2020 Video
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Fr. Jeff Eirvin: At a prayer service in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis said, “with Jesus on board there will be no shipwreck.” Faith is a journey through the stormy seas of life. With our hearts anchored in relationship with Jesus Christ, there is nothing to fear. This relationship begins with an encounter, perseveres in the midst of challenge, and finds its full meaning in the constant support of the Church. We all are on this journey of faith together.
Fr. Ron Nelson: You know growing up my family was very good and everything but I was pretty shy, I didn’t have a lot of self-confidence, and kind of trying to figure out my identity and all that and I found my identity in Christ.
Dustin Busse: When I got into my late 20s, I really started to experience a call. I’ve kind of heard the Lord speaking to me through encounters with other people, through family members or members of the faith community that reached out to me and kind of gently invited me back into the Church.
Marcos Alvarado: It was one retreat and one of our friends that was a priest friend that was there for confessions, he said well for everyone that would like or has this thought that would like to be a priest, we’re going to have a vocational retreat. And three for my friends said “wow we should go!” And I said, “No, I think we should stay home.” I like being the youth coordinator, but they said “oh you can’t just leave us by ourselves” so I said “ok let’s go”. We went to the retreat and then I said, “Man I want to be a priest”.
Matthew Knight: I got up early and I walked across town here to St. Joseph’s church. And I remember when the priest here elevated the Eucharist - by that time I’d read just a little bit about the Eucharist, I knew what Catholics believed in a general sense – so I was waiting to see if there would be maybe an earthquake or what would happen at this Mass. And in fact what happened when he elevated the Host is that I just had this profound feeling of being loved, of being at peace, and it was as if something that I never knew that I was lacking was suddenly given to my heart. From that day, I like to say I wandered into the Church and I just never found my way out. I started going to Mass every Sunday that summer, it was my sophomore year in high school I started going to Mass every day.
Fr. Ron: the challenge is that our faith is so incarnational, it’s sacramental, it has to do with you smearing oil on people, you’re tasting, touching… and all that is separated, it’s gone.
Matthew: I’ve been home for two months without being able to go to Mass. In fact, this morning was only the second Mass I’ve been to since the pandemic began. And so, you know our faith is a Eucharistic faith, to be deprived of the sacraments is an incredible cross to bear.
Dustin: It can be easy to get down or get depressed, or to get frustrated with the situation, but then it’s just an opportunity. Now, I’ve just realized that I can turn to the Lord and ask Him to enter into that kind of brokenness or that moment in my life when I’m struggling and say “Lord, heal me. You know, be with me, help me see through this.”
Damian: Placing myself in the arms of Christ, really has been something that has helped me during this time, and something I’ve told other people too. What better place to run than to the arms of Christ really?
Anthony: Support from the brothers, the seminarians, fellow seminarians, being able to talk to them on a weekly basis, being able to see them online, to see how things are going for them or sharing with them how things are going for me, having that kind of support is great.
Tang: The formation of a seminarian to become a priest of Christ is a heavy burden for our archdiocese. The support of our donors through financial contributions and prayers are quite necessary for all seminarians during their years of formation.
Andrea: it was my greatest blessing to have him choose to go to the seminary and to be supported by the Church. You know, because I do not have any means, I’m a disabled woman.
Damian: I really want to thank all the people who have really supported through prayers and financially supported me and the other seminarians because I don’t know if I’d really be here without their support.
Anthony: I think without the benefactors, I wouldn’t be able to go through formations like I am going through formations right now.
Fr. Karl: You do not lose by having a priest or a nun in your family. You gain. You gain so much because all the people that they touch become part of your family, spiritual family.
Matthew: Such a privilege to stand in the very person of Christ, to be the father to his children. So that’s my greatest desire, and my hope for the people is that through the ordained ministry they’ll come to know Christ in a deep way, both in the Eucharist and in His presence in their own souls, and come to fall in love with God who loves them so much.
Fr. Jeff: During these times, we all have come to realize how much we need each other, how much we need Jesus, the Church, the Eucharist… we have come to realize how much we need our priests. As we journey through the stormy seas of life, we need the constant reminder that, “with Jesus on board there will be no shipwreck.” This is what our priests provide. Reassurance that with our hearts rooted in Christ, we have nothing to fear. Please consider “rowing with us” through these stormy seas. Please prayerfully consider supporting seminarian education so that together we can provide priests for the future