Pandemic Forming priests in a - Mundelein Ministry - Diocese of Tucson Online News

 
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Pandemic Forming priests in a - Mundelein Ministry - Diocese of Tucson Online News
Fall 2020/Winter 2021

           Forming
           priests in a
          Pandemic

    Mundelein Ministry                    Donor Profile                    In Memoriam
A Socially Distanced Ordination   Kathryn Marilyn “Kay” Dickholtz   Msgr. Charles R. Meyer, S.T.D.
Pandemic Forming priests in a - Mundelein Ministry - Diocese of Tucson Online News
Rector’s Notes

               Building Bridges
              Amidst a Pandemic
                                     BY FAT HE R J OHN K A RTJ E

    “In order that his ministry may be humanly as credible and
    acceptable as possible, it is important that the priest should mold
    his human personality in such a way that it becomes a bridge and
    not an obstacle for others in their meeting with Jesus Christ the
    Redeemer of humanity.” (Pastores Dabo Vobis, 43).

       With these words, Pope St. John Paul          God do not lose hope in the One whose
    II drew upon a powerful image of the             love is ever present even within the
    priest as a “bridge” to help others cross        midst of the chaos—is what we seek to
    over into a deeper relationship with Je-         grow and develop through our seminary
    sus Christ. But a careful reading of this        formation program.
    text indicates that it is the man’s person-         In these pages of The Bridge, you will    shortcomings at his ordination and pre-
    ality, in particular, which is the bridg-        encounter numerous witnesses to this         pared him to help his people transcend any
    ing element. The supernatural grace of a         bridging process at work. As the semi-       similar shortcomings in their own lives.
    priest’s ordination is received and com-         narians departed campus early in the             I particularly encourage you to encoun-
    municated by his natural humanity—               spring semester, they were challenged to     ter the myriad examples of “priestly bridg-
    and that humanity can be either a bridge         find ways to remain connected to their       ing” that are so evident in the ministry of
    or a chasm, depending on how the priest          classmates, faculty, formation advisors,     one of our alumni, Fr. Sergio Rivas. He
    views himself, his pastoral environment,         and spiritual directors. That meant yeo-     shares with us his pastoral mantra which
    and the people whom he engages. That is          man efforts by everyone to quickly adapt     was forged by his formation at Munde-
    why a priest’s human formation is one of         to off-site learning, with the sometimes-    lein: “Lord, let me look at people the way
    the most critical aspects to be developed        painful moments that any quick change        you did”. But he also shows us how that
    during his time in seminary. His mastery         necessitates. Beyond the academics, the      simple phrase continues to inspire him to
    of the Catholic Church’s rich intellec-          seminarians had to find new ways to          melt away the COVID barriers that might
    tual tradition, or his deep contemplative        reach out to the people of their home        otherwise take root between his people
    prayer life, will be of little help to his pa-   dioceses where most of them were now         and the love of Jesus Christ.
    rishioners unless he can embody those            living. How does one make pastoral con-          While he may not have foreseen the
    gifts within a compassionate heart, a            nections with nearly empty churches,         pandemic of 2020 when he penned the
    perceptive mind, and a willingness to            elderly and infirm parishioners who can-     quote cited above, Pope St. John Paul
    sacrifice his own agenda in service of the       not be readily visited in person, and the    II certainly knew the deep need for a
    needs of his people.                             usual vast array of parish gatherings (in    priestly ministry that could bridge the
       As the COVID-19 pandemic has pro-             classrooms, RCIA sessions, parish coun-      pain and confusion of global crises.
    gressed throughout the year, it has been         cil meetings, marriage and baptism prep-     Drawing on his life experience, the Spirit
    highly evident to me just how resource-          aration, etc.) now relegated to Zoom? In     inspired him to craft a vision for priestly
    ful and resilient our students, alumni,          these pages you’ll see how!                  formation that was designed to achieve
    faculty and staff have been. They have              Perhaps few moments within the life of                      that end. At Mundelein
                                                                                                   FAT H E R
    found new ways to negotiate the unique           a priest or deacon provide a more intimate    J OH N
                                                                                                                    Seminary we are the ben-
    challenges and needs which surfaced              connection with his diocese than his Ordi-    KARTJE           eficiaries of his vision and
    from a society that has been limited by          nation Mass. Those liturgies are generally    is the president in the following pages
    social distancing, quarantining, off-site        celebrated within a packed parish church      and rector       you’ll see what that looks
    learning, restricted access to the Sacra-        or diocesan cathedral. While a pandemic-      of the           like in action.
                                                                                                   University of
    ments, and devastating spiritual, finan-         era Ordination Mass might look very dif-      Saint Mary
                                                                                                                       Together with you, in
    cial, emotional, and physical crises. The        ferent, you’ll read about how the grace       of the Lake/     Christ, we are Mundelein.
    seminarians’ capacity to help bridge             of the Holy Spirit allowed one newly-or-      Mundelein        We form parish priests.
    these struggles—so that the people of            dained deacon to transcend any apparent       Seminary.           God bless you

