Conception Abbey
Conception, Missouri

About the time of year when the summer sun struggles to land a few final parting shots on our region of the globe before it slinks away into the flagging days of fall, schools around the country are busy gearing up for yet another academic year. As a school for future priests, Conception Seminary College is no exception to the buzz surrounding this time and setting; only this year, the buzz is a little louder due to an increase in enrollment and a few personnel and other changes.

Enrollment reaches 100

When temperatures climb above 100°, it’s not too enticing to move a truckload worth of living essentials up five flights of stairs into a room with no air conditioning. Nonetheless, the dedicated young men in pursuit of priestly formation here at Conception braved these stifling conditions in order to get settled in before the beginning of the semester. Actually, there were five additional days of “settling in”. A rigorous orientation schedule comprised of conferences, mixers, visits to the registrar, academic advisors, student health services, and so on, ensured that the new and returning seminarians would be up to speed, ready to hit the ground running—well, moving at least—once classes began on the 21st of August.

Those orientation days seemed like a whirlwind of activity but in the end, everything and everyone were taken care of. Considering the increase in students, things actually went pretty smoothly. This year Conception Seminary College boasts a total enrollment of 100 seminarians, which is a nice increase over last year’s 83. Of those 100, 43 are new—quite a jump from last year’s 29 new students. This year’s seminarians represent 22 different dioceses and 5 religious communities.

More young men in the seminary is obviously good news for the Church. With such a substantial jump, it’s natural to ask: “What are the roots beneath this blessing?” Well, it is no secret that it takes generous doses of grace, faith and prayer but what are some concrete ways these things are encouraged?

One diocese’s presence at Conception has increased by 350% since last year. The diocese of San Angelo, Texas—a diocese that serves around 83,000 Catholics across 37,433 sq. miles of western and central Texas—has gone from 2 seminarians at Conception to 9. When asked about the reasons behind such an increase, San Angelo vocations director Fr. Barry McLean’s first response had Eucharistic adoration as its subject. He said that many people felt the availability of the devotional practice had something to do with the increase. It affords a time of quiet where people can not only talk to God but also listen.

Many other dioceses, in fact, have observed this same correlation between an increase in Eucharistic adoration and vocations. The Archdiocese of Omaha, who has the largest representation at Conception with 12 men, also observes this phenomenon. Fr. Ralph O’Donnell, vocations director, stated, “I would say that prayer and Eucharistic Adoration are definitely central to developing a climate that is conducive to vocations in a diocese. It is important to remember that Christ continues to call men to the ordained ministry as he has ever called them through the grace of the Holy Spirit and the encouragement of the Church. I see the work of Vocation Ministry to help the individuals hear and discern that call, in the midst of a sometimes hectic and ever changing world.”

Of course, as Fr. O’Donnell indicated above, there are also other resources vital to vocations work. In his comments to me, Fr. Barry also mentioned the hard work of vocations committees of the parishes and groups such as the Serrans as well as the bi-annual “Encounter with God’s Call Weekend” that Conception hosts for young men thinking about the priesthood. It seems the bottom line to vocations promotion comes down to understanding the Lord of the harvest’s notion of supply and demand—the more he is sought out in prayer and the Eucharist, the more laborers He supplies to work in his vineyard.

Well Equipped Stewards

To be sure, any school that wants to succeed must have an awareness of the needs and developments of whatever field it is in and train its students to be able to respond to those needs. In the case of seminary work, then, there needs to be an awareness of what is happening in the Church and the seminarians must be prepared to minister in it. The Church in the United States is, as it was from the beginning, a diverse Church. It is a Church true to the catholicity of our faith and it shows, not only in our parishes, but also in seminary enrollment. Twenty-nine of the students studying at Conception were born in a country other than the United States, including the United Kingdom, Poland, India, the Philippines, Mexico, Bolivia, El Salvador, Vietnam, Kenya, Columbia and Venezuela. Such diversity at Conception not only provides for a rich community life among the seminarians, but it also gives a preview of what future ministry could be like.

