Seminarian Blog

-a post from Conception Seminary senior Herby Labenz-

As finals approach, it can be easy for the seminarian to get caught up in the hustle and bustle that the end of the school year has to offer.   Yet, the seminarian is also encouraged to take time to take a step back and reflect on the growth that he has experienced throughout the school year in the four pillars of formation (spiritual, character, pastoral, and academic).

As I prayed over this past Sunday’s readings, I came upon the scriptural passage in the Book of Revelation, that reads, “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev 21:5a).   I quickly began to realize that the Lord was calling me to reflect on how Conception Seminary College has formed me into a man who is “becom[ing] a bridge for others in their meeting with Jesus Christ the Redeemer of humanity” (Blessed Pope John Paul II).  As I reflected on my three years of seminary formation thus far, I came to see that I had been formed into a man who is a witness to the inner workings of the Spirit, one who has a heart for the people of God, and into a man who has strong fraternal relationships with his seminarian brothers.

A prime example of these examples can be found in a recent weekend service project in which a majority of the upperclassmen of Conception Seminary College spent an afternoon offering our time, talent, and treasure to help landscape and paint one of our philosophy professor’s newly-purchased home.  What a great way it was for us to say ‘thank you’ for all that she had done for us throughout the years!  That afternoon was filled with much prayer and fraternity, but, most importantly, that afternoon taught us men that much joy and fulfillment is found in offering one’s gifts, time, and talents for the people of God.

As the school year comes to a close, please know that the men of Conception Seminary College are anxious to be back home and around the great people of the Diocese of Wichita again!  We truly appreciate all that you have offered to us this school year, and please know that we are motivated by the reality of serving you one day as holy priests!  Please keep us in your prayers as we enter finals week, and know of our daily prayers for you!

pictured: Drew Hoffman, Jacob Carlin, and Garett Burns on a roof.

"Hey you, wanna talk about Jesus?" This was the general theme of an evangelization trip a few of us went on in February. Though we were less direct and much more friendly. However, it may have been the general feeling of some of the students who saw guys wearing Roman collars walking about asking if they had a moment to talk.

This is just another opportunity guys have in seminary to put their training into practice. As a part of the New Evangelization Club, 36 seminarians, five from our diocese, traveled to James Madison University in February for three days to simply speak about the faith to college students. Two-by-two we approached anyone willing to speak with us. We encountered men and women of many faith backgrounds, along with atheists and agnostics, and were able to have some great philosophical, theological, and just personal conversations. I certainly had never done anything like it before so I was initially nervous but we found almost everyone to be friendly and willing to talk. It is comforting to remember that everyone deep down is seeking Christ. For those who seemed interested, we connected them to the Catholic Campus Ministry and to FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) for Mass, Bible studies, or simply for more answers.

There were some extraordinary conversations where a look at a certain bible passage (commonly John 6) or an explanation of the Church's teaching on a moral precept or practice shocked and resonated with the person.

All of the fruit of such a trip will never be known, but for me at least, I realized what a great joy it is to share the Good News. And its not too difficult. In the words of now-Pope Francis, echoing Jesus, "Go out. Go out and share your testimony, go out and interact with your brothers, go out and share, go out and ask. Become the Word in body as well as in Spirit."

We also had a Eucharistic procession.

-All photos taken from MSM Seminary photo archive-

Seminary affords us some unique opportunities. In addition to our studies, sporting events, and prayer we also get to reach out and put our "training" into practice.

One such experience for the men at Mount St. Mary's is Mount2000. This event is an annual retreat weekend which draws 1,600 high schoolers and, aside from the professional speakers, musicians, priests, and college volunteers, is administrated and staffed entirely by seminarians. It is a great experience for us seminarians because we are able to serve the retreatants through food prep, sanitation, security, and much more. Additionally, seminarians are assigned to the various groups attending. With the groups we get to eat meals, hang out, and most importantly we teach them Lectio Divina, a long practiced tradition of praying with the Sacred Scriptures. Lectio Divina is a unique aspect of our retreat because it teaches a method of prayer that promotes silent contemplation and it is an instrument with which the students can take home and foster their retreat experiences. Getting to know the groups makes the retreat awesome for us. It is inspiring to get to know some awesome people and see how the Holy Spirit moves in them through the weekend.

Mount2000 is a deeply sacramental retreat with a heavy emphasis on the Eucharist and Reconciliation. Mass is offered each day and we were blessed this year with Archbishop of Baltimore William Lori presiding for the Sunday Mass. Of all the talks and testimonies and fun, the most anticipated event of the weekend is the Saturday night Eucharistic procession/adoration. For it we cut all the lights in the gymnasium save the escorting candles and we train a spotlight on the Blessed Sacrament. Then, for over an hour, the procession slowly winds through the kneeling crowd. It is a sight to behold. Last year I missed the procession because I was on sanitation duty but this year made up for it because I was able to be right up close holding one of the candles.