2     T he Br id ge | Fall 2020/Winter 2021
Pandemic Forming priests in a - Mundelein Ministry - Diocese of Tucson Online News
Inside this Issue

                                                                                                                                    donor profile
                                                                                                                                    Kathryn Marilyn
                                                                                                                                    “Kay” Dickholtz

8 academic update

                                                                26 alumni reflection

                                                              2 Rector’s Notes
                                                              Building Bridges Amidst a Pandemic
                                                                                                                                  16 Cover Story
                                                                                                                                                    24
                                                                                                                                  Forming Priests in a Pandemic
                                                              BY FAT HE R J OH N K A RT J E                                       B Y J O S E PH N G U Y E N

                                                              4 Campus Life                                                       19 Internship Reflection
                                                              Familiar Faces Join Reorganized                                     Not Your Average Internship
                                                                                                                                  B Y M AT T H E W O C K I N G A
                                                              Formation Team
    10 campus life                                            BY DE AC ON M IC H A E L K E L LY
                                                                                                                                  20 Mundelein Ministry
                                                                                                                                  Sister Nadiya Levchenko
                                                              6 Mundelein Ministry                                                B Y DA N KOR E N C H A N
                                                              A Socially Distanced Ordination
                                                              BY K YL E T I E T Z                                                 22 Student Art and Poetry

                                                              8 Academic Update                                                   24 Donor Profile
  The seminarian-authored magazine of                         Pandemic Academics                                                  Kathryn Marilyn “Kay” Dickholtz
                                                              BY DE AC ON JA K E DU N N E
                                                                                                                                  26 Alumni Reflection
                                                              10 Campus Life                                                      Seeing with the Gaze of Christ
        Fall 2020/Winter 2021                                 Come to the Water                                                   B Y FAT H E R S E RG IO R I VA S
                                                              BY M AT T H E W O C K I N G A
 Very Rev. John Kartje                                                                                                            28 MundeLines
 RECTOR/PRESIDENT
                                                              11 Faculty Profile
 Matthew Ockinga                                                                                                                  30 in memoriam
                                                              Dr. Kevin Magas
 EDITOR                                                                                                                           Msgr. Charles R. Meyer, S.T.D.
                                                              BY L E E NOE L
 Seth Arnold                 FAITH Catholic                                                                                       BY VERY REVEREND THOMAS A. BAIMA
 Very Reverend
  Thomas A. Baima            Patrick M. O’Brien               12 Faculty Profile
 Deacon Jake Dunne           PRESIDENT AND CHIEF
                             EXECUTIVE OFFICER                Dr. Juliana Vazquez Krivsky
 Matthew Gembrowski
 Deacon Michael Kelly                                         BY SE T H A R N OLD                                                  On the cover: Seminarian Alex
                             Elizabeth Martin
 Dan Korenchan
                             Solsburg
                                                                                                                                   Lorang (Diocese of Joliet) genuflects
 Joseph Nguyen
 Lee Noel                    VICE PRESIDENT AND               13 Faculty Profile                                                   before the Blessed Sacrament in the
 Matthew Ockinga
                             EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
                                                              Dr. Mark Therrien                                                    vestibule of St. Mary Immaculate
 Father Sergio Rivas                                                                                                               Parish in Plainfield, Ill., where “drive-
 Richard Rivera              Lynne Hsu                        BY M AT T H E W G E M B RO WS K I
 Kyle Tietz                  GR APHIC DESIGNER                                                                                     up Adoration” had been organized for
 WRITERS                                                                                                                           parishioners. Throughout the early days
                                                              14 From the Diocese                                                  of the pandemic, seminarians returned
 Matt Paolelli
 DIRECTOR OF MARKETING
                                                              On A Mission to Serve                                                to parishes in their dioceses and assisted
 & COMMUNICATIONS,
 STAFF ADVISOR
                                                              BY R IC H A R D R I V E R A                                          with creative ministries to maintain the
                                                                                                                                   spiritual lives of their parishioners.
The BridgeTM is a membership publication of the University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary, 1000 E. Maple Ave.,       PHOTO BY JOSEPH SOLOMON, DIOCESE OF JOLIET
Mundelein, IL 60060. Published twice a year by the students and faculty of the University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein
Seminary. Subscription requests and address changes can be sent to Mundelein Seminary, 1000 E. Maple Ave., Mundelein, IL 60060.

