Seminarians grateful for prayers, support, as they explore God’s will, consider Priesthood

Being able to receive prayers and support from those I am being formed to serve is so joy-filling and fills my heart with gratitude,” he said. “Because my plan and my goal is to serve them.”

Shane Kliethermes, seminarian

It’s those cards and prayers back home that remind you of who you do this for and why you wake up in the morning and do formation. It’s a reminder of what’s at the end of all of this, and that really helps us push through the tough times.”

Gage Neisen, seminarian

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The best-laid plans are no match for what God has in mind for every individual he creates.

The key is to trust and follow him.

“That’s not to say that what you have planned out is worthless, but if you make those plans without God, without prayer, it’s going to be a lot more difficult,” said Gage Neisen, a Lewistown native, parishioner of Queen of Peace Parish in Ewing and seminarian at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Worthington, Ohio.

“When you incorporate prayer into your life, you’re actively stoking the fire that is your conversation with God,” he said.

It begins with a subtle invitation that grows in volume.

“It’s important not to let that inkling sit idle in your heart,” said Shane Kliethermes, a Loose Creek native, parishioner of Immaculate Conception in Jefferson City, and a seminarian at Mundelein Seminary in Chicago.

“It does require a leap of trust,” he noted. “But the Lord will catch you. Therefore, the Lord is inviting you to trust in the work he’s doing in your life.”

Mr. Kliethermes and Mr. Neisen are two of the 10 seminarians (diojeffcity.org/blog/2023/08/28/seminarian-info) currently discerning and preparing to answer a possible call to Priesthood for the Jefferson City diocese.

One of them, Rev. Mr. Gregory Clever, is to be ordained a priest on Dec. 7.

They are among the beneficiaries of the annual Christmas Collection, taken up in parishes throughout the diocese to support the education of seminarians and assist with the needs of infirm priests.

A special envelope for the collection is inserted in this paper. Contributions can also be made online at diojeffcity.org/donate-christmas.

Free of the burden of trying to figure out how to pay for their seminary studies, men can devote more of their energy to praying, studying and recognizing if God is calling them to Priesthood, and if so, what kind of priest he is calling them to be.

“God reveals himself to us as trustworthy,” said Mr. Neisen. “And in that, we are truly able to respond by trusting him.

“That’s the essence of it,” he said. “God revealing himself, and our role being to respond to his love and his call. And through all of that, he gives us hope.”

Mr. Neisen, Mr. Kliethermes and all seminarians are thoroughly engaged in a process known as discernment.

For people of faith, it is an active, prayerful process of coming to know and act upon God’s will.

“In our case, you first have to discern entering the seminary — whether the Lord wants you to have that experience of exploring a life of service to him as a priest,” said Mr. Kliethermes.

“Once you’re in the seminary, you really engage in the discernment of Priesthood,” he said. “In that environment, the Lord stirs up your heart who you are in his eyes and what he’s made you for.”

It’s a collaborative effort.

“You’re not alone in it,” said Mr. Kliethermes. “The Lord invites others into this process. You do it in your community, within the house of formation. You do it with the priest formator you work under, with the rector of the seminary.

“It’s not a solo endeavor,” he emphasized. “You’re doing it in communion not only with the Lord but also with your diocese, with those who are supporting you.”

Throughout the academic year, seminarians spend their time taking classes, praying individually and communally, taking direction from their formators, studying, having fellowship with each other, taking care of their minds, bodies and souls, and allowing themselves to be molded ever-more-precisely into the image of Christ and into the fullness of who God created each of them to be.

 “Seminary keeps us busy but with all good things,” said Mr. Kliethermes. “With our studies and other aspects of formation, it’s all for our good and for our further conformity to the person of Christ.”

Into Christ’s image

Mr. Neisen and Mr. Kliethermes are in the Configuration Stage of their formation.

While studying theology, they are working to discover what God’s vision for Priesthood for them will be.

They’re taking on greater self-discipline and personal responsibility for their ongoing formation.

“Within the realm of discernment, you’re more self-aware, you’re more cognizant of what you do and how you should be acting and what you should be doing in relation to Christ,” said Mr. Neisen.

