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

My mission from God is developing all the more as that which is simply living with Christ within me and bringing him to others and bringing others back to him.”

Gage Neisen, seminarian

I’m doing it out of love for God. I felt God’s call at a young age, and ever since then, the Lord has placed a desire in my heart to serve in in this way. And at every stage, he’s affirmed my desire for this.”

John Paul McGuire, seminarian

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The men who are discerning whether God wants them to be priests give public witness with their openness and daily “yes” to him.

It’s a path every Catholic is called to travel.

“We are following God’s will for us in this way, and I hope it’s a sign to other people to do the same, to be open to God’s will and not be afraid of the depths he wants us to go into — whether that’s Priesthood or Religious Life or Marriage,” said seminarian John Paul McGuire.

He’s concerned that people focus too much on what they may lose out on if they make a solid commitment.

“But it’s actually more freeing to surrender completely and abandon oneself to God’s will, knowing he will take care of everything,” said Mr. McGuire, a native of St. Brendan Parish in Mexico who’s in the Configuration Stage of formation at Mundelein Seminary near Chicago.

“We all desire truth and goodness,” said seminarian Gage Neisen, a native of Queen of Peace Parish in Ewing, who’s in the Configuration Stage of formation at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Worthington, Ohio.

“Remember that everything you have is a gift from the Father,” he said. “And don’t be afraid to use those gifts, because they are good things he has allowed us to have.”

He called to mind St. Teresa of Avila’s advice about boldly trusting God when asking for help: “You pay God a compliment by asking great things of him.”

Mr. McGuire and Mr. Neisen are two of the 11 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. Jacob Hartman, is preparing to be ordained a priest next spring.

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.

“For me, this collection means a lot because it means that I am able to not be burdened with having to find the money it costs to receive formation,” said Mr. McGuire. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to be a seminarian.”

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

Free of worry about paying 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.

“Just knowing that this collection helps us at the beginning and the end of our vocation shows us a lot of love and support from God and the people and the Church,” said Mr. McGuire. “It’s similar to the way our Lord takes care of us from our birth to our death.”

Closer by the day

Mr. McGuire has been in seminary formation for five years.

“I’m doing it out of love for God,” he said. “I felt God’s call at a young age, and ever since then, the Lord has placed a desire in my heart to serve in in this way. And at every stage, he’s affirmed my desire for this.”

Mr. Neisen, now in his sixth year of formation, said several young priests influenced his early life and vocational discernment, especially in high school.

“They just naturally gave me a great witness to the Priesthood and to the joy of the Priesthood,” he said. “They gave a great example to me.”

He eventually thought to himself, “Maybe that’s something I can do.”

“I’ve always wanted to help people in a way most other people cannot,” Mr. Neisen stated. “Seeing those young priests’ example, it made sense to me that I should give seminary and Priesthood a deeper look.”

From there, he has tried to follow God’s plan as well as he can, taking each step with trust and openness.

“And this is where God has led me,” he said.

Every day, seminarians involve themselves actively in a process called discernment.

“It starts with prayer,” said Mr. Neisen. “I would argue that prayer is at least half of the process of discernment. Praying to our Lord, praying with others for our intentions, for their sake, for their vocation.”

With that understanding, discernment means much more than “this person is thinking about Priesthood or wants to be a priest.”

“It means cultivating a life of prayer and listening intently for a response from God and acting upon it to the best of your ability,” Mr. Neisen stated.

“It means being quiet and listening to the Lord’s voice, to truly be his disciples,” Mr. McGuire added.

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

“It means being conformed to Christ’s sacred and priestly heart,” said Mr. McGuire.

It is a later stage of formation, involving more intense preparation for the Sacrament of Holy Orders and ministering to God and his people.

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.”

Preparing for ministry

Mr. Neisen and Mr. McGuire have graduated from seminary colleges and are pursuing post-graduate studies in theology.

“It’s different in that our formation is more oriented toward the preparation for Priesthood for a lot of the practical things, especially learning theology,” said Mr. McGuire.

He said the focus of Mundelein Seminary is forming parish priests, whereas college seminary was aimed at forming men to be disciples before moving on to focus more on the Priesthood.

Mr. Neisen described the formation he receives at the Josephinum as more “hands-off” than “hands-on.”

“Not that the priests here don’t help you,” he noted. “But it is a much more responsible stage of formation in that everything you need help with or you feel you need to ‘work on,’ you need to be the one to bring it up with your advisor or your spiritual director.”

At the same time, he feels more aware of how a future as a priest would look. That includes spending the rest of his life differently from how most men spend theirs, especially those who have a wife and children.

“What I’m realizing is that my relationship with Jesus Christ must be ever-deepening and must be the center and focus of my life as a celibate priest,” he said. “But that relationship that I love must also branch out to my future parishioners and to my brother priests and anyone else I encounter.

