Formation of priests includes academic, spiritual and human preparation. A new tool is available to help the men in formation for the priesthood at Saint Mary Seminary in Wickliffe.
The recently completed liturgy lab allows the seminarians to gain practical experience while simulating a pastoral meeting, a hospital visitation, celebrating the liturgy, celebrating the sacraments and a funeral liturgy. The facilities are part of the major renovations at the seminary that were financed by the recently concluded Heart of a Shepherd campaign conducted by the Catholic Community Foundation.
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Some of the donors, who are members of the St. John the Evangelist Leadership Guild, got a behind-the-scenes look at the new lab recently. The group gathered for a Mass celebrated by Bishop Edward Malesic in Sacred Heart Chapel at the Center for Pastoral Leadership. Father Mark Latcovich, who just concluded his term as president/rector of the seminary and Father Andy Turner, his successor, concelebrated the liturgy.
In the homily, Father Latcovich told the congregation that formation is always about an encounter. “We have the privilege of offering an encounter with Jesus Christ through the sacraments, teaching of dogma and the way we serve others,” he said. “We have to encounter Jesus first and everything else comes from that encounter.”
He said the new liturgy practicum space lets the seminarians actually practice the liturgies and prayers they will use in their priestly ministry.
Father Turner explained that the pastoral formation clinic is a place for the seminarians to go into a simulated hospital room or hospice room environment and practice anointing of the sick and ministering to someone who is losing or who has lost a loved one. It’s a place where they can practice the important encounters they will have with people during their ministry.
Another room is set up like a parish office where the seminarians can have a meeting and discuss topics they might encounter in parish ministry. The hospital and meeting rooms are adjacent to an observation room where professors observe and can record the sessions. This allows review and discussion of the work done by the seminarians.
There also is a room set up like a chapel with an altar, ambo and piano where the seminarians can practice celebrating Mass. They also have opportunities to practice chants, singing and other music associated with the liturgy. In the back of the room is a casket that can be used to practice funeral liturgies.
Simulated sacramental sessions also are recorded so the seminarians can experience baptizing someone, distribution of Communion, witnessing a marriage, etc.
Bishop Malesic told the guild members that he was blessed to ordain six men to the priesthood in May. “We might be a smaller Church, but we are stronger and we will attract new people. We’re doing a good job with the formation of men here. They need to know themselves first through human formation and then they need to learn to relate to people one to one through spiritual formation. In addition, they work on academic and pastoral formation during their seminary years.
“Father Latcovich has done a great job here. He is handing off a strong seminary to Father Turner. We are blessed to have a strong seminary and good priests. The newly ordained are on fire, in love with the Lord and committed to their ministry,” he added.
“I am so proud of the six men we just ordained. We journeyed with them for as long as nine years,” Father Turner said. He told the guild he was ordained in 2006 from Immaculate Conception Parish in Akron and ministered at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Wickliffe and St. John Neumann Parish in Strongsville before being assigned to the seminary.
Father Turner gave the group an overview of the seminary and the degrees it can confer.
As they progress through the seminary, he said the men come to understand what they do as they mature. Through the journey to maturity they come to know and accept themselves and give themselves to service. “They have lots of knowledge, but have to understand and reflect on their emotions and to be ready to act.”
Guild members said they were impressed with the facilities and thought they would be very important in preparing the seminarians for their future ministry.
“This is so important and I’m so glad they have these opportunities,” one guild member said.