He pointed out that discernment is a lifelong process — not just for people trying to determine in what particular way God wants them to serve him in his Church, but also the manner in which they are to do that every day.

“It is a daily sacrifice, a daily recommitment to live up to the decision you have made to pursue your vocation,” he said. “Whatever your individual vocation, we all need to be trying to get better with each passing day.”

He noted that no one knows what’s going to happen upon entering a seminary.

“Some guys hope to find out that they’re not being called to be a priest, and some really hope that they are, and the opposite could happen for either,” said Mr. Neisen.

“God draws us in and reveals himself to us day by day, year by year, and we must make it our lifelong goal to grow in that intimacy and respond to it even more deeply,” he stated.

Becoming bridges

Mr. Neisen and Mr. Kliethermes said it means a lot to know that people back home are praying for them. They enjoy receiving cards and letters of encouragement and assurance of ongoing prayers.

“It’s a reminder of the people that you’re going to serve someday — that it’s about them,” said Mr. Neisen. “That’s especially helpful on those days when classes or formation are really overwhelming.

“It’s those cards and prayers back home that remind you of who you do this for and why you wake up in the morning and do formation. It’s a reminder of what’s at the end of all of this, and that really helps us push through the tough times.”

Mr. Kliethermes shared a quote attributed to Venerable Bishop Fulton Sheen: “The priest is not his own.”

The priest is for others,” said Mr. Kliethermes. “What I’m doing is not just for my own spiritual growth but for other people’s.”

That’s why he loves maintaining strong bonds with people back home.

“Being able to receive prayers and support from those I am being formed to serve is so joy-filling and fills my heart with gratitude,” he said. “Because my plan and my goal is to serve them.”

He’s extremely grateful to the people who donate to the Christmas Collection for helping to make it possible for him to be in the seminary.

“It’s through the generosity of parishioners of this diocese that I’m here, that I’m able to do this,” he said.

He spoke similarly of the portion of the collection that helps infirm priests.

“It’s a way to give thanks for the men who have given of themselves to this diocese and now need our help because of severe illness,” said Mr. Kliethermes. “So the Christmas Collection is an opportunity for people to give in gratitude to God for the laborers in his harvest and for those of us who hope to join them someday.”

Both men pointed out that having priests is essential for a sacramental Church founded on the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.

“We need priests for the sanctification of the world, to bring others into further union with the Lord in his Church,” said Mr. Kliethermes.

“The Lord desires to have priests in the world, men who are united in his one Priesthood — so it’s not just owned by that one individual, it’s a common Priesthood, a ministerial Priesthood united to Christ’s Priesthood,” Mr. Kliethermes continued.

“He invites men to participate in that Priesthood in order to be bridges for people to come into deeper relationship with Christ,” he said.

Mr. Neisen noted that “priests are an image of Christ’s sacrificial love on the cross.”

He pointed out that later in formation, seminarians are often called upon to dress like priests — with black clothes punctuated by a white Roman collar.

“That reflects the way priests remind the world to die to themselves but also remind them that death is not the end,” he said.

Tight bonds

The Jefferson City diocese currently has seminarians at four seminaries: the Josephinum, Mundelein, Holy Trinity Seminary at the University of Dallas, and Conception Seminary College in northwestern Missouri.

Although separated by many miles, they maintain close ties through biweekly Google Meet gatherings during the academic year and through shared activities over the summer.

“If the Lord wills it, we’re going to be serving as priests together,” Mr. Kliethermes stated. “So, we already have this brotherhood that’s fostered and nourished together in the seminary.”

“These guys are like brothers,” one priest of the diocese observed. “I’ve never seen a group of seminarians who are as tight as the ones we have now.”

Seminarians, like priests, need fervent prayers.

As they continue allowing God to mold them into men who will spend the rest of their lives serving him without reserve, Mr. Kliethermes asked for prayers for all seminarians to become “men after Christ’s own heart.”

“And for us to be able to serve God both with our intellects and our wills each day, by striving to excel in our classes and excel in our humility, that the Holy Spirit may instill in us a spirit of service and authenticity,” said Mr. Neisen.