Seminarian Support – July 2022

Madison Hayes, Carlos Warfield, William Cook, Michael Nugent, Ray Goins. Do these names ring a bell? Maybe they have been a few of the men constantly on your heart in prayer over the past few years. Maybe you have seen their interviews or had a magnet with their face on your fridge. But, maybe not…?

If your past few years have been anything like mine, your personal family and responsibilities have taken up the largest share of your energy. Remembering Zach Glick or Erin Donlon may have been pushed out by your husband being stuck in Poland with Covid, or your career being upended, or juggling remote learning. I get it, I was just the same!

Mere weeks before the Forum in Tampa, suddenly I could not stop thinking about our seminarians. Oh noooo Lord – I know what this means! I’ve felt this tug before. Me? Now? Really? Are you SURE?

I was taught discernment and sensitivity to the Spirit by experienced and holy women of MCCW and CWOC, so I had learned to recognize within myself some of my tell-tale feelings. Most prominently, I never feel ready or qualified. Growing up, my experience with priests and religious was limited to what I saw in the media (I’m a convert!). I have never known someone personally who was considering a vocation. And my support for our seminarians through the past few years has been average at best. Me? Now? Really? Lord, are you SURE? But I could hear the voices of those same holy MCCW and CWOC women, “God doesn’t call the equipped — he equips the called.”

So here I am, and thankfully God has sent me to the armory for equipment right away! In June I had the privilege of attending the ordination Mass for the now Father Darren Balkey, and it brought my understanding of the priesthood into such sharp focus. It was even all the more impactful as our own Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio was the celebrant. Then, in July, I had the opportunity to assist in the interview of Father Mike Metz, an Army Chaplain for the 82nd Airborne, along with seminarians Joshua Miller and William Waters.

Has your support in the past been average at best, too? I get it!

Pray that the Lord will send you to the armory as well; ask Him for opportunities and He will provide.

Ladies – to know our priests and seminarians is to love them. AJ Houston, Liam O’Shea-Creal, Paul Collins – pray for them. Christopher Feist, James Craig, Caleb Magowan, and all our other seminarians – pray for them. For your own priest, answering the call daily to the vocation within a vocation to serve your military community – pray for him!

By way of closing this address, I ask of you three tasks. One: to subscribe to our MCCW Youtube channel and watch the first installment of MCCW Chats. Each month a new interview with a priest or seminarian will be posted on the 3rd Saturday of the month, with a bonus guest every 5th Saturday.

Two: if you have participated in the Adopt-A-Seminarian program in any way, I ask that you fill out this feedback form. More details on this beloved support program are forthcoming this fall.

Three: mark your calendars now for November 6-12, National Vocation Awareness Week!

In Christ,

Madeline Stockman

Director at Large for Seminarian Support