Here - Saint Vincent Seminary

Transcription

K
!
f
f
o
k
ic Seminary Launches $6.1 Million Capital Campaign
At the Saint Vincent Seminary Alumni
and Planned Giving Associates Banquet on
October 3, Board of Regents Chairman John
C. Marous, Jr. announced the launching of a
$6.1 million capital campaign to meet several
needs resulting from years of enrollment
growth and program enhancement. The campaign can be divided into four components:
construction, program development, student
financial assistance and the library.
The first goal of the campaign is to prepare
the Seminary infrastructure to meet the needs
of a decade of increasing enrollment and to
allow for technological advancements in its
classroom buildings. Thus, a $3,650,000
construction goal will include $1,970,000
for renovation of one dormitory hall and the
construction costs of a new housing wing.
“We completed the construction of 22
additional rooms for housing in the fall of
1997,” said Saint Vincent Archabbot Douglas
R. Nowicki, O.S.B., Seminary Chancellor.
Commencement
Address On
John Paul II’s Papacy
The biographer of Pope John Paul II discussed the lessons to be learned from his
papacy at the annual commencement of Saint
Vincent Seminary on May 12. Mr. George S.
Weigel, Jr., received an honorary Doctor
of Humane Letters degree in recognition of
his contribution to the understanding of the
role of religion in public life. He is a Roman
(Continued on Page 14)
Mr. John C. Marous, Jr.
Campaign Chairman
Bishop Nicholas C. Dattilo
Campaign Vice Chairman
“But they were quickly filled with new students
as a result of steady growth in our Seminary
enrollment.”
In order to meet the additional housing
needs caused by continued growth, the
recently-approved Saint Vincent Master Plan
2000 calls for the renovation of Leander
Hall, where most of the diocesan seminarians
reside, and the construction of a new housing
In This Issue . . .
Capital Campaign .................1, 3, 6
Commencement Talk ...1, 14-15, 17
Fr. Kurt Belsole Named .................2
Bishop’s Breakfast ........................2
Hispanic Ministries.................... 4-5
Campaign Divisions ......................6
Fr. Kram Honored ..........................7
Diaconate Ordination ....................7
New Seminarians Arrive ...........8, 9
Seminary Calendar ........................9
Fourth Year Practicum ............... 10
Scholarship Dinner .....................10
Sr. Cecilia on Commission.........10
New Seminary Group Photo...... 11
Cardinal’s Visit....................... 12-13
Degrees Awarded .................. 16-17
Tribute Gifts ........................... 18-19
Dr. Hahn at SVS ...........................19
New Artwork.................................19
News and Notes..................... 20-24
New Organ ...................................24
Dr. George Weigel
1
Photos of Francis Cardinal
Arinze’s visit to Saint Vincent
Seminary - pp. 12-13
Leaven Summer/Fall 2000
Volume 9, Numbers 3-4
Father Kurt Belsole Appointed
Interim Seminary Rector
Father Kurt J. Belsole, O.S.B., Associate
Professor of Theology and Monastic Studies
and Assistant Rector, has been named the
Interim Rector of Saint Vincent Seminary
by Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B,
Chancellor. Fr. Kurt will serve as Interim
Rector during the sabbatical of the Rector,
Father Thomas Acklin, O.S.B. His duties
will include the daily administration of the
seminary as well as responsibilities in the areas
of recruitment, planning and development.
Fr. Kurt is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Michael
Belsole and a native of Saint Marys, Pennsylvania. He professed his first vows at
Saint Vincent Archabbey in 1972 and was
ordained a priest in 1978.
After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree
in philosophy from Saint Vincent College in
1974, Fr. Kurt received a Master of Divinity
degree from Saint Vincent Seminary in 1978.
He earned a Diploma in Latin Letters in 1980
from the Pontifical Gregorian University,
Rome; a License in Patristic Theology and Sciences in 1983 from the Patristic Institute at the
Augustinianum, Rome; studied at the Pontifical
Liturgical Institute, Rome (1981-1983); and
earned a doctorate in Sacred Theology in
1994 from Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint
Anselm, Rome. He wrote his doctoral dissertation Joy in Lent: “Gaudium” in the
Rule of Saint Benedict under the direction
of Fr. Adalbert de Vogüé. He has also
received grants from the German Government to study German at the Goethe Institut
in Passau, Germany, and from the French
Government to study French at the Institut
Catholique of Paris.
Fr. Kurt has taught at Saint Vincent Seminary since 1983; he served as Academic Dean
of the Seminary from 1986 to 1989. Since
1995, during the spring semesters, he has
taught at the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint
Anselm, Rome; and since 1996, he served
as the rector’s delegate in administering the
scholarship endowment of the Pontifical
Seminary To Host
Breakfast For Bishops
Saint Vincent Seminary will again
host a breakfast for bishops during
the National Conference of Catholic
Bishops in Washington D.C. on
November 15. Archbishop Gabriel
Montalvo, the Apostolic Nuncio to
the United States, has accepted an
invitation to attend.
Leaven
is published by Saint Vincent
Seminary, 300 Fraser Purchase Road
Latrobe, Pennsylvania 15650-2690
724-537-4592, Fax: 724-532-5052
http://benedictine.stvincent.edu/
seminary/
Publisher
Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B.
Rector
Very Rev. Thomas P. Acklin, O.S.B.
Interim Rector
Rev. Kurt J. Belsole, O.S.B.
Vice Rector
Rev. William J. Fay
Academic Dean
Sr. Cecilia Murphy, R.S.M.
Dean of Students
Rev. Alan E. Thomas
Father Kurt J. Belsole, O.S.B.
Athenaeum of Saint Anselm, Rome. In the
fall semester of 1998, he served as acting
Director of Spiritual Life at Saint Vincent
Seminary. At the Seminary, Father Kurt has
chaired and served on numerous committees,
including the Academic Committee, Admissions Committee, Alumni Degree Committee,
Master of Arts Committee, Middle States
Association of Theological Schools Self-Study
Committee, and the Committee on Faculty
Rank.
At Saint Vincent Archabbey, Father
Kurt has served as assistant guestmaster
(1972-1975); master of ceremonies
(1985-1993); secretary to the Archabbot
(1991-1992); on the administrative staff of
the Archabbot (1992-1993); on the Liturgy
Committee (1984-present); on the Gristmill
Committee (1989-1991, 1997-present); on
the Formation Committee (1992-present)
and on the Saint Vincent Fire Department
(1971-1976). He has been on the novitiate
faculty of Saint Vincent Archabbey teaching
monastic history since 1984.
Fr. Kurt has served on the editorial board
of Word and Spirit (1992-1998), and has
been an associate editor of The American
Benedictine Review since 1994. He has
published numerous articles and book reviews
in various periodicals including Spirit and Life,
Word and Spirit, Living Prayer, Church
History, Antiphon, and The American
Benedictine Review, and has written four
articles for the forthcoming Encyclopedia of
Monasticism. His professional memberships
include the North American Patristic Society
2
Director of Spiritual Life
Rev. Justin M. Matro, O.S.B.
Director of Development
William P. Malloy
Director of Public Relations
Donald A. Orlando
Writer/Editor
Kimberley A. Metzgar
Alumni Director
Rev. Gilbert J. Burke, O.S.B.
Public Relations Associate
Theresa O. Schwab
Seminary Board of Regents
Very Rev. Thomas P. Acklin, O.S.B.
Rev. Julio Alvarez-Garcia
Most Rev. Anthony G. Bosco
Mr. David L. Brennan
Mr. Frank V. Cahouet
Ms. Rosemary I. Corsetti
Rev. Msgr. George R. Coyne
Most Rev. Nicholas C. Dattilo
Most Rev. John F. Donoghue
Mr. Mark F. Garcea
Sr. M. Gabriel Kane, I.H.M.
Rev. Thomas J. Kram
Rev. Msgr. Paul A. Lenz
Dr. James V. Maher, Jr.
Dr. John C. Marous, Jr.
Rt. Rev. Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B.
Dr. Rizal V. Pangilinan
Most Rev. Bernard W. Schmitt
Mr. Thomas G. Wagner
Seminary Launches $6.1 Million Capital Campaign
(Continued from Page 1)
wing. When completed, the facilities will
provide an additional 25 dormitory rooms
— enough to accommodate the projected
enrollment levels.
The Master Plan also calls for the establishment of a Seminary Fitness Center and a
Commons Area to provide for the physical
and social needs of the seminarians along with
their spiritual and academic formation.
Included in the construction component is
$960,000 for structural improvements and
implementation of technological enhancements
to the seminary classroom building, including
a new Center for Homiletics.
“One of the greatest needs in the Church
today is effective preaching of the Word
of God,” said Board of Regents Chairman
John C. Marous, Jr. “To meet this need, Saint
Vincent Seminary will establish a Center for
Homiletics.”
Mr. Marous noted that Seminary classes are
taught in Aquinas Hall, which was constructed
in 1953.
“The building will undergo structural renovation to accommodate state of the art
technology in all classrooms, and to establish a
center for specialized instruction in homiletics.
These advancements in technology will allow
Saint Vincent Seminary to prepare priests
with the tools and experience to be effective
preachers and teachers of the Word of God,”
Mr. Marous said.
The final part of the construction phase of
the campaign, $720,000 for completion of
the spires and the addition of bells to the Saint
Vincent Basilica, has already been completed
and the funding pledged by Archabbey
donors.
The campaign’s second goal, $1,000,000
for program development, will focus on the
Seminary’s Hispanic Ministries program and
seek to prepare seminarians to meet the needs
of this expanding Catholic population.
“Saint Vincent will establish a comprehensive Hispanic Ministries curriculum, including
an immersion experience in the culture and
language,” said Rev. Kurt J. Belsole, O.S.B.,
Interim Rector. “Due to the increased enrollment of seminarians who will serve in dioceses
with large Hispanic populations, we are
expanding our curriculum and programs to
meet the needs of these dioceses.”
Fr. Kurt noted that demographics among
the Catholic population in the United States
are undergoing a radical shift. Already,
Hispanics account for 36 percent of the
Fr. Kurt Belsole, O.S.B., discusses the Capital Campaign during the annual
Seminary Alumni and Planned Giving Associates Banquet. Seated at the head table
were, center, Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B., and clockwise, Mr. John C.
Marous, Jr., Board of Regents Chairman; Father Thomas J. Kram, Board of Regents;
Mr. James F. Will, President of Saint Vincent College; Mrs. Mary Louise Redding,
a Seminary patron; and Mrs. and Dr. James V. Maher. Dr. Maher is also a member
of the Board of Regents.
Campaign Summary of Needs
CONSTRUCTION
•
•
•
$3,650,000
Seminary Housing - $1,970,000 - for the renovation of the current
dormitory hall and the construction costs of a housing wing, and the
establishment of fitness and recreation centers.
Seminary Classrooms - $960,000 - for structural improvements
and the implementation of technological enhancements to the seminary
classroom building, including a new Center for Homiletics.
Basilica Spires and Bells - $720,000- for the completion of the spires
and the addition of bells to the Saint Vincent Basilica. [PLEDGED]
PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
$1,000,000
STUDENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
$1,000,000
•
•
LIBRARY
•
•
•
Hispanic Ministries - $1,000,000 - for the implementation of a
comprehensive program to prepare our seminarians to meet the needs of
this expanding Catholic population.
Scholarship Assistance - $1,000,000 - to cover the costs of seminary
education for students from dioceses and communities without the capacity
to pay.
$500,000
Collection Preservation - $200,000 - for the preservation of the
historical collection of theological books and writings.
Collection Enhancement - $200,000 - for the purchase of theological
works that are important for the education of seminarians.
Technology Enhancement - $100,000 - for the implementation of
Internet access to resources at the best scriptural and theological research
centers throughout the world.
3
Hispanic Ministries Program Expanding
When Stuart Crevcoure of the Diocese of
Tulsa went back home to Oklahoma after
being ordained a deacon at the Seminary in
April, the first baptism he did was in Spanish.
When Ricardo De Silva, a native Panamanian, moved to the Diocese of Charlotte in
1993, he said he could go two or three months
without seeing a fellow Latin American. “Now
I see them everywhere I go.”
When Saint Vincent Seminary began holding two Masses each month in Spanish (one
on Sunday and another on Thursday), people
began coming from as far away as Pittsburgh
to attend.
Diocesan newspapers from Pittsburgh and
Charlotte recently carried articles on the
growth of Hispanic ministries in their respective
regions, and the Seminary recently made the
growth of Hispanic ministries training part of its
new capital campaign. Programs directed to
benefit Spanish-speaking people are being created in many dioceses. Saint Vincent Seminary
is striving to keep current with these regional
and national trends.
Br. Kevin Bachmann, O.S.B., Director of the
Hispanic Ministries program at Saint Vincent
this year, is quick to point out that while
the nation’s Hispanic population is skyrocketing, “there are also a lot of people from
