Despite challenges with pandemic, Archdiocese of Baltimore welcomes 12 new seminarians

Despite the coronavirus pandemic that curtailed programs supporting those considering the call to religious life, 12 men have begun their first year of formation to become priests for the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Ranging in age from 20 to 34, the new seminarians represent a wide variety of backgrounds, including a convert from Lutheranism, two homeschooled candidates, a vice president of an investment firm, two from Cameroon and an engineering graduate from Vietnam.

In total, there are now 52 men at various stages of formation preparing to be priests for the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

With the exception of the two seminarians from Cameroon, who have not left Africa because of the pandemic, all the new candidates have begun seminary life in the United States. 

Those without college degrees are studying at The Catholic University of America and St. John Paul II Seminary in Washington, D.C., while college graduates are studying at St. Mary’s Seminary in Roland Park or Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg. One seminarian is on a pastoral assignment.

Father Steven Roth, archdiocesan vocations director, called it impressive that so many stepped forward at a time when the normal support structures are not in place because of the pandemic. Many activities of the vocations office, such as discernment events, the Holy Thursday prayer walk and the priest-seminarian picnic, were canceled this year.

“Going to those events really pulls you out of yourself,” Father Roth said. “When you are at home considering the priesthood without that encouragement – especially if you might be coming from a family that isn’t always 100 percent supportive (of the priesthood), worry can get the best of you. It’s because of their strong faith and dedication to the church that these 12 men held strong.”

Father Roth noted that he received approximately 50 inquiries about the priesthood this year. Only a small portion are accepted, he said, because the archdiocese is looking for the “best and the brightest.”

Candidates 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.

“It’s a lengthy, thorough process,” Father Roth said, “but I think it assures us that we’re getting good candidates and it assures the candidate of the caliber of seminarians that he will be interacting with having gone through the process himself.”

Father Roth said it takes courage and commitment to enter the seminary. He highlighted the example of Kevin McCarthy, a 34-year-old Yale graduate and parishioner of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore, who left a successful career as a vice president at T. Rowe Price to become a seminarian. Beginning formation as a priest is not a guarantee of ordination, Father Roth said, which makes McCarthy’s decision all the more remarkable.

“He’s really trusting the Lord that regardless of whether he’s calling him to be a priest, he knows that this formation program will help him to be not only a better man, but a better follower of Christ,” Father Roth said. “He’s just one example of guys that are really taking quite a leap of faith.”

Listen to a radio interview with Father Roth and seminarians below. Story continues beneath.

Hearing the call

Andrew Chase, a recent graduate of McGill University in Montreal who completed studies in political science and economics in three years, had ambitions of entering politics after college. It was when he was home on winter break that the parishioner of Our Lady of the Fields in Millersville felt a new calling.

While driving and listening to his favorite song, Ed Sheeran’s “Castle on the Hill,” images of many priests who had influenced him flashed in his mind.

“I felt a mystical experience of the Holy Spirit filling the car,” recalled Chase, 20, who had been growing in his faith while at college. “I remember that in that moment I uttered that I needed to be a priest.”

Now studying at St. Mary’s Seminary, Chase said being the son of Deacon Keith Chase of Our Lady of the Fields helped show him that the religious life was an option. 

“It made me realize that becoming a priest does not mean you have to be perfect or divine,” he said. “The best parts of ministry come when you are human, a fellow pilgrim on a journey.”

Like Chase, Nathan Turska, who had been thinking about the priesthood for years, had a similar moment of revelation.

A convert from the Lutheran faith, the young parishioner of St. Ignatius in Ijamsville had long admired the way Father Michael Jendrek, his pastor, lived out his priesthood in a selfless way.

Every time someone suggested that he might be called to life as a religious leader or when he gave spiritual talks to the teens of a friend’s parish, Turska felt a nudge toward the seminary.

The student of Montgomery College in the Washington suburbs even attended a weeklong national conference for young adults where he was inspired by the faith of other joy-filled Catholics.

On Good Friday, when he was debating whether to apply to nursing school or the seminary, something clicked as he watched Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ.” Seeing the love of Christ poured out for all filled Turska with a new conviction.

“These exact words came to my mind: ‘I don’t really know how I can better serve you without being a priest,’” remembered Turska, 20.

After a friend encouraged him to “just jump in,” Turska picked up the phone to tell the vocations director he was applying. He is now studying at St. John Paul II Seminary in Washington.

Missionaries to America

Father Roth noted that the three international candidates accepted this year are a result of referrals from priests connected to the archdiocese. They were attracted to the Archdiocese of Baltimore, he said, because they wanted to serve in a diverse community and viewed themselves as missionaries.

Thang Pham, who studied at Vietnam Maritime University, said he wanted to be a priest in the Archdiocese of Baltimore because there is a need for priests in the United States. Growing up in Vietnam, he assisted one of his parish priests on visits to the poor.

“I watched him help the poor and visit parishioners,” he said. “In my heart it made me happy to see that. It made me want to take care of people – especially when the priest anoints the sick and then the sick feel happy.”

Pham, 25, said he hasn’t at all felt homesick in Baltimore at St. Mary’s Seminary. He especially enjoyed an international day when he had a chance to share some native cuisine with his brother seminarians.

“The biggest challenge is the language because of being in a different country,” he said.

Supporting future priests

Father Roth noted that the amount of time it takes to become a priest varies depending on the background of each candidate. On average, he said, it takes seven years of formation.

“They come with a very strong caliber of spirituality and commitment and talent,” he said. “They are not choosing the priesthood because it’s a last resort. They have made significant sacrifices – leaving careers or not going on in an academic subject or breaking off relationships because they think this is their calling.”

The vocations director encouraged Catholics to pray for future priests and ask those men of faith they know in their families, parishes and communities to consider religious life.

“So many of our guys talk about how it was that initial personal invitation to consider the priesthood that made such a difference because they hadn’t considered it before,” he said. “That invitation opens the door.”

For more information about religious vocations in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, visit www.bmorevocations.org. Listen to a radio interview about the new seminarians here.

New seminarians 

Here is a list of the 12 new seminarians. It includes their age, home or sponsoring parish and their assigned seminary. Some international candidates do not yet have a sponsoring parish. 

Jeremy Belk, 20
Baltimore Basilica
St. John Paul II Seminary

Michael Carroll, 30
St. Timothy, Walkersville
Mount St. Mary’s Seminary

Andrew Chase, 20
Our Lady of the Fields, Millersville
St. Mary’s Seminary

Clinton Fanka, 23
St. Mary’s Seminary

Jeremy Lyons, 22
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Thurmont
Mount St. Mary’s Seminary

Kevin McCarthy, 34
Baltimore Basilica
Pastoral Assignment

Shiadrik Mokum, 25
Mount St. Mary’s Seminary

Ian Nelson, 21
St. Peter the Apostle, Libertytown
St. John Paul II Seminary

Thang Pham, 25
St. Ursula, Parkville
St. Mary’s Seminary

Russ Sullivan, 22
St. John the Evangelist, Severna Park
St. Mary’s Seminary

Nathan Turska, 20
St. Ignatius, Ijamsville 
St. John Paul II Seminary 

Joseph Wolfensberger, 22
St. Ann, Hagerstown
Mount St. Mary’s Seminary

Email George Matysek at gmatysek@CatholicReview.org

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