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Seminaries provide leadership for the future Church, says Archbishop Chaput
Former Denver archbishop honored at annual Seminary Dinner
By Nissa LaPoint
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Photo by James Baca/DCR |
By carpooling, by flying, by receiving an extra ticket from a friend or co-worker, all those who walked into the Seawell Ballroom for the annual Seminary Dinner found some way to attend.
“I would have come even if we had to sneak in,” said Sister Prudence Allen, who teaches at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary and attended with another Religious Sisters of Mercy professor.
The annual dinner and auction held at the Denver Center for Performing Arts Nov. 11 was cited as an opportunity to support men preparing to give their lives to Jesus Christ and a chance to see former Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., now archbishop of Philadelphia, who was the honored guest.
Several had come to the dinner for the first time.
Laura and Tom Srsich of Christ the King in Evergreen came to support seminarians and because their son is considering a vocation to the priesthood.
“If we’re going to send a seminarian, we’ve got to fund it,” Laura Srsich said.
The funds raised went to St. John Vianney and Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary, both located at the John Paul II Center campus, 1300 S. Steele St. in Denver. This year, 130 men are studying for the priesthood at the seminaries, 80 of which are studying for service to the Archdiocese of Denver.
When there are so many seminarians in Denver, it’s as important as ever to have a successful fundraiser, said Deacon Joe Donohoe, director of diaconate personnel for the Denver Archdiocese.
“It’s an important night to support the seminarians when (the seminary) is full,” Donohoe said. “I hope it’s successful.”
During the event, Bishop James Conley, apostolic administrator of the archdiocese, led an invocation before the approximately 500 attendees ate dinner and listened to music performed by the seminarians.
The seminary choir sang “Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit” and the ancient Irish hymn “Be Thou My Vision.” A video was also played depicting a day in the life of a seminarian.
Bishop Conley said it takes a team of people to help seminarians during their formation process.
“Priestly formation is first and foremost cooperation in the grace of God,” Bishop Conley said. “Our task is to assist men in knowing the will of God and, by his grace, following it. This isn’t easy. It takes a dedicated team of formators and faculty and a community like you ready to cooperate with God’s grace.”
It was this community and the priests at St. John Vianney that convinced Alberto Galvan to study for the priesthood in the Denver Archdiocese.
“The holiness of the priests and the bishops—I just love it,” said Galvan, who is from Mexico. “That’s what attracted me to this diocese.”
The two seminaries also provide priestly formation for those men who don’t have a seminary to attend in their diocese.
“In Tulsa, we don’t have a seminary so we have to go elsewhere,” explained Sean O’Brien, who said the seminary in Denver is a kind of mission for the entire Midwest.
A live auction was also held after dinner and Archbishop Chaput spoke to the crowd, saying how it’s important to support the seminaries.
“It’s a very expensive proposition,” he said. “So please give. It’s giving to the future of the Church. It’s giving to the mission of Jesus Christ. It’s giving to the poor because without the preaching of the Gospel we stop being generous to the poor. It does all the things that the Church needs to do because it provides us the leadership we need and enthusiastic service of the Gospel.”
Before ending the night, Tim Gray, a professor at the seminary, explained the seminary appeal called “A New Harvest,” meant to raise money for the seminarians.
The name for the appeal was inspired by the words in chapter 9 of the Gospel of Matthew when Jesus asks his disciples to pray to the Lord of the harvest that he may send laborers.
“It’s vital for all of us here not only to support financially the seminarians, but to pray for our seminarians and our priests, and pray to the Lord of the harvest because that is what the Lord himself asked us to do,” Gray said.
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