September 29, 2002

This weekend we have the privilege of the annual second collection for Saint Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers. “Dunwoodie” is the archdiocese’s formation center for future priests. Vocations to the priesthood in the United States are only now beginning to increase, and have a long way to go match the dramatic increase in many other parts of the world.

This academic year, more than 3,400 men are studying for the diocesan priesthood in our nation. This does not include men studying for religious orders, whose numbers make up about a third of the total number of priests. In recent years, many older candidates were studying, but the average age is now lowering, with renewed emphasis on quality of selection. The trend is particularly noticeable in dioceses like Bridgeport and Atlanta, which has more men in the college level seminary than ever before. Those who are slightly older (late twenties and early thirties) often bring with them a background of graduate studies in various fields. Candidates are diverse, and include a young blind violinist in Michigan who will be given dispensation in order to work with the blind, an Olympic athlete in Georgia, and many with advanced degrees in science and business.

Seminary training takes at least six years, beginning with philosophy in preparation for theology, along with supplementary studies in Latin and other basics when those have been lacking in one’s previous college studies. The statistics for seminarians include students in college-level seminaries, theologates and post-graduate level studies. The archdiocese’s college seminary, for preparatory studies before entering St. Joseph’s Seminary, has been moved to a new building on the seminary grounds.

All Christians by virtue of their baptism have a vocation to serve the Lord. Priests do it by being “servants of the servants” of God. It is the duty of every young man to examine his conscience and, if he thinks he may be called to Holy Orders, to speak with his pastor or some priest. The Church makes the decision in this matter, and the candidate offers himself for that consideration. Everyone supports priestly vocations by prayer, by speaking about vocations within one’s own family and with friends, and by offering financial support for the training of young men to take up the succession of those who have served faithfully over the years. “Elijah’s mantle o’er Elisha cast” says an old hymn, and it is by that passing along of the priesthood that we can have a Church. As one new saint of the Church has said, when you kneel before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament in church, he is there because a priest has passed by.

Fr. George W. Rutler