Monks of Conception Abbey and visiting priests mix with the students at the Labor Day picnic.

Many things go into the education of a seminarian. Here at Conception, there are three pillars of formation—character, spiritual and academic. In an effort to supplement the function of these areas, the seminary is now implementing a certain focus that will act as a theme for each given year, with this year’s focus being Prayer.

To be well equipped for the demands of ministry, priests must be men of prayer. This year, Conception Seminary College is doing several things to bolster this trait of the priesthood. But with increasing requirements that govern the education of seminarians, it is important to find creative opportunities of instruction that do not take up too much time. For example, the classical music that is played at the evening meals will now be selected for its spiritual meaning and cards will be placed on the tables outlining the history and significance of the selections. At the end of the meal there will be a reading selected from a saint of the day. Also, each residence hall floor will choose a patron saint for their TV lounge and come up with a bio sheet on them. The goal of these practices will be to bring the seminarians into closer contact with models of holiness and to increase their Catholic literacy. Perhaps the biggest implementation focusing on prayer, though, is the addition of a Holy Hour before Morning Prayer, at which the Office of Readings from the breviary will be prayed. Besides being a time of prayer, it will give the seminarians a chance to take a breather from their busy schedules and afford them an opportunity for quiet reflection before the start of their day.

Fresh and Familiar Faces Take on New Roles

With all that is involved in running a seminary, it takes a number of people to get the work done. Apart from Fr. Samuel taking Fr. Benedict’s place as rector, there have been a few other personnel changes around Conception.

Fr. Dan Merz now assumes Fr. Samuel’s previous role as Vice-Rector and Dean of Students. Originally hailing from a farm outside Bowling Green, MO, Fr. Dan has been around seminaries, including Conception, for awhile. He attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School Seminary in Hannibal, MO before coming to Conception from ‘89-’93, Kenrick-Glennon from ‘93-‘95 and the North American College in Rome from ‘95-‘99. He has a License in Sacred Liturgy from the P.I.L. (Pontifical Institute of Liturgy) at Sant’Anselmo in Rome, and hopes to finish the doctorate in Liturgy from there as well. Fr. Merz was ordained a priest in 1998 and served as associate pastor of St. Joseph Cathedral in Jefferson City, MO from ‘99-‘01.

It was after this time that Fr. Dan would return to Conception. “Abbot Gregory and I kept in touch off and on after my graduation from CSC. During my last year in Rome he had written a Christmas letter in which he jokingly (I thought) mentioned that perhaps Conception will get me to be on the faculty some day. The next year, while I was in the parish, he approached Bishop Gaydos and requested that the Bishop release me to come and serve in the seminary as a chaplain and professor of Latin and Liturgy.” The Bishop agreed and after finishing two years in the parish, Fr. Dan came to CSC in the summer of 2001. This year, when the Abbot asked Fr. Samuel to become the new rector, Fr. Samuel, in turn, requested him to appoint Fr. Dan to be the new Dean of Students. Of this, Fr. Dan writes, “Fr. Samuel and I worked well together on the formation team, and he thought that we would work well together as rector and vice-rector.” The Abbot offered to send a second monk to work in the diocese of Jefferson City and Bishop Gaydos agreed to extend Fr. Dan’s time here to assume this new role.

Students take in some beautiful weather and good food at the Labor Day picnic.

“It has been a great gift to renew my own calling to the priesthood—working with college seminarians. I always thought that I would like to teach, and seminary, I believe, is the best place to teach. I don’t relish the idea of being ‘the enforcer’ but I am humbled and uplifted by the work of having a role in priestly formation. I love the Church. And I want to do what I can to give her the best possible priests.”

Fr. Dan is not alone in his dedication to the Church and the formation of tomorrow’s priests. He is joined by a competent faculty, staff, and administration that continues to work hard for this most worthy and needed cause in our world today. It is a challenging yet rewarding work, but one which we are sure to see the benefits of in our future here and hereafter.

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communications@conception.edu
www.conceptionabbey.org

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