Discerning one's vocation, whether it be to the priesthood,
marriage, or consecrated or secular
single life is the primary focus of the beginning years of
seminary. Therefore, a seminary is an ideal place to learn
about one's vocation, even if one is not sure they are
called to the priesthood.
1. If you feel that God may be calling you to the
priesthood, the first thing you should do is talk to your
pastor or another priest. These people can give you
spiritual direction as you decide whether you should
consider entering a seminary. The Diocese of La Crosse's
vocations office sponsors Dare to Follow retreats for boys
and young men in high school. Also scheduled occasionally
are An Evening with the Bishop events at parishes throughout
the Diocese. Either ask your pastor about attending one of
these events, or talk directly to Fr. Hirsch, the vocation
director. His email is:
jhirsch@dioceseoflacrosse.com
2. If, after making a prayerful decision with the help of a
spiritual director or the Vocation Director, that you would
like to enter seminary to learn more about your vocation,
there are several ways to enter the seminary.
The Diocese of La Crosse has a high school seminary, Holy
Cross Seminary and House of Formation, in which high
school-age boys are able to live together in community,
praying together and growing in faith. High school
seminarians can also study at St. Lawrence Seminary. After
high school seminary, the student may apply to enter the
college seminary
A high school graduate (from the high school seminary or any
other institution) would normally enter a college seminary
to study philosophy, graduating after four years with a
normal Bachelor of Arts degree. Prospective seminarians who
have already started studying at a two or four-year
institution normally transfer to the college seminary as
well. The Diocese of La Crosse currently sends men to one of
two midwestern college seminaries.
St. John Vianney College Seminary is affiliated with the
Twin Cities'
University of St. Thomas. Immaculate Heart of Mary
College Seminary is affiliated with Winona's (MN) St. Mary's
University. Some seminarians also study at Washington DC's
Theological College, obtaining a Masters in Philosophy after
five years. After these years of college, the seminarian who
is approved then enters the School of Theology.
Men who have completed a college degree must study
philosophy before becoming theologians. Many Pre-theology
programs are utilized by the Diocese for this purpose. A
Pre-theology course normally takes two years, but depends
upon how much philosophy and other related courses were
studied when the prospective seminarian was in college.
Pre-theology students study at a the Pontifical College
Josephinum and Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary, Mundelein.
After completion of pre-theology, and with approval of the
diocese, the seminarian enters the School of Theology.
3. If in high school and/or college, the seminarian still
feels a strong calling from God to the priesthood, he asks
the Bishop to be accepted into Theology. All seminarians
accepted into the Theologate have completed at least the
minimum philosophy requirements set forward by the Program
for Priestly Formation, and therefore it is necessary to
complete at least part of #2 before moving on to #3. If
accepted, the seminarian will study for at least four more
years in Theology. Seminarians, at the discretion of the
Bishop, are sent to Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary,
Mundelein, the Pontifical College Josephinum in Ohio, or the
North American College in Rome. During this period of
theological studies, the seminarian receives the Order of
Lector and Alcolyte.
4. With the approval of the Bishop and recommendation of the
Vocation Director, Theologians
are normally ordained deacons in their third year of major
seminary. A great amount of reflection and thought on both
the part of the Bishop, Vocation Director, and seminary
faculty, as well as on the part of the student, go into
deciding who is ready to receive the Sacrament of Holy
Orders. This ceremony is often carried out in one of three
places: in the seminary, in the cathedral, or in the
seminarian's home parish.
5. The culmination of what is normally six years (for
pre-theology students) to 12 years (for high school
seminarians) of studies, is the ordination to the Holy
Priesthood. The diocesan Bishop normally ordains all the new
priests for the year in one large ceremony at St. Joseph the
Workman Cathedral in La Crosse. Afterwards, the
newly-ordained priests are given their assignments, normally
for a high school chaplaincy, as an associate pastor, and at
times may return to complete an advanced degree in an area
of theology which will serve the people of the Diocese.
