Beginnings of a New Season

Saint John Paul II Seminary is back in full swing, but the new men are only just getting settled in the beehive. On August 18, thirteen new propaedeutic college seminarians arrived at this distinguished house on Taylor Street. Weeks later, the life of prayer and study has taken root and we asked three of them to share how it has been.

Semantics: It is hard to believe that it has already been a few weeks at Saint John Paul II Seminary. Looking back, how was the first few weeks of seminary for you?

Carlos: It is very hard to believe that it has already been almost a month here at St. John Paul II Seminary. Time flies when you’re having fun I guess. The first week of seminary was a big change but in a really good way. It was super busy as it was orientation week but once things slowed down and I got used to the schedule, it really has been amazing.

Alex: The first week was actually pretty difficult. Whenever we go through a period of growth especially with the Lord, we find a lot of discomfort. Along with that, I noticed doubts about myself and my vocation start to grow. After talking with other seminarians and priests this seems to be a common feeling in the first week. It was noted that Satan would try and attack us and our vocation as we are trying to bear fruit through Jesus Christ. 


Semantics: What have you enjoyed the most being here?

Damien: The fraternity is what I have enjoyed the most being here. When the new seminarians had arrived, I was expecting it to take quite a bit of time before new and old guys got to be on more friendly terms with each other, but new and returning members were joking with each other within a relatively short amount of time. The returning men were extremely welcoming, and it felt like family, even though it had only been a few days.

Alex: What I have enjoyed most is just the opportunity to give Christ my all. Through the support of our home dioceses and the faithful our lives revolve around prayer and growing in virtue. Before entering seminary, it felt like I was giving the Lord the scraps of my time. My spiritual life was revolving around everything else going on in my world. Now my world revolves around Jesus Christ. This is truly a blessing and I cannot put into words how grateful I am for it. 

Semantics: With all the formation talks and classes, what is a nugget of wisdom you'd like to share?

Damien: Fr. Griffin gave a talk on having a "supernatural outlook," and what I took away from this is that the supernatural outlook is a worldview that factors in eternal life and God's immeasurable love for you and everyone else. This helps in pretty much every aspect of life. Two examples are that it helps to quell anxiety because you remember that God has the final say about any situation and it helps you to direct your life by reminding you to think about what God wants you to do with the situation you are presented with. 

Alex: I think the best piece of advice was to just be in the moment. "Do not heavily discern your vocation in the first year. Adjust to your new life and begin to discern your second year". At first, I did not agree with this message. We are in seminary so I thought this is what I am here to do. Instead by just allowing myself to adjust to my new life I have seen the fruit of being in the moment. All too often we feel the temptation to look into the future for our hopes and dreams. Other times we are tempted to look into the past to happier times or mistakes that we linger on. By being in the moment, we can focus on the blessings in our current lives instead. 

Semantics: What are your hopes for this next upcoming year?

Alex: My main hope is to take advantage of some of the sacrifices that seminary requires. The main one being not having a phone. I always knew that I spent too much time on my phone but I didn't know the extent until I got here. My hope is to take advantage of not having my phone.

Carlos: The seminary keeps you pretty busy, but one of the main things is our prayer times. This year, I really hope to grow my relationship with the Lord and fall more deeply in love with Him. When you know about a person, you’re able to love them in a different, more intimate way. The Lord, of course, is infinite and so it’s impossible for me to learn everything. I want to learn to contemplate, to meditate, and to just rest in His love because that's true prayer. Prayer isn’t one-sided, I can’t just do my part, say what I want to say, and wrap it up. I need to listen just as much as I speak because that’s where the Lord is able to do the most. The seminary will give me that space and practical “training” to get better at this and therefore, draw ever deeper to my beloved.

Seminary life is a beautiful privilege and would not be possible without the love, prayers, and support of our friends and family. Thank you and please pray for us this year!

Alexander Sohm is a Propaedeutic Year Seminarian for the Archdiocese of Baltimore 
Carlos Gonzalez is a Propaedeutic Year Seminarian for the Diocese of Richmond
Damien Hartze is a Propaedeutic Year Seminarian for the Diocese of Bismark