Seminary formation includes every aspect of leading Catholics in worship, from the greatest truths to the smallest details.
Briefly
- Seminarians are formed with a deep reverence for the Blessed Sacrament, shaping their priestly identity around Christ’s real presence.
- Every aspect of the liturgy is carefully practiced in seminary, from the words of consecration to the proper use of incense, ensuring the sacraments are celebrated faithfully and beautifully.
- The Church’s liturgical practices are not just rote rituals but a profound encounter with God meant to lead the faithful closer to heaven.
It’s the question every discerning Catholic man asks at least once, and more likely, hundreds of times.
Is this actually what God is calling me to do with my life?
After finishing high school, Deacon Benjamin Peters wrestled mightily with the same inquiry. Having first heard God call him to explore the priesthood, Peters had all his application paperwork complete – but he still wasn’t sure.
Then, while he prayed in front of the Blessed Sacrament during a retreat in preparation for a Catholic youth conference hosted by the Franciscan University of Steubenville, God gave him a brief vision, Peters said.
There he was, standing behind the altar, looking out at all his friends and family.
“There was just this great sense of peace,” Peters said.
About a decade later, he’s on the cusp of seeing this vision fulfilled. The Kasson, Minnesota native is scheduled to be ordained May 30.
And Peters, like so many seminarians before him, can’t wait to celebrate his first Mass that same weekend.
“From the very beginning, the Lord has placed this love for the Blessed Sacrament on my heart” the Diocese of Winona-Rochester seminarian said. “You can see that in the way He’s talked to me through the years.
“To be able to share with people God’s presence in the Eucharist is almost unfathomable.”
It will become, according to Church teaching, a central part of Peters’ very identity. Catholicism teaches that at priestly ordination, a man begins representing Christ in persona Christi capitis (“in the person of Christ the head”) and sharing His presence with the faithful.
“We want to do what the Church asks of us. We want to cover all the bases.” — Msgr. Stephen Gideon, Saint Paul Seminary director of liturgy
Nowhere is that more real than in the sacraments, especially the Mass, and other forms of worship.
“The Catholic priest participates in the one priesthood of Jesus Christ and the one sacrifice,” Saint Paul Seminary Rector Fr. Joseph Taphorn said. “It is not a recrucifying of Jesus, but a way to step into that sacrifice and make it present again.”
So there’s a reason Peters and his fellow seminarians spend four years diving deeply into theology. The final two years of seminary also have them practicing every detail of the Mass and other sacraments, from the words of consecration that must never be altered to the proper way to swing a thurible full of incense.
The years of intellectual formation seminarians undergo on their road to priesthood is the “why.” Only toward the end of formation do they dive into the “how.”
The dive is rather deep, though.
The little things matter
Msgr. Stephen Gideon is The Saint Paul Seminary’s director of worship. The Tennessee native, convert and Episcopalian priest turned retired Catholic pastor is responsible for preparing seminarians to lead their future congregations in sacramental worship that is “reverent and beautiful,” he says, ultimately leading Catholics into deeper relationships with Jesus Christ.
Gideon leads several liturgical practicum courses during the school year, walking seminarians through each aspect of their role during Mass, Liturgy of the Hours and other sacraments. He’s strict but fatherly, pointing out any necessary corrections, while also explaining why Catholic teaching is so particular in how it asks priests to celebrate the sacraments.
Seminarians become wholly familiar with the “rubrics” in the Roman Missal, the Church’s official book of liturgical texts. “Rubric” comes from the Latin word for red, and the red lines of text in the missal denote words and actions that cannot be altered.
Following the rubrics is essential to celebrating the liturgy with the mind of the Church.
So yes, if a seminarian does something wrong, Monsignor will make him do it over again until he gets it right.
Simply put, Gideon says, “we want to do what the Church asks of us. We want to cover all the bases.”
That means studying Eucharistic theology for multiple semesters. It means practicing every step and motion a priest makes during Mass, from the opening procession to the closing hymn. It means practice baptisms where water is poured over a baby doll and practice weddings with stand-in brides and grooms. It means mock funerals and simulated confessions where the scenarios “penitents” bring to the confessional become increasingly complicated and serious.
Seminarians also take classes on how to prepare a good homily. “You’ve preached a good homily if you can keep my attention throughout your sermon,” Gideon says with a smile.
After each daily Mass in St. Mary’s Chapel, Gideon meets with the seminarians involved – servers, lectors, deacons, sacristans and so on — to go over their duties and how they performed them that day, too.
“[It’s] a taste of heaven, even now, and its fullness will happen in the heavenly liturgy.” — Fr. Joseph Taphorn, Saint Paul Seminary rector
During their final year, seminarians celebrate full practice Masses and are critiqued by Gideon and their fellow seminarians. They even record one of them and watch it back to ensure they’re doing everything well.
“It’s like watching film in sports,” said seminarian Deacon Mitchell Kendrioski, who anticipates being ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Hartford in June. “It’s close to the greatest mystery we have, so it’s important to dig into it and learn more about it and keep it close to our hearts.”
The ‘why’ behind the ‘how’
And that’s the reason for all the norms the Church has in regard to the liturgy. Whether you’re a lay person sitting, standing or kneeling at certain times, or a priest holding the Eucharist, there’s a supernatural intention behind every word and action within Catholic Mass.
“We do have a lot of formalities around it,” Taphorn said. “The vestments, the music, the liturgical actions and the books. … But the formality isn’t meant to be stuffy or block our relationship. It’s actually meant to help us feed that relationship. And it’s reminding us that this relationship is far greater than casual conversations we might have on the street or while hanging out with friends.”
Worship, Taphorn says, “is a taste of heaven, even now, and its fullness will happen in the heavenly liturgy.”