by Fr. Brian Kane
Rector, St. Gregory the Great Seminary;
Director of Seminarians
Last week, one of our seniors spoke at a gathering of seminary supporters and family members about his experience at St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward, over his last four years of formation here. He noted that, although he could speak about the various important parts of seminary formation, including academics and pastoral formation, he wanted to focus on one thing. He said, “I have learned how to love at St. Gregory’s.”
Having worked in seminaries for the last 11 years, I was grateful and moved that this has been his experience. Several years ago, a seminary formator suggested that a man finishing college seminary should be able to write a love letter to Jesus. It sounds unusual, but it captures the foundational purpose of a seminary.
The Program of Priestly Formation, the guiding document for seminaries, states that the seminarian is called “to live in intimate and unceasing union with God the Father through his Son Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit” (226). It goes on to describe spiritual formation as “directed at nourishing and sustaining communion with God and with our brothers and sisters, in the friendship of Jesus the Good Shepherd, and with an attitude of docility to the Holy Spirit. This intimate relationship forms the heart of the seminarian in that generous and sacrificial love that marks the beginning of pastoral charity” (225).
Learning how to love is a life-long journey that includes the ability to receive the Father’s love and mercy first, in order to be able to share it with others. It entails daily conversion of heart and a desire to be a gift to others. This happens in the ordinary rhythm of prayer, the sacraments, study, and life together in community — the daily places where God patiently shapes a man’s heart.
As I reflect on the five years I have spent at St. Gregory the Great Seminary, I am grateful for the men who have studied here. They have taught me a great deal about how to receive the Father’s love through their example and trust. Everything else a seminary does — the philosophy, the theology, the human and pastoral formation — is in service of this one thing.
Having a seminary in our diocese is a significant commitment, both financially and in the priests assigned to staff it. The investment we make now is one that will bear fruit for many years to come. Our priests will love their parishioners, their students, and everyone they serve — because they first learned to be loved here.
