Formed for the Future
On Saturday, May 16, Conception Seminary College graduated six seminarians with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and two with a Bachelor of Philosophical and Theological Studies.
Somebody once asked Mother Teresa: “Mother, why do you do this? Why have you given your life to the poorest of the poor?” She replied, “The answer can be summed up on the fingers of one hand: ‘You did it for Me.’”
Mother Teresa was a holy woman. During her life, Time Magazine called her “a living saint.” But holiness, she said, “is not the luxury of a few; it’s the simple duty of everyone.”
It isn’t reserved just for seminarians; it’s a call on the life of every boy and every girl, of every young man and every young lady, of every man and every woman. It’s the vocation of every one of us. And if we follow it faithfully, it will lead us to joy. And one day, please God, it will lead us together to joy everlasting. Amen.
—Rev. Msgr. Patrick Gaalaas
Commencement Speaker
Spiritual Director, Diocese of Tulsa
Brothers, this graduation marks the end of our time at Conception, but it also marks our sending forth. Today is not simply a conclusion; it is a mission. The Church is now asking us to carry into the world what has been formed within us here. So when you leave this place, remember that God has chosen you and formed you for a reason. Remember that your vocation is not merely a personal path, but a participation in the work of salvation. Remember to take up your cross daily, even when the road is difficult or uncertain. And above all, remember that the Resurrection stands before you.
—Mark Roper, Seminary Class Representative
Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph
Front Row (left to right): Coordinator of Pastoral Formation Mr. Benjamin Darnell, Academic Dean
Dr. Lawrence Welch, Vice-Rector Fr. Pachomius Meade, OSB, Abbot-Chancellor Benedict Neenan, OSB, President-Rector Fr. Victor Schinstock, OSB, Coordinator of Spiritual Formation Fr. John O’Neill, and Speaker/Chaplain Msgr. Patrick Gaalaas, Second Row: Noah Drew, Caleb Stoner, Weston Warner, and Mark Roper; Third Row: Orion Radford, Ezra Mwaura, Jack Oxley, and Eli Holt.