other nations in this country. There is a lot
of multiculturalism. All ethnic groups deserve
our attention.”
The Seminary will be offering four years of
training in the Spanish language, a course on
“Hispanic Culture and Values,” and training
in “Ministerial and Pastoral Linguistics,” which
covers the technical vocabulary necessary for
ecclesial Spanish, and homily preparation in
Spanish. Then there is a practical Hispanic
Ministries seminar, a roundtable which explores
a number of different issues. An “immersion
experience” involves living in a country of
Hispanic culture, intensive language study and
some involvement in ministry.
Terence Crone of the Archdiocese of Atlanta
spent his pastoral year in a parish that had
a large Hispanic population, probably close
to 50 percent. He said Atlanta seminarians
are encouraged to work on Spanish every
semester, with a goal of being able to at least
offer a Mass in Spanish and be able to speak
some Spanish in order to hear confessions and
minister to Hispanics.
Atlanta, he said, has a large Catholic population, with the Hispanic population growing very
rapidly. He and some of his fellow diocesan
seminarians spent the summer of 1999 in El
Paso, Texas, to learn more Spanish as well as
to learn more about the culture of Mexico.
“My experience in my pastoral year con-
Expansion of the Hispanic Ministries Program is part of Saint Vincent Seminary’s
new $6.1 million capital campaign. Seminarians Ricardo de Silva of the Diocese of
Charlotte, left, Carl Kerkemeyer, second from left, and James Caldwell, right, both
of the Diocese of Tulsa, discuss how they use what they learn in the program
with Father Kurt J. Belsole, O.S.B., Seminary Interim Rector, and Sr. Elise Mora,
O.S.F., who teaches in the program.
vinced me of the need to continue to work on
my Spanish, and improve my knowledge of the
cultural aspects as well,” he said.
David Medina of the Tulsa Diocese, a native
Mexican, has been doing some prison ministry
with Hispanics, primarily Puerto Ricans, while
at the Seminary. He would like to expand his
ministerial efforts.
“We need to improve our skills on dealing
with the Hispanic community,” he said, “not
only with Masses. We need to begin to learn
something more about the cultures, and how
to face a multicultural Church.”
He pointed out that not only are there
cultural differences in the Latin American
countries, but there are changes within the
Hispanic population here in the United States.
“Mexican people in Mexico behave one
way, but change a lot when they get here,”
Medina said. “They come here looking for a
better life, there are more members of the
family working, and the families have to adjust
to that.”
Br. Kevin concurred, noting that with Hispanic cultures, as well as most people from
foreign cultures coming into the U.S., the people
retain some of their culture, but are shaped by
the culture of the country they are in.
Br. Kevin expects that as the program
grows there will be a development of the field
component to the studies, allowing seminarians
to obtain practical experience in their ministries.
He cited how several seminarians involved
4
with the program are currently interacting with
Hispanics in the region.
“There are a number of Hispanic students
attending Saint Vincent College. We need to
develop our outreach to them. We do have
Spanish Mass twice a month. We plan to start
a social activity after the Mass. Our seminarians
can also attend a Hispanic Ministries Conference, which focuses on how to bridge the gap
between Hispanic and Anglo cultures.
A recent conference showed how parishes
can help with immigration requirements, English
instruction, and Catholic schools.
De Silva said the increase of Hispanics in
Charlotte started around 1995 and is continuing not only in North Carolina, but all over
the South.
He said his diocese has only a small number
of Spanish-speaking priests, but noted the
diocese is focusing on ways to address the
needs of the growing Hispanic population.
Sr. Elise Mora, O.F.M., Spanish instructor
in the Seminary, noted that the latest census
statistics show there are about 33 million
Latinos in the United States. She added that
the Latino population is “growing five times
faster than the rest of the population,” and
that Hispanics make up almost 25 percent
of the U.S. population and “are getting close
to being half the population of the Catholic
Church here.”
Abriendo más
puertas en el
Ministerio Hispano
The Catholic News & Herald, the diocesan paper, reported that between April 1,
1990, and July 1, 1998, the Hispanic population has grown more than 110 percent, with
approximately 300,000 Hispanic people
living in the state and an estimated 60,000
Hispanics in Charlotte alone.
If possible, De Silva said, when he is ordained,
he hopes to be able to work on building a
bridge between the two cultures, the main
barrier, he says, being the language difference.
He also hopes to focus on encouraging other
Hispanic vocations within the diocese.
James Caldwell, a seminarian from Tulsa
noted, “When I entered the Tulsa Diocese in
1995, they projected that by 2000 to 2005
the diocese would be more than 50 percent
Hispanic in terms of the Catholic population. So
there is a strong need to address that.”
He said that Hispanic Catholicism is different
from North American Catholicism in many
ways as a result of the cultural differences.
Carl Kerkemeyer of the same diocese
recently found out how different it is, as he
spent June and July of 1999 at David Medina’s
home in Guadalajara, Mexico, as part of
his immersion experience in the culture and
language.
Medina immediately noticed the change
when Kerkemeyer returned to Tulsa.
“When I came to the Seminary, and shared
my struggles in knowing and learning this
culture, Carl could empathize with me, but
he did not fully understand,” Medina said,
noticing that when Kerkemeyer returned from
Mexico, he had a much better idea of the
cultural differences.
“I was changed by my experience there,”
Kerkemeyer said, although he was surprised by
how much English was spoken in Guadalajara.
“When I arrived at the airport I met David’s
mother and sister and we understood each
other. The next morning I was to go on a
pilgrimage, and I was kept so busy that within
about a week I was comfortable with my limited
language skills.” He had some trouble keeping
up with the speed of the spoken Spanish, but
discovered that “I could get by.”
“As far as culture,” Kerkemeyer said, “it
really surprised me that even though the
language was different, people had the same
goals in life, so it was somewhat similar. But
other aspects were really different. Families are
very strong in Mexico, as opposed to here in
the U.S. It felt as if I had gone back in time, but
Discussing the Seminary’s Hispanic Ministries Program with Br. Kevin Bachmann,
O.S.B.,of Holy Cross Abbey, Colorado, coordinator of the program (second from
left), are Eric Filmer of the Diocese of Savannah, left; Terrence Crone, Archdiocese
of Atlanta, center; Stuart Crevcoure, fourth from left, and David Medina, both
of the Diocese of Tulsa.
been energizing, but the presentations at those
that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.”
Stuart Crevcoure notes that the Spanish conferences also make both seminarians and
baptism he performed and the Spanish Masses those directing their programs realize how
he assisted at in his diocese this summer are just much more work needs to be done.
“As difficult as it is, with the time needed
a harbinger of things to come. He preached his
to work on the language to understand and
first homily in Spanish in July.
“Spanish Mass in the parish means more be able to communicate, I have a great sense
that it will be worth it in the long run,” Caldwell
contact with the community,” he said.
The parish he served in this summer, St. said.
Kerkemeyer said that it makes sense to keep
Mark’s, had a good Anglo and a good Hispanic
population. And the people from both popula- developing the program. “You have people
tions worked to be an integrated parish. “They who are newly-arriving in this country, and
were more of a model for Hispanic ministries. they are experiencing all new things. At least
they should be able to expect the familiarity
They tried to make the other feel the part.”
He had a lot of background in Spanish, and comfort of practicing their faith.”
“It helps a lot when they realize you have
all here at Saint Vincent. He had a summer
been
to their country. They know you underexperience in Mexico where he lived with a
family and worked in a parish in Guadalajara. stand their struggle to learn English, and that
He will be the first seminarian ordained in his you can empathize with them. And if you can
diocese with a full background in Hispanic communicate in Spanish it puts them a little
Ministry. He credits the Seminary with provid- more at ease,” he continued. “It’s comforting
ing him with that background and preparation to be struggling together.”
Br. Kevin noted that the growth in the
for the ministry.
Hispanic
population will continue, “as long as
Kerkemeyer noted that when he first started
in the Seminary’s Hispanic Ministries program, there is a need for workers.” And as long as that
Father Mauro, who directed the program at happens, the Seminary’s Hispanic Ministries
the time, said that “it’s not just a matter of program will continue.
“We’ll continue focusing on locating Hispanic
learning the language but of learning the culture
to understand the people. People appreciate foreign students in the area, and ministering
your making the effort to learn their language to them. We’ll work on all the formal parts of
the program as it develops,” he said. “We’ll
and culture.”
Medina mentioned a priest who does not deal with whoever’s there. We want to reach
speak Spanish very well, although he can read out to all people of all different groups. We
it. “The people appreciate his trying. You could don’t want to wait for them to come to us. As
see his effort to share his faith with the people, the keynote speaker at this year’s Hispanic
Ministry Conference in Milwaukee, Bishop
and that was really important.”
The last several years of Hispanic Ministries Jaime Soto, said, ‘Start where you are, work
conferences that seminarians attended have with what you have, and do what you can.’”
5
Campaign
Divisions
Listed
Most Rev. Anthony G. Bosco, Bishop of Greensburg, celebrated Mass during the
annual Saint Vincent Seminary Alumni Day on Tuesday, October 3.
Capital Campaign
Catholics in the United States, according to
statistics provided by the National Conference
of Catholic Bishops. By 2020, the number
will rise to 50 percent.
“While this change will eventually affect
all of the seminarians attending Saint Vincent,
it is already a factor in many of the dioceses
we serve,” Fr. Kurt said. “This immersion
experience will provide our seminarians with
the tools and credibility to effectively serve
this important need in the Church.”
In the third focus of the campaign, the
seminary will seek to raise $1,000,000 for
scholarship assistance, to cover the costs of
seminary education for students from dioceses
and religious communities without the capacity
Father John R. Haney was homilist
during the Saint Vincent Seminary Alumni
Day Mass on Tuesday, October 3. Father
Haney, a Seminary graduate from the
Pittsburgh Diocese, is also assisting with
the Capital Campaign.
to pay.
“In recent years, requests for admittance
of seminarians with demonstrated financial
need have shown a marked increase,” said
William P. Malloy, Director of Development
for Saint Vincent Seminary. “A number of
dioceses and religious communities within the
United States and around the world have the
blessing of priesthood candidates, but do
not have the ability to pay for their education. Saint Vincent Seminary has received
requests for financial assistance from bishops in
developing countries to educate and provide
living expenses for their seminarians. As young
men exhibit the courage and faith to accept
the call to the priesthood, we must educate
and prepare them.”
Mr. Malloy noted that in order to meet
this compelling need, Saint Vincent Seminary
is committed to raising sufficient scholarship
funds to ensure the availability of financial
aid for seminary students from domestic and
foreign dioceses and from religious communities that lack sufficient resources to educate
their young men for the priesthood.
The fourth component of the new campaign
will seek to raise $500,000 for the library,
including $200,000 for preservation of
the historical collection of theological books
and writings, $200,000 for the purchase of
theological works important to the educational
development of seminarians, and $100,000
for the implementation of Internet access to
resources at the best scriptural and theological
research centers throughout the world.
“Saint Vincent Seminary is now the eighth
largest Roman Catholic Seminary in the United
States,” Mr. Marous noted in his kickoff
announcement. “The successful completion
of this campaign should help position Saint
6
Mr. John C. Marous, Jr., Chairman of the Expanding the Vision
Capital Campaign, has announced
the campaign division leaders.
Most Rev. Nicholas C. Dattilo,
Bishop of Harrisburg, is the campaign’s Vice Chairman.
• Bishop Dattilo and Archabbot
Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B., will
chair the Bishops’ Division.
• Mr. Marous and Archabbot
Douglas will chair the Regents’
Division and the Leadership Gifts
Division.
• Seminary Vice Rector Father
