Fr. Jim Livingston sits at his desk and glances at the stack of papers sandwiched between the Church of St. Paul’s wedding liturgy guide and the Rite of Christian Burial book. He started his day at breakfast with two parishioner couples, discussed some important internal topics with his parish staff, and hosted a local deanery meeting in the afternoon. He’s preparing for a funeral tomorrow and his homily at Mass this Sunday. He’ll celebrate Mass and hear confessions this evening.
Continue ReadingEarly during The Saint Paul Seminary’s 30-day renewal retreat for priests this past summer, seminary director of counseling services Paul Ruff asked the 12 men in
attendance how they were doing so far.
Leaders at The Saint Paul Seminary have long held that priestly formation doesn’t end at ordination. The seminary has taken a significant step in foster- ing the well-being of its priests through the role of Susan Torborg, its priest wellness coordinator.
Continue ReadingFr. Kevin Kenney becomes the 39th priest to attend The Saint Paul Seminary and go on to become a bishop. As part of his new assignment, the Twin Cities native will return to the seminary’s board of trustees (where he served from 2001-07), playing a strategic role in the formation of future priests, deacons and lay leaders for the Catholic Church in the Upper Midwest and beyond.
Continue ReadingAs we begin a new year of forming leaders for the Church, we are incredibly blessed to have welcomed 91 seminarians, representing 19 different dioceses and religious orders. The fact that so many are responding to the Lord’s call is a great blessing as we acknowledge the need for many strong and faithful priests in the Church today.
Continue ReadingOn Monday, Oct. 28, The Saint Paul Seminary celebrated the institution of 15 seminarians as acolytes during a special Mass in St. Mary’s Chapel. Bishop Patrick Neary of St. Cloud presided over the installation, which marks an important step in the seminarians’ journey toward priesthood.
Continue ReadingFr. Mike Schmitz, host of the Bible in a Year and Catechism in a Year podcasts and a contributor to Ascension, served as a keynote speaker at the 2024 National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. Before that, he met with reporters to answer questions ranging from how to minister to youth online to how to celebrate the Catholic liturgy.
Continue ReadingWhen Deacon Francis “Frankie” Floeder became Fr. Frankie in May, he followed in the footsteps of his uncle Fr. John, director of human formation and the propaedeutic stage program at The Saint Paul Seminary, and older brother Fr. Louie, a fellow seminary alumnus and pastor of the Church of St. Dominic in Northfield, Minnesota.
Continue ReadingFr. Nick Vance is too young to remember. But like every parent, Deacon Chris Vance and his wife Leila dressed young Nick every day during his first few years of life. It was surreal, then, when Fr. Nick Vance — then Deacon Nick Vance — had the opportunity to vest his father at the Archdiocese […]
Continue ReadingThere’s an enthusiastic peace about the newest priest for the Diocese of Des Moines. Cabrera says this was always the plan.
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