Story by Abbey Hugo
LINCOLN (SNR) - For the past few months, every school day began with a 30-minute walk through the streets of Rome, Italy. That is, until a couple weeks ago and the escalation of the coronavirus pandemic.
Matthew Schilmoeller, one of three Lincoln seminarians studying in Rome, returned to the United States March 26 due to increasingly concerning coronavirus conditions in Italy.
When universities throughout Italy began closing their doors in early March, the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, where Schilmoeller studies, invited seminarians to communicate with their dioceses about whether to stay or go. At that point, about half the 200-person class from all around the world decided to return home.
The Lincoln seminarians, however, decided they liked their situation and intended to stay, Schilmoeller said. The university was a large campus gated off from the public, and measures were put in place to keep the school running with fewer people. Because it was closed off, they were even able to still celebrate the sacraments.
“It seemed like the morale was actually starting to move up a lot,” Schilmoeller said. “There was a lot of positivity and a lot of community happening because the community was getting smaller, but it was unique how guys were stepping in to make sure the college was running smoothly. It was really cool to see the community become so vibrant.”
About a week and a half later, however, the Lincoln seminarians—Schilmoeller, James O’Neil and Deacon Joseph Wahlmeier—were informed they too would be going home, and they had five days to do so.
The university didn’t have any cases of the coronavirus, but if the virus were to infect the region it was located in, Lazio, it would likely have a drastic effect on food production, and hospitals would be strained. If that happened, the university wouldn’t be able to support everyone, but with the seminarians safely in their respective dioceses, those resources could be allocated to people potentially more needy, Schilmoeller said.
“It was a prudent decision to send us home for the time being,” Schilmoeller said. “It’s difficult to say goodbye... but we understand. With open arms, they’re excited to welcome us back when the time comes.”
Upon arriving in the U.S., the seminarians completed a two-week quarantine that ended just before the Triduum, with all three healthy. They stayed on the outskirts of Lincoln, in a home generously stocked by their mothers.
“We three mama bears, we pooled our resources and supplied those kids with food and whatever we thought they would need,” Schilmoeller’s mother, Cindy, said. “We had to remember they are only going to be here 14 days.... They had enough food to last a really, really long time. But, you know, that’s a mom thing, for sure.”
Quarantine was a blessing, Matthew Schilmoeller said.
“I think it was helpful to go into quarantine as soon as we got back — not a lot of outside contact and just a lot of time with the Lord — to come to that reflection of, in an instant, your setting of life can change, and yet God’s grace is completely employed being invited to us at every moment,” Schilmoeller said. “The constancy of God has been consoling with coming to terms with having to pack up and go.”
The seminarians still complete all classes as if they were studying in Rome, except it’s done through video conferencing. For most, class is still scheduled according to Roman time. Schilmoeller begins his school day at 1:30 a.m. CDT. With seminarians now studying from different areas all over the globe, administration thought it would be most fair to continue with the normal class time.
This is obviously a sacrifice, Schilmoeller said, but it is one he is happy to make.
“It’s helped me to realize that this time is unique,” Schilmoeller said. “Everyone is having to make their sacrifice, or make a struggle, in many different ways. It helps me address that this isn’t just a normal thing; this is an especially unique time that we’re in the middle of.”
Formation is another important aspect of the seminary that looks a lot different now, Schilmoeller said. At the university, each seminarian would meet with a formation adviser every month. Now, they meet every two weeks, to ensure continued formation during this time of isolation. The seminarians are also sure to stay in contact with one another to foster community.
“The message that we’ve received from the college coming back to the states is, regularly, I would still be in the seminary and going through formation day by day,” Schilmoeller said. “So, we’re supposed to seek opportunities to continue that formation, be it in these adverse conditions and this adverse situation which has come to us and has become part of our story of discernment.”
The Diocese of Lincoln assigned each seminarian to a parish. James O’Neil is at St. Joseph Parish in Paul, and Deacon Joseph Wahlmeier is at St. Wenceslaus Parish in Wahoo.
Schilmoeller is serving at Ss. Mary and Joseph Parish in Valparaiso, where Father Matthew Zimmer is pastor.
“I’m glad to have him,” Zimmer said of Schilmoeller. “He’s in a rough spot; all college students are in general. They’re in a place no one’s ever been in before. And so to be given the opportunity to have somewhere to study and keep working — yeah, happy to have him here.”
No official plans have been made, but the seminarians hope to return to Rome in the fall.