William Fay will lead the Faculty/
Staff Division.
• Mr. William Malloy, Development Director, will chair the Foundation Division.
• Father Thomas J. Kram of the
Diocese of Pittsburgh will head up
the Alumni/Friends and Regional
Gifts Committee. That Committee
will have nine smaller regional
committees.
• Leading the Pittsburgh regional
campaign will be Diocese of
Pittsburgh Auxiliary Bishop William Winter, Father Kram, Father
John Haney and Father Richard
Infante.
• Bishop Dattilo and Msgr. Frank
Kumontis will lead the Harrisburg
regional campaign.
• The Greensburg campaign
will be led by Father Lawrence
Kiniry.
• Altoona-Johnstown’s regional
campaign will be led by Msgr.
John R. Sasway.
• Msgr. Paul Lenz will be in
charge of the D.C. region.
• Father Adrian Pleus will head
the Atlanta region.
• In Charlotte the campaign
effort will be led by Father Mauricio
West.
• Father Paschal Kneip, O.S.B.,
will chair the Virginia Beach
effort.
Father Thomas J. Kram Honored For A Lifetime Of Service
In honor of his many years of support
and service to Saint Vincent Seminary, the
Seminary has established the Father Thomas
J. Kram Scholarship.
“Father Kram is always a source of hope,
strength and good humor,” said Archabbot
Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B. “He has touched
thousands of friends by his love and care
over the years.
“It is with respect for his lifelong dedication
to all people, and in particular for his commitment to Saint Vincent Seminary Scholarship
aid, that Saint Vincent Seminary established
this scholarship fund in his name,” Archabbot
Douglas said.
Development Director William P. Malloy
noted that Father Kram has always had a
particular interest in Saint Vincent Seminary.
In addition to his years on the Seminary Board
of Regents (1967-1973, 1993-present), he
has served on the Saint Vincent Alumni Council. For his work on behalf of the Seminary he
received the Seminary Distinguished Service
Award in 1988, and he was awarded an
honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree in 1993.
He also received the Father Camillus Award
for service and devotion in 1986 from the
Saint Vincent College Alumni Association.
During his second term on the Board of
Regents, Father Kram has served as the
Chairman of the Saint Vincent Seminary
Father Thomas J. Kram
Scholarship Committee, establishing the
annual Scholarship Dinner in 1991. In this role,
he has committed himself to ensuring that each
seminarian receives the financial aid necessary
to complete his education.
Father Kram was born December 7, 1923,
on Pittsburgh’s North Side. He earned a
bachelor of arts degree in philosophy from
Saint Vincent College in 1946, then entered
Saint Vincent Seminary, completing his studies
Four Ordained to the Diaconate
Four seminarians attending Saint Vincent Seminary were ordained to the
Diaconate by the Most Rev. J. Kevin Boland, Bishop of Savannah, Georgia, on April
10 in the Archabbey Basilica. They were Br. Lee R. Yoakam, O.S.B. and Br. Edward
M. Mazich, O.S.B., of Saint Vincent Archabbey; Wayne Morris of the Diocese of
Steubenville and Stuart Crevcoure of the Diocese of Tulsa.
7
in 1949. He was ordained to the priesthood
on June 12, 1949. He received the Saint
Vincent Seminary Alumni Master of Divinity
Degree in 1992. He also studied at Duquesne
Prep School, the University of Pittsburgh, and
St. Mary’s College in Kentucky. He has served
in parishes, hospitals, diocesan positions and
on the Saint Vincent Seminary Board of
Regents. Father Kram can look back on a
life that has been full in every sense — as
a student, pastor, high school headmaster,
development officer and diocesan and seminary administrator.
Mr. Malloy also noted other highlights of
Father Kram’s many years of service:
• Following his ordination he was assigned
to St. Wendelin, Carrick, and was there
until 1955.
• He served at St. Mary, Beaver Falls, for
the next six years, then moved to St. Peter,
North Side through 1967. While he was at
St. Peter, he also was the headmaster of
Domenec Diocesan High School for Girls for
two years.
• He was chaplain for Providence Hospital
in Beaver Falls while stationed at St. Mary’s,
and of Allegheny General and Divine Providence Hospitals while at St. Peter. While in
Beaver Falls, he was also involved with the
Saint Vincent de Paul Society there.
• He spent the next twenty years as pastor
of St. Germaine, Bethel Park, and then spent
three years at St. Mary’s Help of Christians,
McKees Rocks.
• He served as Dean of the South Hills
Deanery of the Diocese of Pittsburgh from
1977 until 1980, and Dean of the North East
Deanery from 1987 to 1990.
• From 1990 to 1993 he was Dean of
Advancement at Saint Vincent Seminary. He
has been a Board of Regents member for 13
years, served as Advance Gifts Chairman in
the “Preserving the Vision” Capital Campaign,
and served as Regional Gifts Chairman for the
“Expanding the Vision” Capital Campaign.
• Father Kram was a Tribunal Judge for the
Pittsburgh Diocese for five years, a member
of the Priest Personnel Board for five years,
and has been a member of the Priest Benefit
Plan Board since 1985, serving as its chairman
from 1997 to 1999.
• He has been Vicar for Retired Priests in
the Diocese of Pittsburgh since 1993.
For further information on the Father
Thomas J. Kram Scholarship, contact Mr.
William Malloy, Director of Development,
724-532-6740, [email protected].
Saint Vincent Seminary Welcomes 24
New Students From Around the World
Saint Vincent Seminary welcomed 24 new
students for the 2000-2001 school year.
The new students are from ten archdioceses
and dioceses, four Benedictine abbeys and
a religious order from Nigeria. The student
enrollment at the Seminary is 114, including
96 men in the ordination program, and 18
lay and religious men and women in graduate
studies.
The Seminary’s enrollment, as it has
throughout most of the past decade, is growing, and is the highest it has been in over
30 years.
New seminarians are from:
ARCHDIOCESE OF ATLANTA,
GEORGIA
Neil J. Herlihy is the
son of Grace Herlihy of
Bronx, New York, and
the late Thomas Herlihy.
He is a 1969 graduate
of Cardinal Spellman
High School, Bronx. He
earned a B.Ba. degree in
accounting from Iona College, New Rochelle,
New York, in 1973.
Samuel E. Utomi is the son of Rose Utomi
of Ubibia, and the late
Sir Peter Kalu Utomi.
He graduated from high
school in Itu-Misauzor,
Ubibia in 1988. He
received a bachelor of
philosophy degree and
a bachelor of sacred
theology degree from Seat of Wisdom Major
Seminary in 1994 and Bigard Memorial
Seminary in Nigeria in 1998, respectively.
The Seminary is affiliated with the Urban
University in Rome.
DIOCESE OF
ARUA, UGANDA
Alex Andrua is from
the Diocese of Arua,
Uganda. He is a 1996
graduate of Dokea
Seminary,
Arua,
Ugan-da. He earned a
bachelor of arts degree
in philosophy in 1999 from Alokolum National
Major Seminary, Gulu, Uganda.
DIOCESE OF CHARLOTTE,
NORTH CAROLINA
Alejandro Ayala of
Asheville, North Carolina, is the son of Elena
Beatriz Pena of Argentina and the late Horacio Gilberto Ayala. He
is a 1978 graduate of Colegio Nacional
“Bartolomé Mitre.” He attended the Universidad del Norte “Santo Tomás de Aquino” in
Argentina from 1979 to 1980.
John D. Atkinson is the son of Irene Z.
Foltz of Fredericksburg,
Virginia and Paul D.
Atkinson. He is a 1983
graduate of Manchester High School, Chesterfield, Virginia. He
also studied at John
Tyler Community College from 1995 to 1998.
Andrew K. Suelzer is the son of Dr. John
and Maureen Suelzer of Lake Leelanau, Michigan and Gail Bennett
of Indianapolis, Indiana.
of Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in Indianapolis. He studied psychology and business
administration at Regis
College in Denver, Colorado, and Marian
College in Indianapolis.
DIOCESE OF COLUMBUS, OHIO
David J. Young is the son of Richard E.
and Jeanne M. Young
of Columbus, Ohio. He
is a 1996 graduate of
St. Francis DeSales High
School. He attended
Ohio State University
and the Pontifical
College Josephinum,
Columbus, majoring in philosophy.
DIOCESE OF GREENSBURG,
PENNSYLVANIA
Alan N. Polczynski is the son of Sylvester
and Rose Polczynski
of Lower Burrell. He
is a 1984 graduate
of Burrell Senior High
School. He earned a
in theater arts from
Point Park College in
1989.
DIOCESE OF HARRISBURG,
PENNSYLVANIA
James F. Fair is the son of Francis P. and
Mary Lee Fair of Camp
Hill, Pennsylvania. He
Camp Hill High School.
He earned a bachelor
of science degree in
mathematics from Mill-
8
ersville University in 2000.
DIOCESE OF PITTSBURGH,
PENNSYLVANIA
Sean M. Francis is the son of Paul and Ann
Francis of Allison Park, Pennsylvania. He
North Allegheny High
School, Wexford. He
earned a bachelor of
arts degree in philosophy from Duquesne
University in 2000.
Peter G. MacLellan
of Pittsburgh is the son of Joseph R. MacLellan of Sayville, New York, and the late
Mary Ann MacLellan.
of Sayville High School.
He earned a bachelor
philosophy and biology from the State University of New York,
Brockport, New York. He has also done
graduate work at Duquesne University.
DIOCESE OF STEUBENVILLE, OHIO
Michael F. Barrett is the son of William H.
Barrett, Jr., and Sandy
Barrett of Kenton,
Ohio. He is a 1994
graduate of Kenton
Senior High School. He
arts degree in theology
from Franciscan University of Steubenville in 1998.
Henry Christopher Foxhoven is the son
of Henry F. and Arlene M. Foxhoven of
Bloomingdale, Ohio.
He attended Harlan
Community High School
in Harlan, Iowa, and
graduated in 1994
from Our Lady of the
Rosary Home-School.
He received a bachelor
of arts degree in theology from Franciscan
University of Steubenville in 1999.
DIOCESE OF TULSA, OKLAHOMA
Stephen D. Cotter is the son of David and
Joan Cotter of Broken
Arrow, Oklahoma. He
is a 1994 graduate
of Bishop Kelley High
School and a 1997
graduate of Franciscan
University of Steubenville, Ohio, earning a
bachelor of arts degree in theology.
DIOCESE OF WHEELINGCHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA
Charles E. McGinnis, Jr., is the son of
Charles E. McGinnis Sr. and Sandra Kay
McGinnis of Wheeling,
West Virginia. He is
a 1984 graduate of
Wheeling Park High
School. He earned a
regents bachelor of arts
degree from West Liberty State College in
education in 1990.
John P. Mulcahy is the son of George
and Anne-Marie Mulcahy of Pittsburgh. He
Canevin Catholic High
School, Pittsburgh. He
studied accounting at
Saint Vincent College,
earning the bachelor
business accounting in
1996.
Douglas A. Ondeck
is the son of Andrew F.
and Mary E. Ondeck of
Wheeling, West Virginia. He is a 1988
graduate of John Marshall High School, Glendale, West Virginia. He
studied at the Pontifical College Josephinum,
Columbus, Ohio, from 1997 to 1999.
Christopher M. Turner is the son of David
and Karen Turner of Bridgeport, West Virginia. He is a 1993
graduate of Bridgeport
High School. He earned
a bachelor of science
degree
in criminal
justice/sociology from
Fairmont State College,
Fairmont, West Virginia,
in 1997.
MARY, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH
ABBEY, RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
Br. Mark A. Purcell,
O.S.B., is the son of
Frank X. and Christine
T. Purcell of Codville,
Ohio. He is a 1989
graduate of Park-ersburg High School, Parkersburg, West Virginia.
He earned a bachelor of science degree in
education, with a major in mathematics, from
Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, in 1994.
SAINT BENEDICT ABBEY,
ATCHISON, KANSAS
Br. Gabriel A. Landis, O.S.B., is the son of
Sam and Shirley Landis of Wichita, Kansas,
and the late Carole Landis. He is a 1981
graduate of Wichita
East High School. He
arts degree in finance
from Wichita State
University in 1986 and
a master of arts degree
in management from
Webster University in 1994.
SAINT VINCENT ARCHABBEY
Br. Matthias S. Marbach, O.S.B., is the
son of Martin J. and
Susan E. Marbach of
Stafford, Virginia. He
North Stafford High
School. He earned a
in liberal arts from
Saint Vincent College
in 1998.
SAINT PETER’S ABBEY, MUENSTER,
SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA
Br. Paul B. Paproski,
O.S.B. of St. Peter’s
Abbey, Muenster, Saskatchewan, is the son
of Ardel and Freda
Paproski of Hudson
Bay, Saskatchewan.
of Hudson Bay Composite High School.
He studied journalism at the University of
Saskatchewan from 1981 to 1983 and earned
a degree in journalism in 1985 from the
University of Regina.
VIA CHRISTI SOCIETY, DIOCESE OF
MAKURDI, NIGERIA
Samuel Odeh is the
son of Justina A. Odeh
of Otukp, Nigeria and
the late Boniface E.
Odeh. He is a 1993
graduate of Mount St.
Gabriel’s Secondary
School, Makurdi, Nigeria. He earned a bacheor of arts degree
in philosophy from Saint Thomas Aquinas
Seminary, Makurdi, in
1998.
John-Paul A. Otanwa is the son of
Boniface and Patricia
Otanwa of Makurdi,
Nigeria. He is a 1996
graduate of Mount
Saint Gabriel’s Secondary School, Makurdi.
He attended Saint Thomas Aquinas Seminary
in Makurdi from 1997 to 2000.
9
Seminary
Calendar of
Events
Friday, October 20
Annual
Red
Mass,
Speaker: Fr. David M.
O’Connell, C.M., President
of Catholic University of
America. Noon, St. Joseph
Center, Greensburg. Sponsored annually by the Diocese of Greensburg and
Saint Vincent Seminary,
Archabbey and College.
Monday, November 6
7:30 p.m., Ministry of
Acolyte, Archabbey Basilica. Most Rev. Bernard W.
Schmitt, Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston, Installing
Prelate.
Monday, November 27
7:30 p.m., Ministry of Candidacy, Archabbey Basilica.
Tuesday, November 28
3:30 p.m., Installation of
