Diocesan Christmas Collection to support seminarians, Infirm Priest Fund
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What do seminarians in all stages of formation and priests battling traumatic or lingering infirmity have in common?
A growing sense of total dependence on God, an inclination to surrender to his will, and the need for spiritual and material support from the people of their diocese.
Part of that support comes from the Diocesan Christmas Collection, which will be taken up in parishes throughout these 38 counties at all Christmas Vigil and Christmas Day Masses.
A special envelope has been inserted in this issue of The Catholic Missourian. Parishioners can use the envelope, or any envelope marked for this collection, to make their gifts.
“It’s very freeing that we can say, ‘You’re able to take this next step without any monetary fears, because you have a diocese that’s backing you, and the people of God love you and want to support you in this,” said Jacob Hartman, a seminarian in his first year of theology studies at Mundelein Seminary in Chicago.
“It’s a huge, huge support from the diocese, knowing that we are being prayed for by those we know and love back home, but are also being supported in all facets through having our education and formation paid for,” said Shane Kliethermes, a seminarian in his first year of theology studies at Mundelein Seminary.
“I’m here to grow closer to God, fundamentally, in the biggest way,” said Luke Dalton, a seminarian in his first year at Conception Seminary College in Conception.
“But in the same way, I can look to the people of our diocese who are supporting me and helped put me here, and know that I’m here to make a diligent discernment for them,” he said.
A time to heal
The Christmas Collection also supports the diocesan Infirm Priests Fund, which helps priests pay for medical care not covered by insurance, when their assets are exhausted.
Monsignor Michael T. Flanagan, retired pastor in service at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Columbia, fought back from near-death several times this year due to an infection and kidney failure.
His insurance covered the cost of his lengthy hospital stay, surgery and follow-up treatment, so he didn’t need to rely on the Infirm Priest Fund.
But he rests better knowing it’s there if he ever needs it. Just like the prayers of the people he’s been ministering to in his first 58 years of active Priesthood.
“That whole process, the fact that so many people were praying for me, and I heard from so many people all over the diocese, and they were so happy that I came through it all,” said Msgr. Flanagan.
“It was truly miraculous, and it did affirm the faith in many that God does heal us and answer our prayers,” he stated.
“Am I called?”
There are currently 10 seminarians in various stages of formation and discernment for the Jefferson City diocese, including Rev. Mr. Christopher Hoffmann, who was ordained a transitional deacon this spring.
This has been Mr. Dalton’s first semester as a seminarian.
His very large family came to visit him for Family Weekend at the sprawling seminary campus in northwestern Missouri.
“It was so cool to see them, at all different stages of their faith, and for them to be able to see seminary life, to see it for what it is,” said Mr. Dalton.
“In reality, this is a college for men to go to ask the question more thoughtfully, ‘Am I called to Priesthood?’” he stated. “It’s not some scary, closed-door place. It’s a college.”
He called it a wonderful spiritual and academic environment.
It’s also rigorous and challenging.
“A seminary is a place for you to grow in relationship with God,” he stated. “The priests and chaplains here walk with us on this journey, to help us grow in human formation and spiritual formation.”
Grateful for the prayers and material support, Mr. Dalton includes all of the people in this diocese in his daily Morning Prayer intentions.
“Their prayers have been the most contributing factor to my growth here at the seminary,” he said.
Knowing oneself
Mr. Kliethermes said one of the most profound graces of seminary life is being part of a community of prayer — “being surrounded by other guys pursuing the same thing you are and also encouraging each other and helping each other in our spiritual lives.”
Mr. Hartman said seminary is a process of growing in self-knowledge, in order to be able to make a complete gift of self to God as a priest — if that is, in fact, the calling one has received.
“So, I think the biggest blessing and growth [in the seminary] is providing time for me to get to know who I am and get to know my own heart, and then to have that self-possession of growing in virtue, in who I am and what my gifts are, what I struggle with, and working on those things,” he said.
Mr. Kliethermes emphasized that being a seminarian means much more than studying.
“There are four pillars for formation, and intellectual formation is only one of them,” he noted. “There are other ways that we’re being encouraged to grow.”
Mr. Hartman pointed out that seminary isn’t a place for people who are perfectly holy or who have everything figured out.
“For me, the most refreshing thing is seeing the humanity and realizing that seminary formation is not about seeing you as this perfect person but seeing you as you really are, and being able to affirm you in that and helping you to grow forward,” he said.
For Mr. Kliethermes, that often boils down to trying to recognize more and more how the Lord is present in everyday moments.
“Because he is always present,” the seminarian stated. “I want to be able to grow in the recognition of that and in deeper appreciation and gratitude for those moments that the Lord works in the ordinary.”
“A huge gift”
Seminarians thank God every day for the people whose support allows them to continue their formation and prepare for a possible call to Holy Orders.
Mr. Hartman noted that seminary formation can take six, eight, 10 or more years to complete.
“From the outside looking in, it can be really daunting, especially since you go into it not being certain that this is what the Lord is calling you to,” he said.
“I’m very grateful for that freedom to discern well without having to worry about the monetary problems that would occur,” he stated.
“It’s a huge gift,” said Mr. Kliethermes.
Staying strong
Msgr. Flanagan is back to offering one Mass each Sunday in the church he led his parishioners to build while he was pastor, and fills-in for other priests during the week.
“It helps me stay connected with people,” he said.
He’s still relying on people’s prayers as he continues his quest for strength and better health.
“I go to the gym every day. That strengthens me,” he said. “I want to keep my legs strong and walk and get around.”
He no longer needs the cane that he used after being discharged from the hospital.
“It’s great!” he said. “It gives me a sense that I can live on my own, I can dress myself, I can take care of myself.
“That’s something you don’t want to lose,” he said. “That’s a great motivator to exercise every day.”
