Seminary will have largest enrollment in its history

When the seminary welcomes students this month for the start of the 2020-21 academic year, there will be 154 men studying for the priesthood from dioceses around the country – the largest enrollment in the seminary’s nearly 100-year history.
    

“The historians tell me that the largest enrollment that Notre Dame has ever had, starting in 1923, was 152 seminarians, and this year, our enrollment will be 154,” said Father James Wehner, rector-president of the seminary. “And of the 154, 43 are new seminarians.”
 

Quality pays off
    

Such hopeful benchmarks are the result of years of quality formation programs, outstanding faculty and fastidiously upgraded facilities. 
    

It is interesting to note that among the 41 theologates (graduate schools of theology) in the United States, Notre Dame Seminary and St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in the Archdiocese of Miami were the only two that remained open for on-campus learning during the viral outbreak during the spring.
    

Father Wehner and his leadership team decided to have seminarians and resident faculty members self-quarantine for several months.
    

“Now, this was not a competition, but we just felt we could deliver formation in a safe way without disrupting the program if everyone strictly followed the safety protocols,” Father Wehner said. “We told everyone basically that the state of the seminary was in the hands of the most irresponsible residents, so everyone had to be responsible.
    

“It was March 18 when we locked down until the first week in May. No one could leave the campus, including (former) Archbishop (Alfred) Hughes and the priests. I had a meeting with the priests one night, and I gave them the opportunity if they felt they wanted to do ministry off campus, they had to leave. But we all agreed that this is our primary assignment, and we saw it all the way through with nobody getting sick.”
 

Some went home
    

When the seminary announced it would go into lockdown in March, 45 seminarians decided to return home and complete their formation through online coursework. Since then, a few have tested positive for COVID-19, Father Wehner said, and they must quarantine for two weeks before “stepping back on this campus.”
    

“And then, from Aug. 16 until Aug. 30, we’re going to also be on a lockdown and no one will be allowed to leave campus,” Father Wehner said. “That will allow us to be sure that if anyone has symptoms that we can get them tested. After that, we’ll follow Phase 2 – the state and the city protocols – in a very cautious and strict way.”
    

During the summer, because many dioceses had canceled pastoral assignments and internships, the seminary offered three free programs for the 50 or so seminarians who remained on campus.
    

There was a three-week course on the connection between the Eucharist, priestly ministry, the pandemic and racial issues; another four-week program delved into “Pastoral Ministry in Times of Crisis”; and a 30-day silent retreat drew the participation of 11 seminarians.
    

“That was our way of contributing to their formation, but not doing it in a bubble,” Father Wehner said. “All of these programs were not meant to isolate the seminarians from these situations but form them within the church’s  theology and pastoral understanding.”
    

Another innovative idea was hatched by Father Joe Krafft, who arranged for seminarians to call 50 people from all walks of life in the archdiocese as a way of promoting “active listening” and “engaging with people in real time.”    
    

Peter Finney Jr. can be reached at [email protected].