James F. Will as President
of Saint Vincent College,
Archabbey Basilica.
Saturday, December 9
Sunday, December 10
8 p.m., Saint Vincent Camerata Christmas Concert,
Archabbey Basilica.
Saturday, December 16
Diocese of Pittsburgh Diaconate Ordination, 10 a.m.,
St. Paul’s Cathedral for
Thomas Burke, Anthony
Gargotta, Terrence O’Connor, Michael Stumpf, Robert
Vular and Clinton Zadroga.
Monday, March 5
Ministry of Lector, 7:30
p.m., Archabbey Basilica.
Wednesday, March 21
St. Benedict’s Day Mass
4 p.m., Archabbey Basilica.
Fourth-Year Assignments
Fourth-year seminarians serving in their
parish practicum for the 2000-2001 academic
year have received their parish and ministry
assignments, reported Rev. Richard Michel,
O.S.B., the Seminary’s Director of Field Education. Assignments are as follows:
Br. Benedict Alva, O.S.B., St. Procopius
Abbey, at St. Mary’s Byzantine Catholic
Church of Bradenville, Fr. Joseph Borodach,
pastor; Br. Nicholas Ast, O.S.B., St.
Gregory Abbey, at St. John Parish of Latrobe,
Fr. Thomas Lukac, pastor; Br. Kevin Bachmann, O.S.B., Holy Cross Abbey, at Saint
Vincent Seminary, Hispanic Ministry Program,
Fr. Kurt J. Belsole, O.S.B., interim rector;
William Berkey, Diocese of Greensburg,
pastoral year at St. Sebastian Parish of Belle
Vernon, Fr. John Cindric, pastor and Fr. Donald
Trexler, parochial vicar.
Thomas Burke, Diocese of Pittsburgh,
at St. Ferdinand Parish, Cranberry Township,
with Fr. John Gallagher, pastor, and parochial
vicars Fr. Kevin McKnight and Fr. Joseph
Newel; Robert Burns, Diocese of Harrisburg, at St. John the Baptist Parish, Pittsburgh,
with Fr. Charles Speicher, pastor and Fr.
David Poecking, parochial vicar; Jonas
D. Christal, Archdiocese of Campinas,
with the Diocese of Greensburg, Therese
Telepak, Associate Director of Youth Formation; Donald Cramer, Diocese of Harrisburg,
at St. Regis Parish, Trafford, with Fr. James
Tringhese, pastor.
Stuart Crevcoure, Diocese of Tulsa,
at St. Bernard Parish, Indiana, with Msgr.
William Charnoki, pastor and Fr. Michael
Sikon, parochial vicar; Douglas Dorula,
Diocese of Greensburg, pastoral year, at
Blessed Sacrament Cathedral Parish, Greensburg, with Fr. Michael Begolly, pastor, Fr.
Jonathan Wisneski, and Fr. William Lechnar,
parochial vicars; Tien Hung Duong, Diocese
of Charlotte, at North American Martyrs
Parish, Monroeville, with Fr. Francis Murhammer, pastor; Anthony Gargotta, Diocese
of Pittsburgh, at St. Louise de Marillac Parish,
Pittsburgh, with Fr. Thomas Kredel, pastor.
Robert Miller, Diocese of Youngstown,
pastoral year, Sts. Peter and Paul Parish,
Beaver, Msgr. William Ogrodwski, pastor;
Wayne Morris, Diocese of Steubenville, at
Holy Name Cathedral Parish, Steubenville,
Very Rev. Timothy Shannon, pastor; John
Nesbella, Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, at
Scholarship Dinner
The head table at the annual Scholarship Dinner included, from left, Very
Rev. Thomas P. Acklin, O.S.B., Seminary Rector; Rev. William Fay, Vice Rector
and featured speaker; Rev. Thomas J. Kram, Seminary Board of Regents
member and founder of the scholarship dinner; Mr. William P. Malloy, Seminary
Director of Development.
10
St. John Vianney Parish, Johnstown, Rev. Paul
M. Robine, pastor; Terrence O’Connor,
Diocese of Pittsburgh, at Transfiguration
Parish, Monongahela, with Fr. William Feeney,
pastor.
Roberto Orellana, Archdiocese of
Atlanta, at St. Margaret of Scotland Parish,
Pittsburgh, with Fr. Harry Nichols, pastor;
David Perry, Diocese of Erie, at St. Thomas
Becket Parish, Clairton, Fr. Robert Seeman,
pastor; James Reardon, Diocese of Erie,
at St. Margaret Mary Parish, Lower Burrell,
Fr. James Gaston, pastor; Br. Anthony
Sargent, O.S.B., St. Mary Abbey, at Our
Lady of Grace Parish, Greensburg, Pat Santia,
Director of Religious Education.
Michael Stumpf, Diocese of Pittsburgh,
at St. Sebastian Parish, Pittsburgh, with Fr.
Paul Bradley, pastor and parochial vicars
Fr. Thomas Sparacino and Fr. James Stover;
Robert Vular, Diocese of Pittsburgh, at St.
Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin, Pittsburgh,
with Fr. John Haney, pastor and parochial vicar
Fr. Alan Morris; Gregory Wilson, Diocese
of Charleston, at St. John the Evangelist Parish,
Uniontown, Fr. William Kiel, pastor; Br. Lee
Yoakam, O.S.B., Saint Vincent Archabbey,
at St. Peter Parish, Pittsburgh, Fr. Benjamin
Walker, O.S.B., pastor; Clinton Zadroga,
Diocese of Pittsburgh, at St. Frances Cabrini
Parish, Aliquippa, with Fr. Joseph Kleppner,
pastor and parochial vicar Fr. Chuck Baptiste.
Academic Dean
Elected To
Commission
Sr. Cecilia Murphy, R.S.M., Academic
Dean, attended the 42nd Biennial Meeting of
The Association of Theological Schools in the
United States and Canada which was held in
Toronto, Canada, June 17-19, 2000. The
mission of the Association “is to promote the
improvement and enhancement of theological
schools to the benefit of communities of faith
and the broader public.“ This Association
has functioned as an accrediting agency
for theological schools and seminaries since
1936.
At the Biennial Meeting, Sr. Cecilia was
elected to the Commission on Accrediting.
This body presently has eleven members from
seminaries/theological schools and three
public representatives. The Commission is
the official body of the Association for all
accrediting decisions. It reviews the evaluation
reports of accreditation visiting committees
and makes the final decisions regarding
accreditation of its 243 member schools, and
other matters related to accreditation.
Saint Vincent Seminary Administration, Ordination Students, 2000-2001
The Saint Vincent Seminary Administration and ordination students for the 2000-2001 academic year are shown in this group
photograph by Emil Kuhar. Pictured are, first row, from left: Christopher Turner, Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston; Donald Cramer,
Diocese of Harrisburg; Br. Bartholomew Landry, O.S.B., Saint Bernard Abbey; James Reardon, Diocese of Erie; Rev. Alan Thomas, Dean
of Students; Rev. Emmanuel Afunugo, faculty member; Rev. William Fay, Vice Rector; Rev. Kurt J. Belsole, O.S.B., Interim Rector; Sr.
Cecilia Murphy, R.S.M., Academic Dean; Rev. Justin M. Matro, O.S.B., Director of Spiritual Life; Tien Hung Duong, Diocese of Charlotte;
Terrence O’Connor, Diocese of Pittsburgh; Stephen Cotter, Diocese of Tulsa; Christopher Roux, Diocese of Charlotte.
In the second row are: James Caldwell, Diocese of Tulsa; Paul Clark, Diocese of Harrisburg; Br. Nicholas Ast, O.S.B., St. Gregory’s
Abbey; Michael Stumpf, Diocese of Pittsburgh; Br. Gabriel Landis, O.S.B., St. Benedict’s Abbey; Chapin Engler, Diocese of Charlotte;
Martin Celuch, Diocese of Youngstown; Ricardo de Silva, Diocese of Charlotte; Mark Van Alstine, Diocese of Savannah; Matthew
Kujawinski, Diocese of Erie; David Medina, Diocese of Tulsa; Jonas Christal, Archdiocese of Campinas, Brazil.
In the third row are: Matthew Reese, Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown; Carl Kerkemeyer, Diocese of Tulsa; Br. Lee Yoakam, O.S.B.,
Saint Vincent Archabbey; Viliamu Emanuele, Diocese of Mandeville, Jamaica; Douglas Ondeck, Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston;
Andrew Suelzer, Diocese of Charlotte; Anthony Gargotta, Diocese of Pittsburgh; Samuel Utomi, Archdiocese of Atlanta; David
Weikart, Diocese of Youngstown; Robert Burns, Diocese of Harrisburg; Charles McGinnis, Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston;
Joseph Ranelli, Diocese of Erie.
In the fourth row are: Wayne Morris, Diocese of Steubenville; Gary Krummert, Diocese of Pittsburgh; Roberto Orellana, Archdiocese
of Atlanta; Br. Mark Purcell, O.S.B., Mary, Mother of the Church Abbey; Br. Boniface Hicks, O.S.B., Saint Vincent Archabbey; Br. Anthony
Costello, O.S.B., Saint Vincent Archabbey; Alejandro Ayala, Diocese of Charlotte; Luis Reyes, Diocese of Harrisburg; James Fair,
Diocese of Harrisburg; John Mulcahy, Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston; Neil Herlihy, Archdiocese of Atlanta; John Matejek, Archdiocese
of Atlanta; Richard Holdorf, Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.
In the fifth row are: Greg Wilson, Diocese of Charlotte; John Nesbella, Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown; Brian Small, Archdiocese of
Atlanta; Sean Francis, Diocese of Pittsburgh; John Rice, Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston; Br. Cajetan Homick, Saint Vincent Archabbey;
David Young, Diocese of Columbus; Michael Zimcosky, Diocese of Greensburg; Anthony Stephens, Diocese of Savannah; Thomas
Dagle, Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston; John Kurutz, Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown.
In the sixth row are: Br. Benedict Alva, O.S.B., St. Procopius Abbey; Br. Anthony Sargeant, O.S.B., St. Mary’s Abbey; Stuart Crevcoure,
Diocese of Tulsa; Daniel Beaumont, Diocese of Pittsburgh; Br. Thomas Curry, O.S.B., Saint Vincent Archabbey; Christopher Foxhoven,
Diocese of Steubenville; Alan Polczynski, Diocese of Greensburg; Terrence Crone, Archdiocese of Atlanta; Steven Fauser, Diocese of
Harrisburg; Robert Vular, Diocese of Pittsburgh; Shawn Malarkey, Diocese of Pittsburgh; David Perry, Diocese of Erie; Michael Rothan,
Diocese of Harrisburg; Timothy Kozak, Diocese of Steubenville.
In the seventh row are: Matthew McClain, Diocese of Pittsburgh; Peter MacLellan, Diocese of Pittsburgh; Br. Brian Boosel, O.S.B.,
Saint Vincent Archabbey; Peter Haladej, Diocese of Youngstown; Br. Matthias Marbach, O.S.B., Saint Vincent Archabbey; Clinton
Zadroga, Diocese of Pittsburgh; John Atkinson, Diocese of Charlotte; Michael Barrett, Diocese of Steubenville; Alex Andrua, Diocese of
Arua, Uganda; David Shaffer, Diocese of Erie; Eric Filmer, Diocese of Savannah; Kevin Poecking, Diocese of Pittsburgh; Mark Weiss,
Diocese of Harrisburg; Thomas Burke, Diocese of Pittsburgh.
11
Cardinal Arinze’s Visit With Seminarians
12
Francis Cardinal Arinze, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, visited the Saint Vincent
campus in April to bless the new spires on the Archabbey Basilica and the bell tower. In addition to giving a
Eucharistic Retreat, Cardinal Arinze took the time to meet with Saint Vincent Seminarians (below), said Mass in
the Seminary Chapel, (top photo and photos to the far left). At left, he met with Saint Vincent Seminary faculty
member Fr. Emmanuel Afunugo, left, and with Fr. Celestine Obi, a priest of the Archdiocese of Onitsha, Nigeria,
which was where Cardinal Arinze served as Archbishop.
13
Text of Dr. George Weigel’s Commencement Talk
Catholic theologian, a Senior Fellow of the
Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington,
D.C., and the author of A Witness to Hope,
the biography of Pope John Paul II.
His commencement speech follows:
Father Abbot; distinguished faculty; fellowgraduates of Saint Vincent Seminary; families
and friends of the graduates:
Thank you for honoring me with the invitation
to share this commencement with you this
evening, and for honoring my work with the
gift of a degree.
My first words must be of congratulation to
the class of 2000 of Saint Vincent Seminary.
Over the past several years you have become
participants in a conversation — the living
dialogue of theology — which has shaped
the civilization of the West, and indeed the
civilization of the entire world, for millennia.
Too much of our contemporary high culture
has forgotten its debt to theology — and, truth
to tell, some contemporary theologians have
acquiesced in their own cultural marginalization.
This forgetfulness, and theology’s occasional
acquiescence in it, seem to me profound
misreadings of theology’s mission and the
theologian’s vocation. For salvation history, the
story of God’s action in history, does not run
parallel to world history; salvation history is the
history of the world, read in its proper depth
and against its most ample horizon. Your task,
as theologians in the 21st century, will be to help
the world to remember its true story — the story
whose chapter headings are Creation, Fall,
Promise, Prophecy, Incarnation, Redemption,
Sanctification, and Glorification.
In that story is found the path to genuine
human flourishing.
In that story lies the fulfillment of the human
aspiration to freedom.
In that story is the satisfaction of the human
longing for the truth.
In the fall of 1995, shortly after his pilgrimage
to New York, Brooklyn, and Baltimore, Pope
John Paul II asked me what the reaction to his
visit had been. I told him that a friend, a native
of Texas who was a high-ranking figure in the
Southern Baptist Convention, had said to me,
“Down where I come from, we say, ‘You folks
have finally got yourself a pope who knows
how to pope.’” For once, the polyglot John
Paul, who speaks eight languages fluently,
was utterly baffled — until I explained that
in Texan, a unique form of English, “pope”
was both a verb and a noun. And then we
both laughed.
My Southern Baptist friend was on to something here, of course. We have all seen many,
many ways in which this Pope “knows how to
pope”: to be an agent of evangelization, a
catalyst for change, a voice of justice for the
voiceless, a bridge across chasms of historic
misunderstanding and distrust, a witness to
hope. The question my friend’s remark specifically poses for us here today is, what does
this Pope who knows “how to pope” have to
teach us about the vocation of theology in the
21st century?
I would suggest there are four lessons for
theology to be gleaned from the pontificate
of John Paul II.
The first lesson is that doctrine is liberating.
