English was a big difficulty.
“Everyone spoke Spanish there. Even the Anglos spoke
Spanish,” he laughed.
Though the Hispanic community is strong at the seminary, Father
Castaño said that the emphasis is on diversity.
“They make the students learn about all the different
cultures,” he said. “So that when I left there, I was prepared to
work with anyone from any cultural background.”
Father Serge Ward, vocations director for the archdiocese since
June, recently traveled to Boynton Beach for a visit to the seminary and was
impressed with what he saw.
“St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary is the only seminary
we use that requires a pastoral year between second and third theology,”
he said. “The faculty there see tremendous growth in the seminarian upon
his return from the full year in the parish that allows him to see in a
completely different light his spiritual and academic life. They would not
trade that aspect of formation for anything.”
Father Ward also feels that the seminary’s practice of
celebrating Mass in Spanish on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as offering
classes in both English and Spanish, helps to prepare the seminarians for
ministry, especially in North Georgia, where the Hispanic population is growing
at a rapid rate.
“This permits any seminarian to be able to cross over quite
easily from one culture to another and even integrate the Hispanic and North
American culture more easily,” he said. |