The event is an all hands on deck effort. A core team spends a whole year planning it, all the seminarians helping with small groups attend training sessions, and then we all devote the entire weekend to the project to pull it off. Even our priest professors put in serious hours in the confessional. The weekend leaves us exhausted but the benefits are incalculable both for us and for the retreatants... yet one benefit for us was having the following Monday off of classes.

-All photos from MSM Seminary photo archive-

-Contributed Post from Alan Winter, studying at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary

“Hey, Gabe’s making pizza tonight.” Whoa, what? Clear the evening schedule, this is gonna take precedence. Such were the thoughts of the Wichita guys at Kenrick last weekend who found themselves with an open evening and a hankering for American-Italian food.

First stop: Ingredient run!

This was to be completely homemade, so things like sausage, cheese, flour, and oil were on the list. A four-man team scrounged the store for the good deals on good foods, being bogged down only once when Andrew Bina paused to remember summer days of old with a juice pouch in hand. He recovered by making sure Michael Kerschen didn’t have to reach too far to access the pepperjack during shredding operations.

With toppings being managed by Gabe, it was time to let the dough out. A spot google search had yielded a 35 minute self-rising crust. The directions said to shape it into a disk, but neglected to give details. So, someone starting tossing ‘em like they do in NYC, and the laws of physics took over. Crusts were hitting the counter ready for sauce and toppings.

375 degrees and 25 minutes later, it was time to gather for dinner and fraternity around the table. The pizza was delicious and gave the Wichita men an opportunity to share stories and laughter. Conversation ranged from the new GM of the KC Chiefs (great recruiter) to proper demolition derby driving techniques (lead with the trunk, the radiator lasts longer). More serious than this, however, was appreciation for each others’ company and friendship. We know that relationships and talents are gifts the Lord gives us to freely share. Sometimes the busyness of life and its responsibilities leads us to draw away from this deeper responsibility to charity. A homemade dinner gave us the opportunity to reaffirm this as our own and grow in friendship- and it was good.

- Contribution by Conception seminarian Herby Labenz

Down by twelve at the half of the semi-final match against a motivated Sacred Heart Seminary basketball team, the Conception Seminary Sons of Thunder basketball players huddled together to try to figure out how to turn the tide against a team that had our number the entire first half.  As I leaned in close to listen to words of wisdom and inspiration, I began to reflect on how close this team had become to me. At first, I began to recognize the bond that was formed through the sacrifices my teammates and I had made through the countless afternoon and evening hours of giving our time and talents to achieve the goal, of a repeated championship of the Mundelein Basketball Tournament, that was desired by both ourselves and the whole school.

I was then brought back to a defining moment of what this team was truly about.  One night during practice, half of the team was told to run four wind-sprints for constantly missing wide-open layups, but, as a sign of unity and support, each member of the team ended up running. Then, the true reality and meaning of this basketball team hit me.  The reason I treasured this team so much was because my teammates and I were helping to form each other to b

ecome the men and priests that God was calling us to become.  Whether it be helping to hold each other accountable, encouraging one another through positive encouragement, giving one’s all for a common goal, or sharing countless laughs and joys with each other, each member of the Sons of Thunder basketball team had a great fraternal care for his fellow teammate.

As we were broke the huddle with a “BOOM THUNDER,” I saw the fire in the eyes’ of my brother seminarians, and I realized that many of them had just come to see the same reality that I had just hit me.
The Conception Seminary College Sons of Thunder ended up defeating Sacred Heart Seminary 31-29, which was then followed by a 45-30 defeat of Mundelein Seminary the next morning to take home the championship trophy for the second year in a row.  Yet, as I made mention to in the title, our championship victory was a sign of a great reality.  We as a team had come together to help each other grow to have a greater realization for what it means to be a holy priest of Jesus Christ.

Pictured: Michael Brungardt, John Linnebur, Clay Kimbro, Drew Hoffman, Herby Labenz, Garett Burns, Christian May

Hundreds of pilgrims from the Wichita Diocese joined 25 of our seminarians and over 500,000 people who marched in front of the Capitol building to witness to the sanctity of each and every unique human person made in the image and likeness of God. This year's march marked the 40th anniversary of legalized abortion in our country and we pray that we will not have to march for too much longer.

Classes are now back in session for all our diocesan seminarians. We all enjoyed our time at home but, though we may not be so pumped for homework to return, many of us are glad to be back in our seminaries. Our prayer schedule and friends definitely make it enjoyable. At both of our major seminaries the spring semester begins with an extended silent retreat. Coming off of the hustle and bustle of Christmas break, it can be rather difficult to "go dark" for a week. Silence for our retreat means that we are only allowed to speak for the responses in Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours. However, it also means no calls, messages, TV, Internet, music, or anything of the sort. It was certainly difficult for me during the first few days of my first silent retreat but eventually I was really able to enter into the silence. It becomes very apparent how much we get lost in all the tech stuff every day and how God truly whispers to us in a way that can best be heard in silence.

The retreat is led by a retreat master who delivers a morning and evening conference to provide sweet fruit to chew on in prayer through each day. We were blessed this year to host Archabbot Lambert Reilly as retreat master at Mt. St. Mary's. He is a true sage and Benedictine monk who shared much wisdom with us from his many years of community living, ministry, and his deep spiritual life. At least I know that I am now motivated to charge once more into the semester and to hopefully make the most of my seminary time.