In the biblical view of reality, truth binds and
frees at the same time. This is a difficult notion
for our contemporary culture to grasp. For the
better part of two generations now, our culture
has been dominated by the idea of freedom
as personal autonomy — “I did it my way,” as
Frank Sinatra sang, in the theme song of this
ultimately degrading concept of freedom. If, as
theologians, we are to help the world recover
its true story, we must help the world enlarge
its concept of freedom, linking freedom to the
liberating power of the truth.
And this means reminding ourselves of the
liberating power of doctrine.
It has been said thousands of times before,
but it bears saying again: too much of the
theological debate today is conducted through
the essentially politically and analytically sterile
categories of “liberal” and “conservative”
approaches to doctrine. These are, we must
insist, wholly inappropriate categories for
thinking through ancient and complex religious
traditions. No one asks whether the Dalai Lama
14
is a “liberal” or a “conservative” Buddhist.
Why? Because we instinctively understand
that these are the wrong categories to apply
to this subtle, learned man and the tradition he
represents. The same self-denying ordinance
should be applied to contemporary Christian
life and the nature of Christian doctrine.
The issue here is not simply one of semantic
hygiene. Theology parsed according to these
defective criteria — theology that asks whether
a given position is “liberal” or “conservative”
— distorts the very thing it tries to grasp, for it
misses the relationship between tradition and
innovation, the static and the dynamic, in the
life of the Church. What can seem static in the
Great Tradition of Christianity in fact reflects
the Church’s internal dynamism and creates
the impetus for the unfolding of new, dynamic
elements in Christian life. What can seem dead
tradition is in fact the engine of development
and innovation. Let me take three examples.
The first is Holy Scripture. We know that
the canon of Scripture is fixed. But the fact
that the Church does not add new books to the
canon of Scripture does not make Scripture
a dead letter. Rather, the canon insures that
what is truly the Word of God can be received
freshly and in its integrity by every generation
of believers, inviting them to a deeper faith
through the mediation of the Bible.
Then there is the Church’s sacramental
system. The sacraments are not simply traditional rituals, performed because previous
generations performed them before us. Rather,
the sacraments enable each new generation
of Christians to experience the great mysteries
of faith — the life, death, and resurrection of
the Lord — anew. Every day, the sacraments
remind every generation of Christians that
just on the far side of the ordinary — water,
salt, and oil; bread and wine; marital love and
fidelity —lies the extraordinary reality of a
God who so loved the world He created that
He entered that world, in His Son, to redirect
the world’s history back toward its true destiny,
which is eternal life within the light and love
of the Trinity.
Finally, there is the matter of authority. The
Church does not have structures of pastoral
authority in order to impede human creativity.
Rather, authority in the Church exists to insure
that Christians, including theologians, do not
settle for mediocrity. Authority in the Church
is meant to help all of us hold ourselves
accountable to the one supreme criterion of
faith, the living Christ. This is the great service
that pastoral authority does for theology,
and theologians should acknowledge it as
such. (1)
Commencement Talk
All of which means that one of your tasks
as theologians of the 21st century will be to
retrieve and renew the concept of tradition.
In the distinctively Christian understanding of
the term, “tradition,” which from its Latin root,
traditio, means “handing on,” begins inside the
very life of God the Holy Trinity. (2) That
“handing-on” — that radical self-giving that
mysteriously enhances both giver and receiver
— took flesh in the life of Christ and continues
in the Church through the gift of the Holy
Spirit. Thus a venerable formula distinguishes
between tradition, the living faith of the dead,
and traditionalism, the dead faith of the living.
In the theological creativity of John Paul II —in
his groundbreaking “theology of the body,” in
his social doctrine, in his concept of the “Marian
Church” of disciples that makes possible and
makes sense of the Petrine Church of jurisdiction
and office, in his analysis of the life issues crucial
for the human future — we may see at work
innovative and compelling teaching, rooted in
tradition, reminding the world of the story it has
too often forgotten and creating the foundations for a springtime of evangelization.
As theologians for the 21st century, the first
lesson we might well learn from John Paul II is
that we ought to grasp, welcome, and convey
to our contemporaries the liberating power
of doctrine. Doctrine is not excess baggage
weighing us down on our journey of faith.
Doctrine is the vehicle that enables the journey
to take place.
The second lesson for theology from this
Pope who knows “how to pope” is that we must
learn once again to do theology on our knees,
not simply at our desks or in our libraries.
During his fourteen years as archbishop of
Kraków, Karol Wojtyla did his intellectual
work in the chapel of his residence, at a table
set up before the Blessed Sacrament. It was a
habit he brought with him to Rome. For more
than twenty-one years, John Paul II has done
much of his intellectual work in the chapel
of the papal apartment. That is where he
crafts his homilies, his audience addresses,
his magisterium. That, he believes, is where
theology is best done, for theology, in the fullest
sense of the term, is another way to “practice
the presence.”
Given the circumstances of our lives, not
all of us can do theology before the Blessed
Sacrament. But we can always do theology,
self-consciously, in the presence of the Lord. If
we are to do this, though, we must recognize
another ancient truth: namely, that theology
does not take a neutral standpoint, looking at
the Church and its tradition from “outside,” as
if examining a specimen through a window.
Theology in the proper vocational sense of the
term is always done within the community of
faith. And while theology may have multiple
audiences, including the world of secular
scholarship, theology’s primary audience must
always be the community of believers, the
Church. Otherwise, theology ceases to be
theology and becomes a form of religious
studies. Religious studies, to be sure, have their
own integrity and importance, and there is
much that theology can learn from them. But
religious studies must not be confused with the
vocation of the theologian.
To do theology “on our knees,” to “practice
the presence” while doing theology, does not
mean abandoning critical intelligence. Rather,
it means grasping again, like the doctors of
the Church, that true theology proceeds in
a dialectic between critical intelligence and
a reverent reception of the Great Tradition.
The resolution of that dialectic, under grace,
is wisdom.
To participate in this dialectic requires, of
course, that we understand the tradition before
we begin deconstructing it. In an important
address to the faculty and students of the
Pontifical Gregorian University on December
15, 1979, John Paul II enthusiastically welcomed
theology’s new dialogue with contemporary
science and modern philosophy, arguing that
the signature phrase of his pontificate — ”Be
not afraid!”— applied to what he termed “the
great movements of contemporary thought.”
Whatever deepened our understanding of
the “whole truth” about humanity and its
world, deepens our understanding of Christ,
the redeemer of the world, he suggested. Yet
genuine theological development in dialogue
with modernity, the Pope continued, has to
be based on a “responsible assimilation of
the patrimony” of Christian wisdom. A good
theological education, he implied, does not
begin with critically dismantling the tradition. It
begins with learning the tradition. That is a lesson
I would urge you to apply as you introduce
others to the vocation of the theologian.
To insist on this ongoing, prayerful dialogue
with the Lord as essential to the theologian’s task
is more than a methodological consideration.
Our times have given us too many examples
of what happens when the dialect between a
reverent and prayerful reception of tradition
and critical intelligence breaks down, and
the tradition is regarded as simply another
tool in the theologian’s kit-box, of no greater
importance than any other. One of the most
frightening of those examples is that of the
Deutschechristen, those German Christians
who sold the birthright of the Great Tradition
for the lethal mess of pottage that was Nazi
ideology. As a Deutschechristen pastor once
put it, “For us, what Jesus said is not decisive.
And Church councils, too, err and have erred.
We gladly let ourselves be labeled heretics for
this knowledge, for it has always been heretics
that have saved the Church’s life.” In plain fact,
of course, it was not the Deutschechristen who
“saved” the Church during the Third Reich,
but theologically astute witnesses like Dietrich
Bonhoeffer who exemplified the dialectic of
the Great Tradition and critical, contemporary
intelligence. And if that suggests that part of the
theologian’s vocation must always be the risk of
martyrdom, of giving full and public witness to
the truths of the faith, however uncomfortable
they may be, then that, too, is something to
reflect upon as we welcome new members to
the community of theologians.
The third thing we learn, as theologians,
from this Pope who “knows how to pope” is
that theology today must be ecumenical in its
sensibility. I use the word “ecumenical” here
in several senses.
Theologians must practice what the great
Russian Orthodox theologian, Father Georges
Taking part in the Seminary’s 154th annual commencement were, from left,
Sr. Cecilia Murphy, R.S.M., Seminary Academic Dean; Dr. John C. Marous, Jr.,
Chairman, Seminary Board of Regents; Dr. George Weigel, recipient of an honorary
Doctor of Humane Letters degree; Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B., Seminary
Chancellor; Very Rev. Thomas P. Acklin, O.S.B., Seminary Rector; and Rev. William
J. Fay, Seminary Vice Rector.
15
Thirty-Seven Degrees Awarded
at Seminary’s Annual Commencement
Thirty-seven degrees were awarded at
Saint Vincent Seminary’s 154th annual commencement ceremony held Friday, May 12,
at Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica. One
student received dual master’s degrees.
The Archabbot and Chancellor of Saint
Vincent, the Rt. Rev. Douglas R. Nowicki,
O.S.B., presided at the Solemn Vespers.
Archabbot Douglas conferred the degrees
on the candidates who were presented by
Saint Vincent Seminary Rector, the Very Rev.
Thomas P. Acklin, O.S.B., and given academic
hoods by Seminary Academic Dean, Sister
Cecilia Murphy, R.S.M.
Mr. George S. Weigel, Jr., received an
honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree,
in recognition of his monumental contribution
to the understanding of the role of religion in
public life. Mr. Weigel is a Senior Fellow of the
Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington,
D.C., and a Roman Catholic theologian. He
is one of America’s leading commentators
on religion and public life, and the author of
Witness to Hope, the biography of Pope
John Paul II, and thirteen other books. His
memberships include the Board of Directors
of the Institute of Religion and Democracy,
The Jerusalem Committee, and the Council of
Foreign Relations.
Receiving the Master of Divinity degree
were Br. Benedict Alva, O.S.B., Saint
Procopius Abbey, Lisle, Illinois, with high
honor; Br. Nicholas Ast, O.S.B., St.
Gregory Abbey, Shawnee, Oklahoma, with
highest honor; Br. Kevin Bachmann,
O.S.B., Holy Cross Abbey, Cañon City,
Colorado, with high honor; Br. William D.
Benthall, O.S.B., Saint Vincent Archabbey,
with honor; William G. Berkey, Diocese
of Greensburg; David Thomas Brzoska,
Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, with
Thirty-seven degrees were awarded at the Seminary’s annual commencement on May 12. Taking part in the ceremonies were,
front row, from left: Sr. Cecilia Murphy, R.S.M., Seminary Academic Dean; Tien Hung Duong, Diocese of Charlotte; Terrence
O’Connor, Diocese of Pittsburgh; Robert Vular, Diocese of Pittsburgh; Richard Tomkosky, Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown; Dr.
John C. Marous, Jr., Chairman, Seminary Board of Regents; Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B., Seminary Chancellor; Very
Rev. Thomas P. Acklin, Seminary Rector; James Reardon, Diocese of Erie; Anthony Gargotta, Diocese of Pittsburgh; Robert
Burns, Diocese of Harrisburg; Donald Cramer, Diocese of Harrisburg. In the second row are, from left: William Berkey, Diocese
of Greensburg; Br. Philip M. Kanfush, Saint Vincent Archabbey; Roberto Orellana, Archdiocese of Atlanta; Jonas Christal,
Archdiocese of Campinas; Gregory Montagna, Saint Vincent Archabbey; David Perry, Dioese of Erie; Michael Stumpf, Diocese
of Pittsburgh; Br. Nicholas Ast, O.S.B., St. Gregory’s Abbey; Br. Lee R. Yoakam, O.S.B., Saint Vincent Archabbey; Rev.
William Fay, Seminary Vice Rector. Third row, from left: John Nesbella, Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown; Wayne Morris, Diocese
