Homily 2
Votive Mass for Vocations
Elden Francis Curtiss
Mount Angel Abbey and Seminary
Archbishop of Omaha
March 14, 1997
A SEMINARY PARTNERSHIP THAT HAS FLOURISHED
This is a special liturgy today for the abbey and seminary communities of Mount Angel. All the living president-rectors of the seminary are here to celebrate with you this votive Mass for vocations, and to pray that the Lord will continue to bless and strengthen these two communities that depend on each other in so many ways. This past January it was 25 years since I was appointed the first diocesan priest to be president-rector of the seminary, so this is an historical occasion for me and all of you gathered here today in this abbey church.
When my tenure as rector was suddenly interrupted in March of 1976 (21 years ago this month) by my appointment as Bishop of Helena, I was succeeded by Father (and now Monsignor) James Ribble of Spokane. The line of diocesan priests as president-rectors of the seminary has continued unbroken to this very day -- Father Patrick Brennan was a college student in my early years as rector which helps me realize that it really has been twenty-five years since the mantle of leadership was placed on my shoulders by this monastic community.
What has ensued this past quarter of a century, in the opinion of many observers, is the most successful partnership in seminary formation found in the United States today. This well-established seminary, owned and operated by the Benedictine Community of Mount Angel Abbey with its long history of solid formation, has been entrusted to the leadership of diocesan priests for twenty-five years. I think this is one of the main reasons the seminary is now filled to capacity -- the sponsorship and stability of a monastic community coupled with the pastoral leadership of competent diocesan president-rectors. This has resulted in a creative partnership that has made the seminary well known from coast to coast and beyond.
An uncertain beginning
We were not so sure, in the beginning, that the appointment of a diocesan priest as rector would turn out this well. In December 1971, when Abbot Damian Jentges asked me to be president-rector, I knew that he and the community were taking a risk entrusting their main apostolate to an outsider. And I also knew that I was taking a risk in saying yes since I was not sure that I would be fully supported in a leadership role by the monastic community. If the arrangement failed for one reason or another, everyone involved would be hurt in the process.
This celebration today, and the strength of the seminary, is proof positive that the experiment which began in January 1972 has succeeded very well indeed. Not that there were no tensions or no problems in the beginning or during these past twenty five years -- diocesan priests can never fully understand or accept monastic processes which can stretch out for years; Benedictine monks can never fully understand or accept the probing of diocesan rectors into their personal bailiwicks even when they impact the management of the seminary. My guess, Father Brennan, is that these tensions and frustrations have not been fully resolved even after twenty-five years of effort.
But one thing is certain at this point in the history of Mount Angel Seminary -- it is strong today because of the effective leadership of diocesan priest rectors who have been appointed and supported by this monastic community. And the abbey community has been strengthened over the years by the seminary community and by the strong commitment and support of its diocesan rectors. The church here in the west and beyond has been the beneficiary of this special relationship.
Fruitful vocation ministry
This brings me to the reason we are celebrating this votive Mass for vocations today. The raison d'etre for this seminary is the formation of seminarians for priestly service in many dioceses and religious communities. There is a growing need for more good priests and religious, everywhere in our nation, because of a growing Catholic population. I am convinced that the Lord is calling adequate numbers of young men to priesthood and religious life, but they must be invited and supported in their discernment process. Those who are able and willing to implement a strong vocation ministry for their people will reap the harvest that is waiting for them.
I have made vocation ministry a priority in my own archdiocese. Most of my priests and religious and lay people are working with me to invite, support and nurture prospective candidates for priesthood and religious life. Our efforts are beginning to pay off -- this year we had 16 new seminarians for the archdiocese. My vocation director told me recently that we will have at least 25 new seminarians next fall. I ordained 8 men to priesthood for the archdiocese last June -- I will ordain 7 this coming June. In a few years I will be ordaining 15 to 20 men every June. The vocations are out there if we make the necessary effort to call them one by one and to support them each step of the way to seminary and novitiate.
There are many present-day Samuels in all our dioceses that the Lord is calling, and many of them are listening (1 Samuel 3, 1-10). They need many Elis like us to help them discern the call. Our prayer today is that the Lord of the Harvest will continue to call laborers into His harvest (Matthew 9, 35-38), and that He will strengthen us in vocation ministry to help these new laborers answer the call.
Spes messis in semine
The hope of the harvest is in the seed. This Benedictine community so committed to priestly formation for the church, and this seminary community which is strengthened by its monastic stability and its competent diocesan leadership, is the kind of seed bed the church in this country must have today. The Lord is providing the seeds that are required for the harvest. We need many full time priests in vocation ministry to make sure these seeds reach rich, healthy seed beds. There will be no shortage of priests in dioceses and communities which make vocation ministry a priority and are careful in the selection of seminaries for their candidates.
All of us who had a hand in the formation of this seminary partnership, and its continuation for 25 years, have reason to rejoice today. We have developed a strong seminary program with spiritual formation a priority along with strong academic formation and trusted pastoral formation. There are few seminaries that are full today -- Mount Angel is one of them. We made the right decision 25 years ago and you have continued to make this decision work these many years. This seminary is the richer for our efforts, so all of us can take a little credit today for what has happened on this hilltop. But most of all we have to give thanks to the Lord of the Harvest Who has blessed our meager efforts with fruit a hundred fold.
So rest in peace my friend Damian -- you were right after all!
