Edward Looney—Diocese of Green Bay, WI
April 17-23rd
Conception Seminary College held their spring Encounter with God’s Call weekend welcoming young men to the seminary to learn more about discerning a call to the priesthood on April 17th-19th. This spring Encounter saw a record number of Encounter participants with 142 young men participating. The weekend was sponsored by the Office of Vocation Promotion headed by Fr. Pachomius and was chaired by sophomores John Rockwell (Jefferson City) and Jared Ortega (Oklahoma City). Over 50 seminarians stepped up to participate and help with Encounter by serving as ambassadors; these roles give participants a direct contact with a seminarian who helps facilitate discussion, give tours, and answer any questions along the way. The Encounter participants heard talks from Luke Thielen and Justin Hamilton about how they heard God’s call to come to the seminary. Mike Kuper and Adam Gonzales talked about how their vocational journey included risk and conversion. Lastly, participants were able to ask questions which were then answered by a panel of seminarians. In addition to the three talks, the CSC Film Club showed the videos they had produced this year including A Day in the Life of a Seminarian. Participants were also able to sign up for Emmaus Walks with seminarians or Fr. Pachomius in order to dialogue more one on one. The Encounter with God’s Call weekend ended Monday after students had the opportunity to attend some classes here at CSC and Monday’s daily Mass.
On April 22nd, seminarians participated in a day of recollection led by Deacon Ken Berry of the Diocese of Jefferson City. Deacon Berry gave three presentations introducing students to the Charismatic Renewal here in the United States and throughout the world. Deacon Berry shared a lot of his own personal experiences and some of the writings of Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher of the Papal Household. A day of recollection began the night before with a conference by the presenter and optional Compline; the next day there were two conferences, Mass and Eucharistic adoration. Days of Recollection are silent, allowing the students to reflect more deeply upon the presentations and for spiritual reading.
Friday April 23rd, Conception seminarians had several options on how to spend their evening. Option one was a Knights of Columbus sponsored Deer Feed. Prepared by Nathan Eftink and his parents, seminarians were able to feast upon a variety of venison dishes. Secondly, the Entertainment Committee sponsored a Karaoke competition at the weekly Gaudeamus celebration with cash prizes. First place went to Matt Stephens for his rendition of Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire. Another option for the seminarians on Friday evening was an off-campus outing organized by Seminarian Colin Haganey to attend the Kansas City Royals vs. Minnesota Twins baseball game at Kauffmann Stadium. The game ended in defeat for the Royals with a score of 8-3, but the fireworks display following the game helped alleviate the sting of defeat.