of Steubenville; Br. William Benthall, O.S.B., Saint Vincent Archabbey; Gregory Wilson, Diocese of Charleston; Kathleen
Wawrzeniak; Br. Brendan Rolling, O.S.B., St. Benedict’s Abbey; Clinton Zadroga, Diocese of Pittsburgh; David Brzoska, Diocese
of Charlotte. Fourth row, from left: Matthew L. McKenzie; Robert Miller, Diocese of Youngstown; James M. Stover, Diocese of
Pittsburgh; Thomas J. Burke, Diocese of Pittsburgh; Br. Kevin Bachmann, O.S.B., Holy Cross Abbey; Douglas Dorula, Diocese
of Greensburg; Stuart Crevcoure, Diocese of Tulsa.
16
Degrees
Awarded;
Honors Given
highest honor; Thomas Joseph Burke,
Diocese of Pittsburgh; Robert David Burns,
Jr., Diocese of Harrisburg; Donald William
Cramer II, Diocese of Harrisburg, with honor;
Douglas Edward Dorula, Diocese of
Greensburg; Tien Hung Duong, Diocese of
Charlotte, with honor; Anthony Gargotta,
Diocese of Pittsburgh; Br. Philip Michael
Kanfush III, O.S.B., Saint Vincent Archabbey, with high honor; Robert Michael Miller,
Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio; Gregory Montagna, with high honor; Wayne Edward
Morris, Diocese of Steubenville, Ohio;
John K. Nesbella, Diocese of AltoonaJohnstown, with honor; Terrence Parker
O’Connor, Diocese of Pittsburgh, with high
honor; Roberto A. Orellana, Archdiocese
of Atlanta, Georgia; David A. Perry, Jr.,
Diocese of Erie, with honor; James A. Reardon, Diocese of Erie; Br. Brendan Paul
Rolling, O.S.B., St. Benedict’s Abbey,
Atchison, Kansas, with honor; James M.
Stover, Diocese of Pittsburgh; Robert John
Vular, Diocese of Pittsburgh and Br. Lee R.
Yoakam, O.S.B., Saint Vincent Archabbey,
with honor.
Receiving the Master of Arts degree were
Jonas Duarte Christal, Archdiocese
of Campinas, Brazil, with honor; Stuart
Crevcoure, Diocese of Tulsa, Oklahoma,
with highest honor; Anthony Gargotta,
Diocese of Pittsburgh; Matthew L. McKenzie
of Bedford, with highest honor; Michael J.
Stumpf, Diocese of Pittsburgh, with honor;
Gregory B. Wilson, Diocese of Charleston,
South Carolina, with honor and Clinton Paul
Zadroga, Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Awarded Master of Religious Education
degrees were Sr. Mina D’Costa of West
Bengal, India, with honor; Richard Brian
Tomkosky, Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown,
with high honor and Kathleen Ann Wawrzeniak, North Huntingdon, with high honor.
Students receiving academic awards were
Br. Brendan Rolling, O.S.B., Honorable
Judge Bernard F. Scherer Award; Stuart
Crevcoure, American Bible Society Award;
Anthony Gargotta, Diakonia Award, a
service award presented annuallly at commencement; and Br. Benedict Alva, O.S.B.,
Omer U. Kline Homiletics Award, for excellence in preaching.
Commencement Address
Florovsky, once called the “ecumenism of
time.” The conversation of theology today
must include, as honored partners, the master
theologians of the past. For truth is not confined
by the boundaries of chronology, and there
is much to be learned today from those who
have practiced the vocation of theology in
the past, including the very distant past. As
the Second Vatican Council understood well,
aggiornamento, “updating,” must always
proceed from ressourcement, a return to the
sources of Christian wisdom in Scripture,
the Fathers, and the medieval masters. The
ecumenism of time promotes a truly open
theological conversation that is safeguarded
from the cult of the contemporary.
Catholic theologians today must practice
ecumenical theology in the specific sense of
theological dialogue with Christians of other
Churches and ecclesial communities. In doing so,
we not only learn from each other, important
as that is. We also seek to give ever more
ample visible form to the unity which Christ
bequeathed to his Church, and we do that by
a deeper mutual penetration of the truth which
Christ also left his Church.
As Pope John Paul II has demonstrated time
and again, most recently on his epic pilgrimage
to the Holy Land, Catholic theology today must
also take account of its roots in the Hebrew
Bible, of Christianity’s common moral border
with the Jewish people, and of Christianity’s
divinely-mandated engagement with living
Judaism, the people of the covenant.
And Catholic theologians must be in active
conversation with followers of other great
world religions, in the confidence that all
truths point to the one Truth, who is God.
The world doubts that the most deeply-held
convictions of human beings can be put into
genuine conversation; the world suspects that
the encounter between those convictions can
only lead to conflict. Theology in the 21st
century must demonstrate how a commitment
to the truth is also and always a commitment
to an open and respectful conversation with
others. In doing so, it will be doing far more
than observing the academic proprieties; it
will be helping the world recover a crucial lost
part of its story.
Finally, we learn from John Paul II that the
theological vocation is a vocation to holiness.
True theology, the Pope told the Gregorian
University in 1979, is an encounter with Christ,
and genuine theological teaching is a way to
“convey to the young a living experience
of him.” Theology does not, in other words,
exist for itself; it exists for the Church and for
the “formation of Christians.” That, the Pope
17
continued, was why theologians should do their
“work for truth courageously and openly, free
of every prejudice and pinching narrowness
of mind.” What we ought to love, the Pope
concluded, is not our own skills, formidable as
they may or may not be, but what St. Thomas
Aquinas called the “excellence of truth.” That
is the path to sanctity for the theologian, who
shares in the universal call to holiness and who
is charged with the responsibility of helping
lead others to holiness.
In reminding the Church of the liberating
nature of doctrine, the theologians of the
21st century will both serve the household of
faith and enable the modern world — and
whatever is coming after the “modern world”
—to understand that genuine freedom is
always ordered to truth and finds its fulfillment
in genuine human flourishing.
In doing our work “on our knees,” the
theologians of the 21st century will emulate
the Master who came not to be served but
to serve, and will remind the world that selfgiving, not self-assertion, is the royal road to
human happiness.
In pursuing the ecumenism of time, the
Christian ecumenical dialogue, the essential
conversation with living Judaism and the
encounter with the other great world religions,
the theologians of the 21st century will remind
the world that tolerance means the engagement
of differences in respectful dialogue, not the
avoidance of differences or the acceptance of
a public arena shorn of religiously-grounded
moral convictions.
And in pursuing the theologian’s vocation as
a means to holiness, the theologians of the 21st
century will sanctify both the Church and
the world. The world may have forgotten its
story. But it remains, nonetheless, a world that
is, in the words of Gerard Manley Hopkins,
“charged with the grandeur of God” — a world
that is yearning for the truth that theologians
are uniquely positioned to offer it.
My fellow-alumni of Saint Vincent Seminary,
let us be messengers and servants of that
truth.
Godspeed on your vocational journey.
Footnotes
(1) On these points, see Hans Urs von
Balthasar, In the Fullness of Faith: On the
Centrality of the Distinctively Catholic
(San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1988), pp.
55-57.
(2) See Hans Urs von Balthasar, TheoDrama IV: The Action (San Francisco:
Ignatius Press, 1994), pp. 92-93.
Tribute, Memorial Gifts
To give a tribute or memorial
gift, please make a donation to
Saint Vincent Seminary in honor
of or in memory of a friend, colleague or family member. Donations should be mailed to Mr.
William P. Malloy in the Seminary
Development Office, 300 Fraser
Purchase Road, Latrobe, Pa.,
15650-2690, 724-532-6740.
Donors from March 1, 2000, to
September 30, 2000, include:
IN HONOR OF:
REV. CARL J. GENTILE
Mr. and Mrs. Clifton C. Caldwell
REV. PHILIP M. KANFUSH, O.S.B.
The Tovey Family
REV. OMER U. KLINE, O.S.B.
Mr. William T. Gasper
MR. AND MRS. WILLIAM KRAYER
Mrs. Helen Krummert
MR. GARY W. KRUMMERT
Mrs. Helen Krummert
REV. JOSEPH C. LINCK
Ms. Clare Godt
DR. AND MRS. JOHN C. MAROUS, JR.
Mrs. Kathleen M. Welsh
REV. JAMES R. O'BRIEN
Mrs. Margaret Fortier
REV. NICHOLAS A. PESANKA
Robert and Rhonda Luczak
MR. JOSEPH C. PEVARNIK
Sister Cecilia Murphy, R.S.M.
Mark, Shannon, Taylor and Chloe
Pevarnik
MRS. BERNIE PEVARNIK
Pevarnik
MR. JOSEPH R. PEVARNIK
Pevarnik
REV. ADRIAN C. H. PLEUS
Mr. Paul E. Engsberg
ALL SEMINARIANS, ESPECIALLY
THOSE FROM SLOVAKIA
Mr. and Mrs. Emerick A. Kravec
REV. FLAVIAN G. YELINKO, O.S.B.
John and Dorothy Emerick
IN MEMORY OF:
+MRS. LUCILLE ACKLIN
Ms. Margaret M. Lyday
+MR. THOMAS ACKLIN
Mr. and Mrs. James F. Acklin
Mr. John L. Acklin
Mr. and Mrs. Emmanuel J. Answine
Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence B. Apone
Mr. and Mrs. John Barchiesi
Mr. John W. Bobinski
Mr. and Mrs. Louis F. Bowden
Mr. and Mrs. James A. Carasella
Mrs. Dale Cherry
Miss Lynne M. Cleary
Mr. and Mrs. Robert D. Cleary
Mr. and Mrs. Richard R. Denaro
Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Dominick
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Dominick
Mr. and Mrs. Louis H. Dominick
Mr. and Mrs. John F. Donlon
Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Farcosky
Mr. and Mrs. Mario A. Ferretti
Ms. Elizabeth M. Gallagher
Mrs. Frances M. Gigliotti
Mr. and Mrs. Edward P. Hager
Mrs. Carmella Hamerski
Dr. and Mrs. John M. Hanchin
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas L. Kocher
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen P. Kosmo
Rev. Thomas J. Kram
Ms. Teresa Krivacsy
Ms. Grace D. Lamsam
Rev. Joseph R. Lemp
Ms. Margaret M. Lyday
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph D. Marnell
Mrs. Alva F. Maurer
Ms. Anna Marie McFeeley
Mr. and Mrs. Wesley J. Morar
Ms. Myra W. Noel
Mr. and Mrs. Albert J. Novak, Jr.
Ms. Patricia O'Rourke
Mr. Charles E. Paul, Jr.
Miss Dorothy M. Petrosky
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph C. Pevarnik
Mr. and Mrs. David W. Rider
Mr. and Mrs. William C. Ritz
Ms. Corinne R. Rusbosin
Mr. John J. Slivoskey
Ms. Vera C. Sorice
Ms. Josephine Stanko
Dr. and Mrs. George E. Sweeney
Mr. John M. Szalewicz
Mr. and Mrs. Louis R. Tovey
Mr. and Mrs. James J. Vargo
Ms. Rose Marie Volpe
Ms. Maria von Mickwitz
Mr. and Mrs. Gene R. Yanity
Mr. and Mrs. Anthony M. Zabkar, Jr.
Rev. Theodore P. Zabowski
Ms. Mary Diane Zelenak
+DARLENE DALEY BENSON
Mr. and Mrs. James S. Daley
+MARCELLA CANO
Mr. and Mrs. Walter Trygar
18
+MR. LOUIS H. CERASO
Mr. and Mrs. John R. Grayson
+MOST REV. WILLIAM G. CONNARE
+JUAN-CARLOS CORREA
Mr. and Mrs. Hector Lopez
+MR. FRANK CUDNIK
Ms. Stella M. Cudnik
+EUGENE D'EGIDIO
Mr. John DeGidio
+REV. JOHN A. DOMPKA
Mr. Joseph C. Cirelli
+RT. REV. EGBERT H. DONOVAN, O.S.B.
Mr. Wendel B. Kleehammer
+PAUL DUGGAN
Mrs. Helen M. Duggan
+AMANDA EHRENSBERGER
Mr. and Mrs. Leo Ehrensberger
+HANNA RAE ENSWORTH
Mr. and Mrs. Philip M. Kanfush, Jr.
+UNCLE EUGENE
Mrs. Arlene M. Lucchesi
+PAMELA JO FASANO
Mr. and Mrs. Salvatore Fasano
+ANTHONY AND ELISA FAULK
Marie and Arthur Miltenberger
+ROSE A. FREIDHOFF
Mr. Francis H. Freidhoff
+REV. ALFRED GROTZINGER, O.S.B.
Saint Gregory Mens Club
Saint Gregory the Great Women's Club
Mrs. Charlotte Spino
+ERNEST AND ELLA HARTSHORNE
Ms. Helena R. Hartshorne
+WALTER B. HOBART
Mr. Walter B. Hobart, Jr.
+DONALD F. HOLDORF, JR.
Mrs. Anita Holdorf
+MRS. ROSEMARY KRAM HOWLEY
Sister Barbara Ann Moravec,
O.C.D.
+REV. ISAAC JACOB, O.S.B.
Dr. Nicholas A. Patricca
+EDWARD KELLY
Mrs. Mary E. Broad
+THERESA M. KEMPKA
Jay and Suzanne Senko
+MR. AND MRS. STEVE J. KOSMO
+ROBERT A. MCFEELEY
+SISTER PERPETUA MURPHY, S.C.
Mrs. Janet Angell
Sister Mary Bigley, R.S.M.
Mrs. Carmella Hamerski
Mr. and Mrs. James F. Kosier
Mrs. Wendy Kronk
Dr. Scott Hahn
At Seminary For
Fall Semester
Dr. Scott Hahn, Professor of Theology
and Scripture at the Franciscan University
of Steubenville, is teaching at Saint Vincent
Seminary for the fall semester.
Dr. Hahn earned his Doctorate in Systematic
Theology, Summa Cum Laude, in 1995 from
Marquette University; a Master of Divinity
Degree, Summa Cum Laude, from GordonConwell Theological Seminary in 1982; and a
Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology, Philosphy
and Economics, Magna Cum Laude, from
Grove City College in 1979.
He is the author of The Lamb’s Supper:
The Mass as Heaven on Earth, published in
1999; A Father Who Keeps His Promises:
God’s Covenant Love in Scripture, 1998
and co-author of Rome Sweet Home: Our
Journey Into Catholicism, with Kimberly
Hahn, published in 1993. Dr. Hahn was an
ordained Presbyterian pastor until he entered
the Roman Catholic Church in 1986. His wife
entered the church in 1990. Rome Sweet
Home details their conversion. He is coeditor
of Catholic for a Reason: Scripture and
the Mystery of the Family of God, published
in 1998. His doctoral disssertation, “Kinship
by Covenant: A Biblical Theological Analysis
of Covenant Types and Texts in the Old and
New Testaments,” was published in 1995.
Dr. Hahn has published numerous articles in
Scripture Matters, Antiphon, Our Sunday
Visitor, New Covenant, Lay Witness,
Inside the Vatican, Bulletin of Applied
Biblical Studies, Encyclopedia of Catholic
Doctrine, and many other publications.
His professional affiliations include the
Society of Biblical Literature, the Catholic
Biblical Association, Catholic Theological
