With the ceremonial opening of doors at the new chapel at St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul, hundreds got their first look at the place where 92 men from 16 dioceses across eight states will pray daily both to encounter Christ and discern their vocational calling.
The 2023 “State of Priestly Vocations in the United States” by Texas-based Vocation Ministry concludes that “the overall role of priests in fostering vocations is significant,” with “around 70% of those ordained” reporting that they were invited by a priest to consider the calling.
In blessing the building, Washington’s cardinal asked God to “pour out on us that spirit of wisdom that belongs to him as a gift that is both divine and human. May the Paulists in this new residence fulfill their mission and grow in wisdom, age and grace before God and the human family.”
After receiving permission from Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, Tyrrell began working with Father Miguel Solorzano to create the first Hispanic Serra Club within the archdiocese and the first in the United States.
The initiative will involve a broad coalition of Catholic seminaries, including St. Paul Seminary in Minnesota.
The seminarians gain all things that will serve them well when they begin service as priests in their home dioceses.
The 20th annual Motorcycle Run is Sunday, Aug. 29, starting with a 1:30 p.m. tour of St. Mary Church, Melrose.
The pope urged seminarians to seek out and visit elderly priests, who are “the church’s treasure.”
