Seminarian Brent Bowman of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is one of 82 men enrolled in formation at The Saint Paul Seminary in 2022-23. Bowman, a graduate of the University of St. Thomas and former marketing professional, reflects on his experiences over the summer and excitement for preparing for ordination to the transitional diaconate this spring:
What is your favorite thing about life at The Saint Paul Seminary so far?
What I love most about The Saint Paul Seminary is that we’re house of brothers; we’re just a bunch of ordinary men who are following the Lord’s will, who are earnestly seeking to do His will. We play hard; we pray even harder. And I’m just affirmed in my own vocation because of the men who are here with me discerning God’s call. So I’m grateful for that. I think it really adds to the fruitful culture that we hear at The Saint Paul Seminary.
What did you do during the summer?
This summer, I was richly blessed to be a part of the summer formation program, the pastoral formation program, learning how to minister to those who are sick and suffering. And specifically, I was assigned to Peace House Community in Minneapolis, which largely supports those who are homeless and living on the streets. And one of my greatest takeaways and I think gifts for the summer is that I will always recall the faces and the people and the individual stories of everyone that we met this summer. And I know in my future ministry, I will always recall back to these to these people, to their stories, and particularly how they suffered. So I’m deeply grateful to have spent June and July ministering within the summer.
What are you most looking forward to this year?
There’s a couple of things I’m really looking forward to this year at The Saint Paul Seminary; one, certainly, is the pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I’ve always wanted to go, and it’s an opportunity we have in Theology III with our Theology IV brothers to go this year. And when I think about Christ’s ministry, in the Gospels, what can be more impactful than actually seeing and seeing where he ministered and, and the surroundings? And I know as much that I, as a future preacher of the Gospel, I know I will always recall back to the context of the Gospel and where Jesus lived His ministry. So looking forward to that trip.
Additionally, for us in Theology III, we’re preparing for our diaconate ordination. One thing that I think about this year in particular is how God how good God is to prepare each of us and bring us along to where each of us needs to be in preparation for ordination. And I’m grateful looking back the last four years of formation, how God has prepared me for this year of preparation, and how much I look forward to my deacon ministry, God willing, this following summer, so I’m grateful for much this year.