Tribute, Memorial Gifts
Mrs. Thomas Luttner
Ms. Beth Murphy
Mrs. Patty Noel
Mr. and Mrs. Albert J. Novak, Jr.
Mrs. Marcie Taylor
+REV. ANSELM A. OBER, O.S.B.
Mr. and Mrs. Eduardo E. DeLeon
Saint Gregory the Great Women's
Club
+STEPHEN RAY PATTERSON
Mrs. Anita Holdorf
+MR. AND MRS. STEVE POVIRK
New Liturgical Artwork
Installed In Chapel
This summer two new pieces of
liturgical artwork were added to the Saint
Gregory Chapel. Both the crucifix and the statue of the Sorrowful Virgin were
sculpted by Norbert and Victoria Koehn, the same artists who created the sanctuary
furniture in the chapel as well as the new art in the Basilica. The crucifix and the statue
of Mary were designed to work together, according to Father Vincent de Paul Crosby,
O.S.B., Director of Liturgical Environment and Art for Saint Vincent Archabbey. Mary,
the sorrowful mother, is gazing at the Cross and her crucified son.
Society of America and the Fellowship of
Catholic Scholars.
Currently serving as President of the Missionaries of Faith Foundation, San Diego,
California, Dr. Hahn is also general editor of the
Ignatius Study Bible and a founder and Director
of The Institute of Applied Biblical Studies,
Steubenville. Prior to arriving at Franciscan
University in 1990, he served as Assistant
Professor of Religious Studies at the College
of St. Francis, Joliet, Illinois (1987-1990);
guest Instructor in Theology at Marquette
University (1986-1987); a teaching assistant
in the Theology Department at Marquette
(1985-1987); Assistant to the President at
Grove City College (1983-1985); Guest
Instructor in Religion and Philosophy at Grove
City (1983-1985); Pastoral Associate at the
College and Youth Ministry, Calvary Orthodox
Presbyterian Church, Grove City (1983-1985);
Assistant Professor in the Graduate Program
in Theology at Dominion Theological Institute,
Washington, D.C., (1982-1983); Associate
Pastor and Teaching Elder at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Fairfax, Virginia (1982-1983)
and Instructor of Theology, Philosophy and
Economics at Fairfax Christian High School
(1982-1983).
+MR. JOHN F. POWROZNIK
Mrs. Rita Powroznik-Traeger
+SAMUEL P. ROBERTO
Mr. and Mrs. Gil Bertetto
Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Deemer
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Kardos
Mr. and Mrs. Walter Kaminski
Mr. and Mrs. Lou Kasanicky
Mr. and Mrs. Lou Lokosky
Miss Jerry Michela
Mr. and Mrs. Carmine Policicchio
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Policicchio
Mrs. Jean D. Sabato
Mr. and Mrs. Anthony
Scaccimerra
Mr. and Mrs. Andy Yansky
+JOSEPH AND MARGARET SELLE
Mrs. Bertha Anderson
+MAX AND ESTHER SESTILI
Mr. Ronald J. Sestili
+JAMES F. SPINO
Mr. and Mrs. Mario J. Ferretti
+REV. DANIEL J. SZCZYGIEL
Mrs. Rita Powroznik-Traeger
+MR. AND MRS. JOSEPH SZCZYGIEL
+RICARDO VELASQUEZ
Mr. and Mrs. Hector Lopez
+DECEASED MEMBERS OF THE
WARNOCK, GILANDI AND SCOTT
FAMILIES
Rev. Damian J. Warnock, O.S.B.
19
“The challenges the diocesan church, the
bishop and individual priests face as a result
of a reduction in the number of vocations
to the priesthood should be considered an
opportunity,” Pittsburgh Catholic staff
writer Chuck Moody wrote while covering the
Diocese of Pittsburgh’s annual spring clergy
convocation. The words were attributed
to Seminary Rector Father Thomas P.
Acklin, O.S.B., in a talk entitled “The Priest
as Person: Physical, Intellectual, Psychological
and Spiritual Well Being,” given April 4 and
5 at St. Paul Seminary, Crafton.
“The opportunity is that we can enter
more deeply into Christ’s life and let Christ
more powerfully be the course of the energy
of the resources that we need to continue to
carry out his work,” Father Thomas said. “For
the priests, that means very specifically that
it’s important to take an approach by which
they seek their own physical, intellectual,
psychological and spiritual renewal. Not
simply by trying to make this or that change in
their lives. But we as priests seek to undergo the
deepest possible renewal by giving ourselves
totally over to Christ.”
Of the diocesan church, Father Thomas
said, “We need to plan. We need to count
heads in terms of how many priests are available, how much we have in terms of resources,
and so forth. But ultimately it is through Christ
that the church has all of the life and resources
that she needs. The more deeply we’re in
touch with that, the more powerfully we will
be able to be on fire with the Lord.”
*****
Saint Vincent Seminary graduate Bishop
John B. McDowell, retired Auxiliary
Bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, an influential Catholic school leader in the diocese
for the past 50 years, examines the issues
surrounding today’s education climate in
his latest book, Catholic Schools, Public
Education and American Culture. The
book was published recently by Our Sunday
Visitor and coverage of the new book was
provided in the May 19, 2000, edition of the
Pittsburgh Catholic.
The article by staff writer John Franko
noted that Bishop McDowell laments the fact
that “today’s public education has sold out
on key ideals and values. Religion, considered
an integral part of any culture, has been
sold short.
‘(The children) are educated in a moral
vacuum,’ he said. ‘There is absolutely nothing
taught them.’
“The bishop points out that contributions
by Catholic education has had a marked
impact on the formation of the country in
spite of considerable opposition. Obstacles
have arisen, he noted, from both civil court
decisions and from bigotry, which those who
embrace the faith have had to endure.
“‘Give the kids religion,’ he said. ‘That’s
what they need. They need some kind of
moral values’.”
The book is
available at Kirner’s
in Pittsburgh
and
other regional bookstores for $9.50.
*****
Br. Elliott C. Maloney, O.S.B., completed a seven week study trip to Latin
America this past summer in order to learn
more about the communal reading of the Bible
widely practiced there. He visited seminaries,
monasteries, and a wide variety of educational
centers in Mexico, Venezuela and Brazil,
participating in ecclesial base communities,
adult study groups, charismatic prayer groups,
facilitating married couples group Bible study,
and participating in interreligious conferences.
He had conversations with leaders of all kinds
of Bible study, from seminary professors and
internationally known lecturers to the facilitators of nonliterate farm worker and urban
slum groups. He also consulted theological
libraries in Mexico City, Guadalajara and
Cuautatlan in Mexico, Valencia and Caracas
in Venezuela, and Campinas, Vinhedo,
Sumaré and São Paulo in Brazil. Br. Elliott
has requested release time to begin a popular book which will incorporate his Latin
American Bible study of the past three
years.
*****
Father Alan E.
Thomas, Dean of Students at Saint Vincent
Seminary, was one of
the featured speakers
at the Bishop’s Night for
Vocations, sponsored
by the Serra Clubs of
Cambria County and
Altoona on May 18 in
Loretto. The theme for
the evening, hosted by Bishop Joseph
V. Adamec, was “God’s Call Opens Our
Hearts to Loving Service.”
Father Alan is also the diocesan director of
ongoing clergy formation for the Diocese of
Rev. Eric J. Hill of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, and Mrs. Norma P. Scherer
enjoyed the annual dinner for fourth-year theologians held this spring at Saint
Vincent Seminary. Mrs. Scherer’s husband, Judge Bernard F. Scherer, who died
on April 18, 1998, taught Church History at Saint Vincent Seminary and was an
ardent supporter of the Seminary.
20
Altoona-Johnstown.
*****
The Catholic Witness of June 2 and 16,
2000, reported on the June 3 ordination of
David Hereshko of St. Joan of Arc Parish,
Hershey. Father Hereshko’s first assignment is
as parochial vicar at St. John Neumann Parish,
Lancaster.
*****
Newly-ordained Rev. Thomas F. Hamm
Jr., has been assigned as parochial vicar to
St. Sylvester Church, Woodsfield; St. Joseph
Church, Burkhart; St. John the Baptist Church,
Miltonsburg and St. John Bosco Mission, Sardis,
all in the Diocese of Steubenville, Ohio.
He was ordained by Bishop Gilbert I.
Sheldon on May 27, 2000.
In an article in the Steubenville Register
prior to his ordination, he told writer Pat
DeFrancis that he had felt the call to become
a priest for a “very long time,” even as a child,
although it was not until late 1994 or early
1995 that he decided to become one. In the
interim he had pursued studies in biology,
physics and neuroscience. Prior to his ordination
he said, “I think a parish priest has to be a man
of prayer, a man of love, and someone who
is very dedicated in the sense of being willing
to be there for his people when needed. The
parish priest still should visit the sick and have
a ministry of presence and be able to allow
himself to be an instrument of God.”
*****
“I have a spiritual devotion to the Blessed
Mother. I believe it was her intercession that
led me to this point,” said Rev. Richard
Tomkosky, ordained in the Diocese of
Altoona-Johnstown on May 27 by Bishop
Joseph V. Adamec.The day was also the
feast day of Mary, Mother of the Church. He
has been assigned as parochial vicar at Holy
Name Parish, Ebensburg.
*****
The Catholic News & Herald, diocesan
newspaper of the Charlotte, North Carolina,
diocese, noted two Saint Vincent Seminary
graduates among the seven ordained during
a history-making Mass on June 3, 2000.
The group ordained by Bishop William G.
Curlin was the largest number of priests to be
ordained in the diocese at one time.
Bishop Curlin noted that the milestone was
significant in a region where Catholics, though
composing just three percent of the general
population, are rapidly growing in number.
Ordained in a multi-ethnic liturgy with
readings, prayers and hymns in Spanish,
Vietnamese, English and Latin, were Rev.
David Brzoska and Rev. Luis Osorio.
Father Brzoska, who held various positions
with a manufacturer of disposable hospital
plastics, has a degree in biochemistry from
Penn State University. Transferred to North
Carolina through his job he became involved
with parish work at St. Aloysius Church in
Hickory, where he discerned his vocation.
He is now serving at St. Mark Church in
Huntersville.
Father Osorio, a native of Colombia, South
America, has a bachelor’s degree in political
economics and worked in the newspaper,
government and factory fields. When his sister
moved to Statesville, North Carolina, he also
immigrated and became acquainted with a
Statesville pastor, where he began to work
with Hispanic ministry and began to consider
the priesthood. He hopes to help the diocese
in the areas of evangelization and inculturation
as he begins his life as parochial vicar of Our
Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe.
Bishop Curlin also ordained Tien Hung
Duong, a Saint Vincent seminarian, and his
brother, Duc Duong, who attends a seminary in
Washington, D.C., to the transitional diaconate
on June 17.
*****
James Stover, Joseph Codori and
Thomas Lewandowski were ordained
to the priesthood on June 24 by Pittsburgh
Bishop Donald W. Wuerl. A special
supplement to the Pittsburgh Catholic
included biographies and photos of the newlyordained.
Father Codori told writer John Franko that a
pilgrimage to a Marian shrine in 1990 sparked
his journey to the priesthood. A civil engineer
for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, he
began attending Mass daily and was involved
with several church-related groups before the
call persisted and he eventually entered the
seminary. He is assigned to St. Thomas More
Parish, Bethel Park.
Working as a cross country truck driver,
Father Lewandowski repeatedly heard the
call to the priesthood and came to a greater
sense of God during that time. He is at St.
Basil in Carrick.
Father Stover graduated from North Catholic High School in 1991 and a priest asked him
to consider exploring the seminary for a year.
That turned into nine years of education and his
recent ordination. His experience as a chaplain
candidate at a U.S. Air Force base in Germany
in 1996 helped shape his views of ministry.
He said, “I saw God through the people I’d
encountered. Instead of looking for God in
the place I thought He ought to be, I saw Him
where he was.” He is assigned to St. Sebastian
in Ross Township.
*****
Greensburg Bishop Anthony G. Bosco
ordained Saint Vincent Benedictines Philip
M. Kanfush and Matthew T. Laffey to
the priesthood on May 20 at the Archabbey
Basilica. Father Philip is parochial vicar at Saint
Vincent Basilica Parish, while Father Matthew
is parochial vicar at Queen of the World
Parish, St. Marys.
Rev. Thony R. Jean of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, invited the Johns family to
the fourth-year dinner of Saint Vincent Seminary, held this past spring. Father Thony,
who was ordained June 3, made many friends throughout the region. He served
his parish practicum at St. John Vianney Parish, Pittsburgh, under the direction
of Father Charles S. Bober, pastor.
21
since 1982.
*****
Seminary
Rector
Father Thomas P.
Acklin, O.S.B., has been
busy on his sabbatical
leave, working on a
text for Christology,
which he has taught
*****
Diocese of Pittsburgh seminarian Thomas
Burke was among a group of seminarians
who met with Bishop Donald Wuerl to
discuss the priesthood during “An Evening
with the Bishop” event in Pittsburgh. Over 60
men attended the gathering, designed to help
participants reflect on their life options.
“It’s a great journey,” Burke said, “probably
