Today’s column is the first of two profiling the current seminarians of the Gary Diocese as they make their way to Catholic priesthood.
A “calling.”
Every current seminarian for the Diocese of Gary used this word to explain why they are entering the priesthood in their young lives.
The nine men, all from Northwest Indiana, come from all walks of life to comprise a “Breakfast Club” of potential Catholic priests – the nerd, the jock, the brain, the brooder, and so on. Each of them told me that God has been tapping them on the shoulder for many years. Some embraced it at a young age. Others ran from it for several years.
All of them, however, felt it in the depths of their being. It’s like a church bell has been rung in their soul and they can still feel its comforting hum, they agreed.
“Jesus Christ grabbed our hearts and didn’t let go,” one of them explained.
I met with the easy-going seminarians, who range in age from 19 to 32, inside the Ancilla Domini Chapel in Donaldson, Indiana. It’s located on a campus called the Center at Donaldson, adjacent to the Lindenwood Retreat & Conference Center near Plymouth, about an hour away from this area.
The remarkable chapel is a replica of the original chapel in Dernbach, Germany, where a handful of faithful women founded the religious community called the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ more than a century ago.
“The sisters take pride in this center being a place for those of all backgrounds to come and find peace in their heart,” said Bill Harmon, coordinator of Outward Bound Ministry.
The rural property is naturally serene to nurture reflective thought and prayerful meditation, a perfect site for men considering the priesthood.
Last week, the Gary Diocese seminarians came together from around the country to meet at the campus for a four-day summer retreat. I joined them Wednesday, after their daily prayers and before their evening meditations.
They were affable, candid and convinced they should be exactly where they are in their lives – on the way to priesthood. It doesn’t mean all of them will be ordained. Roughly half of all seminarians who enter the priesthood pipeline between the age of 18 and 22 leave the program for various reasons. Some return to more mainstream lives. Some use their new skills for other vocations. Some simply couldn’t make the holiest of cuts.
“No time is wasted here,” said the Rev. David Kime of St. Francis Xavier in Lake Station, who serves as vocations director for the Gary Diocese.
“Seminary helps teach virtue and how to become a real man,” added the Rev. Christopher Stanish of Queen of All Saints in Michigan City.
“A good priest is someone our world badly needs today,” added Stanish, who served as Kime’s assistant at the retreat.
Stanish, who became ordained last year, recalls being called upon by Jesus back in eighth grade. Stanish attended a faith-based retreat at St. Thomas More Church in Munster.
“I wanted nothing to do with it when I got there,” said Stanish, who was into baseball, sports and other secular pursuits. “My mom made me go.”
But the next day, Jesus started working on his heart.
Stanish recalled seeing the Rev. Kime walk past him during a church ceremony. Stanish reached out to touch Kime’s churchly cloak. He instantly felt something fill his heart. He said he heard Jesus’ voice in his head: “Chris, I want you to be my priest.”
It scared the youngster, who had plans to be a math teacher with a wife, kids and home of his own. Stanish ran from his calling for five years before finally relenting.
“Once I made that decision, I’ve felt only peace and contentment in my heart,” said Stanish, who’s now 27.
Kime recalled a similar epiphany as a young boy in second grade who idolized holy men who sported flashy capes and righteous deeds.
“At that age, priests were like Superman,” Kime said. “I wanted to be one when I grew up.”
Adam Antone, 21, knew he wanted to be a priest since he was 8. He, too, noticed men of the cloth in his church, St. Pat’s in Chesterton, all doing great things for others.
“They all wore the same outfit,” recalled Antone, who entered the seminary immediately after high school. “I feel I’m responding to something much greater than myself.”
There is no normal path to priesthood. There is no cookie-cutter template.
“The only thing in common is the common call to serve the Lord,” said Nate Edquist, 24, of LaPorte.
Bishop Donald Hying, who spent time there with the seminarians, told me that men are called upon by God to become priests, not the other way around.
Stanish asked the age-old question, “Can you be who a priest is supposed to be?”
Each seminarian told of hints, signs or “invitations” from God to become a priest. There are three components to the process: First, to be divinely called upon; second, the heartfelt response by a man; and then being approved by the church.
All three components have to be in perfect accord. It’s a rigorous process to get into seminary school and it’s even more rigorous to become a priest while being evaluated by church officials, and by Jesus.
“I feel they are walking this path with me, more than I’m being watched and judged,” said Declan McNicholas, 22, of Chesterton.
The other seminarians are Jacob McDaniel, 23, of Michigan City, Jose Cuellar of Lake Station, Brendan Mullaney, 19, of Hobart, Jeff Burton, 32, of Valparaiso, and two who were not in attendance for the retreat, Greg Bim-Merle and Robert Ross.
In Monday’s column, I will address the challenges of celibacy in the 21st century, giving their lives to God, and living off a priestly paycheck. I plan to then keep tabs on the group of men as they make their way into the priesthood, or not.
To view bios and photos of all the Diocese of Gary seminarians, visit http://www.dcgary.org/vocations-seminarians.htm
Contact Jerry Davich at jdavich@post-trib.com or on Twitter @jdavich