“My mission from God is developing all the more as that which is simply living with Christ within me and bringing him to others and bringing others back to him,” he said.

A typical weekday both at Mundelein and the Josephinum includes early rising, Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours and Mass with fellow seminarians, followed by breakfast; several hours of classes, followed by lunch together; some time in the afternoon to work on homework, exercise, meeting with members of the formation team or spending time with fellow seminarians; Evening Prayer or a Holy Hour with Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament; dinner, followed by time for homework, personal prayer time, or sports or fellowship.

Although the classwork is essential, some of the most valuable lessons occur outside the classroom.

“Our classes help us answer questions,” said Mr. McGuire. “But formation outside the classroom is preparing us to do the actual ministry.”

“Being able to go to a parish every week and doing different ministries or just showing up to Sunday Mass and talking to people afterwards — that shows me how much the people of God want to be seen, known and loved, to have a man who looks at them as Christ does,” he stated.

He said the most important lesson he’s learning is to be docile to the Holy Spirit.

“Because you don’t know what’s coming next,” he said. “You can’t always give a book answer for every question someone brings to you.”

Mr. Neisen said he has been learning more and more how to take on the persona of “alone with Christ but not lonely.”

He’s also discovered in everyday conversations with fellow seminarians — especially those who are younger — the importance of growing in a fatherly role to other people, “especially if they’re struggling with something in particular that I’ve struggled with before.”

“Just knowing that you are called to be a witness of Christ but also be a father,” he said. “And knowing when the Holy Spirit wants to speak through you and letting him do that, even in the context of sharing a conversation over a meal.”

Sacramental witness

Both men are very aware of the perennial need for priests in the Church.

“The Eucharist, as the Second Vatican Council reminds us, is the source and summit of our faith,” said Mr. Neisen. “And you need the priest to bring that about, to be in the person of Christ for the Church.”

He noted that priests and religious sisters and brothers also give witness to the reality of heaven on earth.

“When you think of seeing a priest in his clerics or a cassock or a religious in his or her habit out in public, you have to wonder, ‘What has this person found, such that he or she loves life in this way? They must have found something special beyond this world, so as to live such a life and be happy doing it.’”

Priests witness great joy and great suffering. They intentionally forsake taking a wife and helping to bring children into the world, while simultaneously focusing on Christ on the cross and the joy the comes with the resurrection.

“He’s essentially giving us the example of taking all that is human and offering it fully to the divine,” said Mr. Neisen.

Mr. McGuire pointed out that the Church needs priests “first of all, so that through God’s grace, through Holy Orders, the Sacraments are able to be given from God.”

He said it’s important to have enough priests for people to be able to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation regularly and Anointing of the Sick when facing health challenges and Viaticum shortly before death.

“And also, simply to be able to walk with the people,” he stated.

Grateful for support

Mr. Neisen and Mr. McGuire are very aware of the prayerful and material support they receive from people here in the diocese, including from the Christmas Collection.

“It helps relieve us from the worry of finances and receive the help we need,” said Mr. McGuire.

Mr. Neisen said it makes a huge difference when people in parishes gather to pray a Rosary, offer up a Holy Hour (or half-hour) or spend time in Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament for priests and seminarians to continue becoming who God wants them to become.

“It’s a great encouragement for me and my brother seminarians to continue forward in faith and strength, knowing our future parishioners back home are praying for us as much as we are praying for them,” he said.

Both ask for continued prayers.

“Pray for us to be able to persevere and for the grace to stay open and docile to whatever the Lord is asking of us in the seminary and in ministry,” said Mr. McGuire. “And for the grace to have Christ as our center and to serve him, not in the way we want to be priests but in the way he wants us to be his priests.”

Mr. Neisen suggests praying: “Father, transform them into the image of your Son, so that they may give their lives in sacrificial love for you and your Church.”

Both offered advice to any man who believes God may be calling him to the Priesthood but he doesn’t know how to respond.

“Talk with people you trust and listen to their advice,” said Mr. Neisen. “Don’t be afraid to hear the truth.”

Mr. McGuire suggested taking full stock of the gifts and talents God has given oneself, and thinking about how they can be best used to bring about God’s Kingdom.

“Reach out and ask for help from a priest, especially the Vocations Office,” he said. “No matter what vocation you’re being called to, they’re going to help you and direct you.”

If someone is on the fence about whether to give the seminary a try, Mr. McGuire suggested: “Just go and give yourself completely to it. If it’s what God wants for you, he will straighten your path. If it’s not, he will show you the way.”

“Either way,” Mr. McGurie assured, “the Lord is speaking to you in a quiet way. He’s trying to tug at your heart. Be open to his will. Don’t be afraid to say ‘yes.’”