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Jan and Bob Dilenschneider, Chair-couple of the 2009 Appeal -- “It is time to step up, give back, help others”. Read more...
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<< Back to Article Index
Nurturing New Priests Secures Church’s Future
A PHALANX OF PRIESTS works with Bishop William E. Lori to oversee the vocations program of the Diocese of Bridgeport. Under the direction of Msgr. Kevin Royal, episcopal vicar for clergy (center), these include (l-r) Father Peter Lynch, director of vocations; Father Nick Cirillo, Saint John Fisher Seminary spiritual director; Father Joseph Marcello, assistant director of vocations; Father Samuel Scott, Saint John Fisher Seminary rector; and Father Leonel Medeiros, assistant director of vocations. (PHOTOS BY JOSEPH MCALEER)
Article Appears in the April 4, 2009 Edition of the Fairfield County Catholic
BY PAT HENNESSY
“God was banging on the door, but I wasn’t answering,” says David Clark. Growing up in Saint Peter Parish in Danbury, Clark, 25, had felt a call toward the priesthood ever since he started as an altar server in the parish in fourth grade. He had other plans for his life but, as he puts it, “The more I tried to put a vocation out of my mind, the more it called to me. Eventually I realized I had to give it a shot.”
When he was finally ready to answer, the Saint John Fisher Seminary Residence in Stamford was there to assist him. Clark entered the Fisher Seminary this January.
Discernment
Fully funded by the Living Our Faith Annual Bishop’s Appeal, the Saint John Fisher Residence, named for the English martyr and patron of priests, was founded by Bishop Edward Egan 20 years ago. It is a house of prayer and study for men to discern if indeed they are called to the vocation of priesthood for the Church.
The seminary is crucial to developing strong, healthy, holy priests. Of all the ministries and programs supported by the Appeal, none is more central to the continuing life of the Church than the encouragement and formation of new priests.
“With the full support and direction of Bishop William Lori, the Saint John Fisher Seminary gives men discerning a vocation to the priesthood a place for quiet, for prayer, for study, for community with likeminded men,” explains Father Samuel Scott, rector. “We nurture seminarians who are faithful to the teaching of the Church and have a good sense of pastoral theology.”
Father Scott was himself in the vocation program at the Fisher Seminary under its founding rector, Msgr. Stephen DiGiovanni, currently pastor of Saint John the Evangelist Parish in Stamford. He completed his theology studies at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Overbrook, PA.
Father Scott, the former pastor of Saint Joseph Parish in Brookfield, became rector following the death last summer of Father Joseph Linck. He is the first former pastor to serve as seminary rector.
Seminarian Studies
The seminary welcomes graduate-level seminarians into a program of philosophy, theology, and classical languages with a distinguished panel of professors and a certificate program through Saint John’s University in Jamaica, NY, before they go on to major seminary. With the support of the Appeal, the college seminarians live at the Fisher Seminary while pursuing their degrees at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield.
According to Father Scott, the Fisher Seminary and SHU have a positive relationship and the academic standards at both institutions have been strengthened by the mutually beneficial relationship they enjoy.
The Appeal encourages vocations to the priesthood and religious life through a number of avenues, including the Vocations Office, under the direction of Father Peter Lynch. Father Lynch visits youth groups and religious education classes, and speaks at Confirmation retreats. His office sponsors events like the Saint Andrew Dinner, where pastors invite young men who may be called to the priesthood to join Bishop Lori for dinner at his residence.
“We have the Quo Vadis summer camp for boys, retreats, vocation fairs – we use every avenue we can,” says Father Lynch. “It’s mostly a matter of staying visible, keeping in contact with kids so we can reach men who love the Lord and think they want to serve Him.”
Father Lynch also visits diocesan seminarians studying in major seminaries in the U.S. and in Rome, Italy. He brings news from home, encourages their spiritual and theological development, and shares their enthusiasm as they move toward ordination.
The Appeal not only encourages vocations and makes the Fisher Seminary available for men discerning a vocation to the priesthood, it also provides them with full scholarships through the completion of their seminary studies.
Generosity
“We’re blessed to have the generosity of the people of the diocese,” says John Connaughton, who entered the Fisher Seminary last fall. Connaughton, 32, who comes from Saint Theresa Parish in Trumbull, had put himself through law school and worked for the state justice system before following his heart toward the priesthood.
That experience makes him particularly appreciative of the generosity of the family of faith in the diocese and the value of the Fisher Seminary.
“You can focus on your prayer life and what God is calling you to do, instead of working to pay bills and put food on the table,” Connaughton says. “It’s great to be living in a place that has a chapel, where you can deepen your relationship with God. The Fisher Seminary allows men to focus entirely on their spiritual formation.”
Father Scott says that his own experience as a pastor informs every aspect of his ministry at the Fisher Seminary. The unique organization begins with prayer and theological formation and goes on from there, giving men a taste of what the priesthood is like, from Morning Prayer and Eucharistic Adoration to conversation at dinner.
Formation
“The men come with a wide array of intellectual and pastoral gifts,” Father Scott observes. “We’re forming priests who are faithful to the teaching of the Church and pastorally sensitive to their parishioners. Some of our men don’t talk comfortably at dinner because that wasn’t done in their families. They have to learn that skill. As a priest, you have to be able to talk with your pastor about the events of the day, and be at ease with the people in your parish.”
During dinner, the seminarians will take turns giving oral presentations from the Divine Office. “It’s a way to give them a significant engagement with breaking open God’s Word. It takes a while for priests to get their stride, and you can’t wait for courses in homiletics at major seminary to begin that,” Father Scott says, again drawing on his own experience.
The seminarians not only engage in community service, from working in soup kitchens to assisting with parish youth groups, they also learn to cope with the mundane duties that may be the priest’s lot, right down to plowing snow in the parking lot.
“I’d like Marge, our seminary cook, to give them some cooking lessons, too,” says Father Scott. “Few rectories can afford a cook nowadays. The need in small matters and great matters is to be always focused on the omega point, which is their parish ministry.”
Priestly Rhythm
“The Fisher Seminary helps us as much as possible to get into the rhythm of priestly life,” says David Clark, who will be there for another year before moving on to a major seminary. “We learn that the priesthood is not just about praying. We learn to center our life in Jesus and communicate that even in mundane things. Actions in the world are important and love is important, and the two are inseparable.”
There are currently 27 men in formation for the priesthood in this diocese, with 12 seminarians living at the Fisher Seminary and the remainder in major seminaries or on pastoral assignments.
Six New Priests
This year, on May 16, Bishop William E. Lori will ordain six men to the priesthood. The ordination of new priests for the diocese, and the continued formation of future priests, depends directly on the generosity of Catholics contributing to the Living Our Faith Bishop’s Appeal. When you fill out the pledge card in your church pew, or go online to make a donation, you are ensuring that a priest centered on the love of Jesus and trained to communicate that love will be there to serve you.
(For more information about the 2009 Living Our Faith Annual Bishop’s Appeal or to make a donation, call 416-1479 or visit online: www.bridgeportdiocese.com. To learn more about the Saint John Fisher Seminary Residence and the vocations program of the Diocese of Bridgeport, visit www.HearTheCall.org).
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