One of the cool things we got to take part in over break was the annual Knights of Columbus vs. Seminarians basketball game held at Sacred Heart Parish in Colwich. The Knights of council 9510 facilitated the game and ran a concessions stand. It was a lot of fun and a great way for us to meet and hang out with the Knights and the awesome people of our diocese.

As you may imagine, Christmas is a big deal around a seminary. We are excited for the end of our classes and for a healthy break to be home with friends and family, but we also await the annual celebration of Jesus' birthday. To immerse ourselves in the season, each year we hold a decorating competition between the floors.The main rules are that decorations must be Christmassy and we have to be able to live in our halls with the decorations up for two weeks. (What would be unlivable?... a floor last year, in an Advent theme, recreated the Jordan river in their hall, complete with sand, a flowing stream, John the Baptist, and a live goat.) Then we hold an open house for college students, staff, and anyone to come through and see the decorations. Judges are assigned from among the visitors, and a winner is chosen. Following the open house, we all gathered for Lessons and Carols to hear various Christmas themed readings and unique Christmas carols.

This year, many halls stuck with classy decorations through the use of lights, Nativity scenes, and wrapping paper on doors. My floor, picture above, comboed lights, Christmas trees, a nice Nativity set, and a fireplace. The fireplace is actually a TV so it can double as a hallway movie spot. My favorite floor theme this year was Under the Christmas Tree. The experience first led you past a large toy train to begin winding through a maze of larger than life presents, Legos, Candyland pieces, and a Lite-Brite set while the whole ceiling was covered with pine branches. They put in an amazing amount of effort but were, in the end, defeated by a Gingerbread Cathedral theme. Now we get to enjoy the decorations as we prepare for final exams.

Sandy huffed and puffed, but could not blow the Mount down. As you can see, Sandy did do some damage near our seminary in Maryland. We were blessed, though, to not have received Sandy’s full force. This is partly because we are over 60 miles from the Chesapeake Bay and we sit next to a mountain range. Despite these factors, we were still predicted to have heavy flooding and up to 80 mph winds. The rain, though constant for two days, remained light and the winds were only really strong from a short time. In the end, the damage was minimal. A few trees were knocked over on campus and up the mountain from the seminary at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes. Luckily, none of the trees hit any buildings. To my knowledge, only one statue at the shrine was damaged: St. Francis of Assisi, who was felled by a tree.

We did lose power for 15 hours though. You may wonder, what did you guys do for all that time in the dark? It was business as usual... for the most part. It is one of the great joys of our faculty to boast, no matter the weather, that classes will be held. We had been informed that classes would be taught by candlelight if necessary. Unlike a normal university, the seminary building is home to both faculty (all the priest faculty that is) and students, so there is no safety risk in commuting to classes. I am not sure if any classes were actually held by candlelight, but a few were held in the hallways under the generator powered emergency lights.

The time in the dark did however offer a nice break from some of the normal routines. It was a nice reminder of how comfortable our lives really are when we had to face cold showers, no hot coffee, and we had to enjoy each other’s company without music, TV, Internet, or any other distractions. O the things we take for granted. Yet we are grateful that we did not have to face the struggles of flooding, damaged property, and continued food and power shortages as many in the New York area face. We now pray their power comes back on and the supplies reach them before the winter weather really kicks in.

Time sure flies in the seminary. Mount St. Mary’s has been busy over the past few weeks. We are now through midterm exams, fall break, family weekend, and a visit from Apostolic Nuncio to the United States Carlo Maria Vigano. Now we are all hands on deck for the visit of Bishop Michael Jackels of Wichita in a few weeks…

In these past, busy weeks, the Mount participated in an inter-seminary soccer tournament. This tournament, the St. John Vianney Cup, brings together four seminaries from the region for a day of soccer (futbol), food, and fraternity. St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, PA hosted the event which started with all gathering for Mass. Immediately following, the Mount team took the field against St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore. Though St. Mary’s played with a strong spirit, victory was earned by the very energetic Mount team. Afterward, all the teams gathered for lunch and had the opportunity to meet each other.

In the afternoon championship game, the Mount faced off against the home team, St. Charles. The St. Charles team had practiced every day of the new semester for this tournament. Their determination is likely due to last year's tournament where they had the Mount trailing late in the championship game, but could not pull the victory. Additionally, the Mount was the reigning seven-time Vianney Cup champion. St. Charles was determined to win it. After a back and forth battle, the Mount scored the first goal of the game late in the second half and held the lead till the end. Much to our rector's delight, Mount St. Mary’s is now the eight-year running champion of the Vianney Cup soccer tournament.

Wichita seminarians Devin Burns and Ed Herzog competed on the Mount’s team this year. They have joined the ranks of past Mount Alums from Wichita who played in this tournament; most notably Fr. Chad Arnold who’s championship picture still hangs on the first floor of our building.