Vocations

Entering the seminary is not irrevocable, the archbishop said. It’s part of a discernment process to discover whether God is calling them to the priesthood.

“I’m so content it’s pathetic,” she said with a booming laugh. “A hermit is with the Lord the entire time. How could you not be happy?”

A spiritual journey that began seven years ago ended in the sanctuary of a Catonsville convent Sept. 3 when 10 Episcopal nuns and their priest chaplain were received into full communion with the Catholic Church.

“I really believe there are vocations in every parish,” Monsignor Luca said. “It’s a matter of cooperating with God’s call and being encouraging.”

What makes St. Mary’s different from other seminaries is its Sulpician approach to preparing men for the priesthood, according to Sulpician Father Thomas Hurst, president-rector.

Monsignor Martin E. Feild’s priesthood has been all about involving more people in the life of the church. Inspired by the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the Catonsville native committed himself to inspiring others to be active participants at Mass and in the wider faith community.

When Hamilton Okeke stepped into his room at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Roland Park for the first time, the enormity of what he was doing seemed to hit him in the gut. He was alone, literally and figuratively, as he was about to hand his life over to God. No one in his inner circle supported his desire to become a priest.