Jordan Damewood thought he had his future pretty well mapped out. After graduating from Calvert Hall College High School in Towson in the spring, the parishioner of St. Louis in Clarksville was all set to study jazz piano at a Nashville college.
Although he described the university as an “awesome place,” Damewood left college orientation with an unsettled feeling. He started thinking about his life ahead – not just for the next few years, but decades into the future. He wanted to be of service to God.
After talking with a seminarian at his parish, Damewood reached out to the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s vocations office. He was accepted into the priestly formation program and began seminary studies this fall at St. John Paul II Seminary at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he has also begun college work.
“Life is not very long and it takes a lifetime to change the world,” said Damewood, 18. “Every second counts, and I didn’t want to waste any of them if I could help it.”
Damewood is one of 11 new seminarians accepted this year into the formation program for the Archdiocese of Baltimore. They include some international candidates from Colombia, Nigeria and Vietnam. In total, there are now 54 seminarians preparing to become archdiocesan priests.
Father Steven Roth, vocations director for the archdiocese, said he was pleased with the number of men who have stepped forward – especially since the vocation office’s normal discernment programs were limited by the coronavirus pandemic.
“They come from a variety of family and socioeconomic backgrounds,” said Father Roth, noting that the newcomers range in age from 18 to their late 40s. “What unites them is the desire to serve the church. They know the church is struggling with a variety of issues and they see that as all the more reason why they want to be part of the solution.”
Candidates for the seminary first undergo interviews with Father Roth. If the vocations director believes a candidate to be strong, he invites him to apply. The applicant then writes an autobiography and an essay on the priesthood. He undergoes background checks, a medical evaluation and a two-day psychological evaluation conducted by three psychologists.
A screening committee evaluates candidates and makes a report to Archbishop William E. Lori, who ultimately makes a decision on acceptance.
Father Roth noted that the amount of time it takes to become a priest varies depending on the background of each candidate. On average, it takes about seven years of formation.
The new seminarians include a former lawyer, a salesman and a former urban missionary with the Source of All Hope outreach at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore. Some were homeschooled, while others attended public or Catholic schools.
Michael Selton said he has long felt a call to the seminary. While attending Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, that call strengthened as his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary intensified. After graduating from Mount St. Mary’s, he became a FOCUS missionary at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, evangelizing college students. He’s now a seminarian at St. Mary’s Seminary in Roland Park.
“What stands out to me in the seminary is being around a great group of men who have such a strong devotion to Christ and are willing to lay down their lives and be an example of that as well,” said Selton, 23.
John Baptist “Alex” Mwebaze, 39, originally from Uganda, said he was living in Baltimore when he felt drawn to being a priest in the archdiocese. He attended Catholic universities in Africa, earning a bachelor’s degree in the social sciences, a diploma in mission theology and a bachelor’s degree in sacred theology.
“Witnessing the suffering of the people around me in slums and poverty (in Africa) ignited something within me that we need to do something to offer hope and care to the people,” he said. “What better way than to bring the message of Christ who understands our circumstances no matter what we go through in our lives and is only waiting for us to ask for help?”
The other new seminarians are Lenin Suarez, 26; Iyeli “Bienvenu” Ilanga, 45; Jonathan Cerda, 31; Jose Juan-Carlos Urrego-Prieto, 49; Minh Pham, 28; Hien Tran, 27; Jacob McCarthy, 18; and David Stein, 19.
Catherine Subrizi contributed to this story.
For more information, visit bmorevocations.org
Email George Matysek at gmatysek@CatholicReview.org
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