the best decision I’ve ever made. We all have
a vocation in our life. It’s up to us to find out
what God wants us to do with it.”
*****
Featured in The Catholic Times, paper
of the Columbus, Ohio, diocese, upon his June
3 ordination, Rev. Jeffrey Tigyer talked
about his journey of faith and his vocation,
giving credit to Father Thomas Acklin,
Saint Vincent Seminary rector, as well as his
mother and Msgr. Bill Maroon for fostering
that vocation.
Father Tigyer’s diaconate internship was
spent at Seton Parish, Pickerington, and on
July 11 he was assigned as associate pastor of
St. Joan Parish, Powell.
*****
Donald Cramer II and Robert Burns,
Jr., were pictured with Harrisburg Bishop
Nicholas C. Dattilo on the front page
of The Catholic Witness, Harrisburg’s
diocesan newspaper, upon their May 20
ordination to the diaconate.
*****
Father
Warren
Murrman, O.S.B., Professor of Theology
and Liturgy, is on sabbatical leave for the
2000-2001 academic
year.
He will spend five
months in Bolivia at the
Maryknoll Institute to study language and
Spanish and Latin American culture. The sabbatical is part of the Seminary’s preparations to
help deal with the growing need for awareness
of the Hispanic presence in the United States
and the challenges and opportunities for the
Church in the Americas. The program will
run from mid-July to mid-December. After
Christmas he plans to visit the Benedictine
Monastery at Vinhedo, Brazil. He will be back
in Latrobe after New Year’s Day, when he will
finalize the second part of his sabbatical.
*****
Hundreds of people witnessed the diaconate
ordination of Gregory B. Wilson of the
Charleston, South Carolina diocese, The New
Catholic Miscellany reported in its May 25
edition. Bishop Robert J. Baker led the
90-minute celebration.
“He’s a wonderful man, kind and considerate
to everybody,” Seminary classmate Christopher Roux told the newspaper. “He loves the
church and has a beautiful prayer life.”
Rev. Mr. Wilson was baptized a Catholic
at St. Joseph Church while a college student
at the University of South Carolina, and was
a member of the parish choir while living in
Charleston.
*****
In April Saint Vincent Seminarian Carl
Kerkemeyer of the Diocese of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and recent graduate Father Brendan
Rolling, O.S.B., S’99, of Saint Benedict’s
Abbey, Atchison, Kansas, received scholarships
from Human Life International as part of the
organization’s Living Rosary Program. HLI
supports seminarians who take an active part
in the pro-life movement.
Father Brendan was also featured in the
May 2000 edition of Columbia, the national
magazine of the Knights of Columbus, in a
section on vocations.
After high school he enrolled at Benedictine
College in Atchison, where he had an unsettling
feeling about his nagging call toward a vocation. That changed in 1993 when he went to
Denver for World Youth Day with Pope John
Paul II, where the zeal he had for the priesthood
was unlocked. He joined the Benedictine Order
at Saint Benedict’s Abbey and is now working
in an administrative position with the student
life office.
Father Brendan was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop James P. Keleher on July
1, 2000, at St. Benedict's Abbey Church,
Atchison, Kansas.
*****
Father Daniel C. Mahoney has been
named pastor of St. Paul Parish, Greensburg.
He had served as pastor of Mother of Sorrows
Parish, Murrysville, since 1992, and prior
to that had been at St. John the Evangelist
Church, Latrobe, and St. Patrick Parish, Brady’s
Bend.
*****
Rev. Robert J. Boyle, C’59, S’63,
was installed as pastor of St. Francis of Assisi
Parish, Finleyville, on February 27, by Bishop
Donald W. Wuerl.
*****
Jeffrey J. Piccirilli, S’91, is the youth
minister at St. George Maronite Catholic
Church, San Antonio, Texas. He is engaged to
be married on August 5, 2000.
*****
Rev. Benedict E. Kapa, S'98, was
In more photos from the fourth-year recognition dinner this spring, are Father Matthew T. Laffey, O.S.B., (left) and Rev.
Benjamin Walker, O.S.B., pastor of St. Peter Parish, Pittsburgh, at top, left. In the photo at right, Rev. Robert T. Lubic,
Rev. Paul V. Fitzmaurice, pastor of St. Barbara Parish, Harrison City, and Rev. John-Michael Lavelle of the Diocese of
Youngstown, look over the entrees.
22
ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Bernard
W. Schmitt on June 3, 2000, at St. Joseph
Cathedral, Wheeling, West Virginia.
*****
Rev. John T. Conway, S'99, was
ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop
John F. Donoghue on June 10, 2000, at
the Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta,
Georgia.
*****
Rev. Michael B. Heninger, S'99, was
ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop
John F. Donoghue on June 10, 2000, at
the Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta,
Georgia.
*****
Rev. Eric J. Hill, C'96, S'99, was
ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop John
F. Donoghue on June 3, 2000, at St. Thomas
Aquinas Church, Alpharetta, Georgia.
*****
Rev. Thony R. Jean, S'99, was ordained
to the priesthood by Archbishop John F.
Donoghue on June 3, 2000, at St. Thomas
Aquinas Church, Alpharetta, Georgia.
*****
Rev. John-Michael Lavelle, S'99, was
ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Thomas
J. Tobin, on May 27, 2000, in the Cathedral
of St. Columba, Youngstown, Ohio.
*****
Ordained to the transitional diaconate were
Br. Nicholas K. Ast, O.S.B., of Saint
Gregory’s Abbey, Shawnee, Oklahoma, on
June 9; James A. Reardon of the Diocese
of Erie on June 11; and David A. Perry, Jr.,
of the Diocese of Erie on July 9.
*****
Rev. James C. Griffin, C'77, S 82,
continues as Catholic campus minister at
Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.
*****
Rev. Charles J. Baptiste, S'96, parochial vicar of St. Frances Cabrini Parish, Center
Township, was recently honored as a "man of
the year" by the Beaver County Deanery of
the Holy Name Society.
*****
Terry O’Connor, a fourth-year seminarian
from the Diocese of Pittsburgh, received a
grant from the Ancient Order of Hibernians
and the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians.
Specifically, the grant is from a program called
“Project St. Patrick” which was created to assist
seminarians as they move toward ordination
to the priesthood.
*****
Bill Malloy, Seminary Development, was
named corporate recruitment chairperson
for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation’s 2000
Walk to Cure Diabetes at Pitt-Greensburg
held on Sept. 23.
*****
Súrodenci Jendruchovci, the nine-member vocal and instrumental group from
Slovakia, provided musical accompaniment at Saint Vincent’s annual Priest Day on
August 1. The ensemble is composed of the six daughters and three sons, ranging
in age from 22 to six, of Maria and Milan Jendruch.
Two seminarians from the Diocese of
Greensburg have begun a new pastoral immersion experience. The program is designed to
help them make the transition to priestly ministry
with greater ease and confidence, reported
Jerome Zufelt in The Catholic Accent.
The program is a 14-month internship for
uninterrupted immersion in pastoral ministry
within the diocese, and is intended “to encourage and support the seminarian’s further
discernment of the call to priesthood as he
experiences the charism of a diocesan priest
within a parochial environment,” the article
noted.
William Berkey and Douglas Dorula, who
completed their third year of study at Saint
Vincent Seminary in May, are the first Greensburg diocesan seminarians to begin the internships. Berkey is assigned to St. Sebastian
Parish in Belle Vernon where Father John R.
Cindric is pastor. Dorula is at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg, where Father
Michael J. Begolly is pastor.
In June both men were admitted to candidacy for ordination by Bishop Anthony G.
Bosco, and were featured in the July 6 edition
of the Catholic Accent.
Berkey told feature editor Melissa Williams
Schofield that his grandmother had predicted
he would be a priest 25 years ago while on her
deathbed. While working at the upscale Rivers
Club in downtown Pittsburgh as a maitre d’ and
beverage director, he met many entertainers
and superstars, but began feeling the call to
serve God. He credits his grandmother with
planting the seeds of his faith:
“She was very religious and her faith life
inspired me the way she had a relationship with
God. My parents, family and the parishioners
23
from the parishes I’ve been assigned, and the
priests have been really supportive of my
journey. It helps face the challenges that lie
ahead.”
Dorula left his job at The Daily Courier
newspaper in Connellsville on a Thursday
afternoon and went to the seminary the same
day. After a career working for radio stations
and newsapapers in sales, he began to think his
communication skills would be best put to work
communicating God’s message.
A strong relationship with Jesus Christ and
a devotion to the Eucharist called him to God’s
service. “I was sitting in a newspaper office and
the Lord came into me at my post and said,
‘Come, follow me’.”
*****
The following deaths were reported:
Rev. Charles A. Weber, O.S.B., P’37,
C’42, S’45, on April 14, 2000.
Rev. Alfred L. Grotzinger, O.S.B.,
P'32, C'37, S'41, on July 30, 2000.
Rev. Anselm A. Ober, O.S.B., P'33,
C'38, S'42, on August 13, 2000.
Rev. John B. McMahon, S'60, on April
9, 2000.
John F. "Jack" Donovan, C'57, S'61,
on May 27, 2000.
*****
Condolences are offered to:
Rev. Thomas M. Rodgers, C'40, S'44,
and Rev. Kieran J. Rodgers, O.S.B.,
P'38, C'43, S'46, on the death of their brother
John P. Rodgers on June 21, 2000.
Rev. Bede J. Hasso, O.S.B., C'50,
S'57, on the death of his brother Michael on
May 26, 2000.
Rev. Joachim R. Fatora, O.S.B., P'46,
C'51, S'54, on the death of his sister Sister
Mary Raymond, S.C. on July 15, 2000.
Rev. John A. Palko, S’54, on the death
of his brother Paul on March 30, 2000.
Rev. Jerome A. Dixon, C'54, S 57, on
the death of his brother F. Kenneth Dixon on
May 18, 2000.
Rev. Robert F. Brannon, C'54, S'58,
on the death of his sister Gertrude Spreha on
May 21, 2000.
Rev. Charles O. Peterman, C'54, S'58,
on the death of his father Charles A. Peterman
on June 3, 2000.
Rev. Alexander Pleban, C'53, and
Rev. Leo J. Pleban, C'56, S'60, on the
death of their mother Roselia V. Pleban on
July 4, 2000.
Rev. Alvin T. Downey, O.S.B., P'61,
C'66, S 70, on the death of his mother
Elizabeth Downey-Trbovich on July 24,
2000.
Rev. Richard G. Curci, C’68, S’72,
on the death of his father Silvio P. Curci on
March 16, 2000.
Rev. David R. Griffin, O.S.B., C'71,
S'76, on the death of his father Francis R.
Griffin on August 4, 2000.
Rev. Chad R. Ficorilli, O.S.B., C’73,
S’79, on the death of his father Filippo Ficorilli
on April 14, 2000.
Rev. Kenneth G. Zaccagnini, C'78,
S'82, on the death of his father Joseph A.
Zaccagnini on June 4, 2000.
Rev. Thomas P. Acklin, O.S.B., S 78,
on the death of his father Thomas on April
19, 2000.
Paul T. Dube, S'78, on the death of his
father Victor Dube on June 11, 2000.
Rev. Harry R. Bielewicz, S'86, on
the death of his mother Clara on May 29,
2000.
Rev. Ralph M. Tajak, O.S.B., S’94,
on the death of his mother Dorothy Tajak on
May 9, 2000.
Nancy Ravis, faculty secretary, on the
New Organ Installed in Saint Gregory Chapel
A pipe organ was installed during the summer in the Saint Gregory Chapel. The
tracker (mechanical action) organ consists of thirteen ranks (ten stops) over two
manuals and pedal. The organ was manufactured in Germany in 1972 by Radeger,
Kreutzer, and Wendhack, and displayed that year in Dallas, Texas, at the national
convention of the American Guild of Organists. Since that time it has been in the
home of Dr. and Mrs. John Marschner of Indian Harbor Beach, Florida. A generous
gift from Dr. and Mrs. John C. Marous, Jr., was used to purchase the organ from
the Marschners, who sold it to the Seminary at a significant discount. Housed in
Saint Gregory the Great Chapel, the instrument serves as the center of the liturgical
musical life of the Seminary community.
death of her mother-in-law, Helen Ravis, on
August 5.
Bill Malloy, director of development, on
the death of his grandmother, Theresa Thimons,
on August 15.
Liz Morris, rector’s secretary, on the death
of her father, Eugene Cramer of Englewood,
Colorado, on September 14.
Rev. Patrick Cronauer, O.S.B., on
the death of his father, Harold Cronauer, on
Saint Vincent Seminary
300 Fraser Purchase Road
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
15650-2690
Address Service Requested
http://benedictine.stvincent.edu/seminary/
724-537-4592
24
October 9, 2000.
Paul Clark, seminarian for the Diocese of
Harrisburg, on the death of his grandfather,
John Drago, on October 9, 2000.
Rev. Aaron Kriss, on the death of his
father, Edmund Kriss, on October 3, 2000.
The family and friends of Br. Anthony
Thomas Costello, O.S.B., a second theology student from Saint Vincent Archabbey,
who died suddenly on October 18, 2000.
NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO. 110

Here - Saint Vincent Seminary

Transcription

Similar documents

New Assignments for Priests in the Diocese 2015 August 6 second

Father Augustus Tolton Prayer for More Priests

Presenter: Frank Mercadante Executive Director of Cultivation

Redemptoris Mater Seminary Newsletter

Midwest China Oral History Interviews

Project Poster - Resilient Communities Project

Redemptoris Mater Seminary Newsletter

WELCOME TO - St. Ultans Primary School Cherry Orchard, Dublin

THE DiOCESAN CHRONICLE

January, 2016 - St Ansgar`s Lutheran Church