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Have You Considered Fatherhood?
Then Consider College Seminary WHY COLLEGE SEMINARY? The Scriptures and the lives of the Saints are full of stories of men and women who recognized their vocations at a young age and dedicated all the energy of their youth to growing in holiness. The armed forces and other professions actively recruit college age candidates. Nevertheless, many people may question the value of exploring a vocation to the priesthood before "experiencing the world." Adolescents in America are no strangers to the world, both the rich and beautiful world God created good and the violent, temptation-filled world marred by sin. But even young men who feel close to God may have very shallow roots in the faith and life of the Church. College Seminary is not an escape from the realities of life; it is an initiation deeper into the mysteries of God’s love for us as expressed in the faith, the morals and the worship and the traditions of the Church. An ideal college experience should include personal and intellectual challenges as well as a strong network of support. A college education should expose someone broadly to the world of human experience while also offering focus, values and skills which can be used to make a positive contribution to the world. The Byzantine Catholic Seminary’s College Division offers just such an experience, providing breadth and focus, challenging students to test their limits while supporting them in a fraternal community and nourishing them in the rich spiritual life of the Byzantine Catholic Church. WHAT’S IT LIKE? The College Seminary program aims for growth in four complementary areas: Intellectual, Spiritual, Apostolic and Personal. You will attend college classes at Duquesne University or LaRoche College, Catholic colleges, which collaborate with the Byzantine Catholic Seminary in the training of College Seminarians. Here you will explore all the major fields of human experience while interacting with other men and women of all ages from around the country and around the world. While special emphasis is placed on philosophy, religious studies, the arts and the social sciences, you are free to pursue other subjects of interest to you. You are encouraged to take part in extra-curricular events and activities, and to use your college years to explore and broaden all your interests and talents. The Seminary will help you develop effective study habits for a successful college experience, and the resident priest-faculty is always there to offer any special help you may need.
As a College Seminarian, you are expected to participate in the daily cycle of liturgical services at the Seminary. Your experience of Vespers, Matins, the Divine Liturgy and the cycle of feasts and fasts on the Church calendar will expose you to the full beauty, meaning and richness of our Byzantine Catholic Tradition. You will develop skills in chant, in Old Slavonic, and in the details of liturgy simply by doing. At the same time, you will develop your own personal spiritual life by habits of daily prayer, meditation, spiritual reading, fasting and charity. You will choose a personal spiritual director, a priest who is at your disposal to help you learn more about prayer, about yourself, and about God’s will for you. College Seminarians learn about service to others by spending Sundays at local parishes where they participate in the Liturgy and assist in ministries of music, of welcome and of catechetics. You will feel the support of the people for your discernment and you will hear the call for good priests coming from the men and women and children who are the Church. As a College Seminarian, you are part of a larger seminary community, together with theologians who are in their last four years of priestly formation. You enjoy free time and the usual college vacation periods. Like any college fraternity, the seminary community is bonded together by sharing meals, house jobs, recreation and companionship. The unique difference in the Seminary community is that our common bond is Jesus Christ: our lives are guided by his Gospel and focused on the common goal of his priesthood. Our Byzantine Catholic Seminary community is a close-knit house where priests and seminarians are at home together. We are an international community, and among our college seminarians are several young men from Byzantine Catholic dioceses in Europe. WHAT IF I’M NOT SURE?
Nobody expects you to make a permanent commitment yet! College seminary is a time of discernment, when a young man has the opportunity to experience a priestly lifestyle and to have the space and support to come to a prayerful and informed decision about God’s will for his future. If you have ever seriously considered the priesthood, the experience of college seminary could help you see your place in God’s plan more clearly. There is no shame in coming to an informed and prayerful decision that God has not called you to the priesthood. It would be a great pity never to give yourself the chance to explore the question at all! Whether or not you choose to go on to theology and prepare for ordination, you will earn a valuable college degree from an accredited college or university. You will have more than one marketable skill: you will have self discipline and the kind of broad humanities education which helps form mature people. You will have leadership training. You will know and understand your Byzantine Catholic Tradition much more intimately and, like many of our non-ordained alumni, you may find yourself called to share your gifts with the Church as a deacon, cantor, catechist or lay minister.
WHAT DO I DO NEXT? Talk with your pastor, your school chaplain or any Byzantine Catholic priest. Contact the director of vocations for your diocese. He is a priest who has been appointed to assist young men in their vocational discernment. He can explain the whole application process to you and help you hear God’s call more clearly. Write to "Director of Vocations" at one of the following addresses:
To arrange a campus tour or for more information:
Write to:
Or call:
412-321-5993 Ask your guidance counselor for information on Duquesne University and LaRoche College. Consider sending them your SAT scores.
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