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Pandemic Forming priests in a - Mundelein Ministry - Diocese of Tucson Online News
Campus Life

                     Familiar Faces Join
                 Reorganized Formation Team
                                          BY DE AC ON M IC H A E L K E L LY | 4 T, DIO C E S E OF YA K I M A

    This year of 2020 has brought changes to many organizational                                      time constraints, it is not always easy for
    teams, and Mundelein Seminary is one of them. The                                                 Father Kartje to travel. Nurturing those
                                                                                                      relationships is really important to us.”
    selection of Father Brian Welter to be the new executive                                             Originally from Kenya, Father Waithaka
    director of the Institute for Priestly Formation (IPF) in                                         began his work at the seminary last year
    Omaha, Nebraska, precipitated new faces in the formation                                          as director of the Tolton Teaching Parish
                                                                                                      Program, and now he assumes the role of
    and administrative leadership at the seminary. Welter, a                                          dean of formation.
    priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, had been serving as                                            “The dean of formation oversees the en-
    vice rector and dean of formation at Mundelein. His tireless                                      tire formation program and deals with all
                                                                                                      facets of student affairs. In addition, I meet
    work brought many positive changes to the seminary, from                                          with bishops and vocation directors about
    launching the Tolton Teaching Parish Program to overseeing                                        their seminarians and we discuss both the
    the creation of a new brick barbecue patio for campus.                                            life of the seminary and the readiness of
                                                                                                      their candidates for priesthood. That is the
                                                                                                      bulk of my work,” Waithaka said.
       In the wake of Welter’s new position,       maintain and build relationships with                 Though that may be the bulk of his work,
    rector Father John Kartje has appointed        dioceses and vocation directors. In a way,         the bulk of his play is crushing seminarians
    Father Edward Pelrine as vice rector and       the vice rector is the face of the seminary        at soccer. Any spectator can tell that he is
    Father Maina Waithaka as dean of forma-        alongside the rector.”                             quite a force to be reckoned with.
    tion. Both men are priests of the Archdio-       Having been pastor of Our Lady of the               “I hope to work with the seminarians,
    cese of Chicago.                               Rosary Parish in Elk Grove Village, Illi-          focusing with them on why they are here,
       Pelrine has been at Mundelein for 5         nois, for seven years before coming to             who they are, and God’s will for their lives,”
    years, serving both as a spiritual director    the seminary, Pelrine is good with people          he said. “Before God can call us, we have
    and the director of spiritual life.            and with administration. He teaches the            to know who we are.”
       “The vice rector helps the rector with      seminary’s “parish administration” class.             Joining Maina this year as assistant dean
    a number of top-level administrative de-         “I plan to travel to visit bishops and           of formation is Deacon Pat Quagliana.
    cisions,” he said. “In addition, he helps      vocation directors,” Pelrine said. “Due to         Coming to Mundelein in 2017 from the

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Pandemic Forming priests in a - Mundelein Ministry - Diocese of Tucson Online News
Let us continue to
Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey, Qua-
gliana has served as both a formation ad-
visor and cam director. In his new role,
                                                       pray for the future
he will be able to help facilitate a deeper
spirit of accompaniment of the formation
                                                         of our Church.
leadership among the seminarians.
   “By my assuming some of the adminis-
trative duties from Father Maina’s office,                Thank you for supporting the next
we all can have more fruitful interactions
with the seminarians,” Quagliana said. “No                generation of holy parish priests.
one person has to be locked up with all of
the meetings and office work.”                                     www.usml.edu/give
“This community fosters
 priestly formation. The
 outcome of living, studying
 and praying together
 produces holy, happy,
 integrated priests.”

    With his classic New Jersey accent, no-
nonsense attitude and mischievous grin
that lets the seminarians know when he’s
working on something good, Quagliana
brings experience and perspective to the
formation team.
    “I hope to foster our life together here in
community as brothers,” he said. “This com-
munity fosters priestly formation. The out-
come of living, studying and praying together
produces holy, happy, integrated priests.”
    Reflecting on the multiple hats that
Welter wore around the seminary, Pelrine
characterized Welter as “a very hardwork-
ing and serious priest.”
    “He had a sense of striving to be excellent,
arete in Greek, and he sought to bring out
that excellence from the seminarians,” Pel-
rine said. “But it was a lot for one person to
                  do. Father Welter did a really
                  good job with all of it, but
                  there was a lot on his plate.”
                     Following the guidance
                  of the Holy Spirit, the col-
DEACON            laboration of Fathers Pel-
MICHAEL           rine, Waithaka, and Deacon
KELLY             Quagliana will help guide
is a fourth-      Mundelein in the forma-
year theolo-
                  tion of coming generations
gian studying
for the Diocese   of holy and joyful parish
of Yakima.        priests.

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Pandemic Forming priests in a - Mundelein Ministry - Diocese of Tucson Online News
Even more, I thought to myself, Wow,
                                                                                                 procrastinating on sending out ordination
                                                                                                 invitations might be paying off!
                                                                                                    Gratefully, Archbishop Michael Jack-
                                                                                                 els and our vocations director met with
                                                                                                 us. We talked through various scenarios,
                                                                                                 but, ultimately, we were given responsi-
                                                                                                 bility to reach a decision. My classmates
                                                                                                 and I agreed that being ordained on time,
                                                                                                 whatever it looked like, would be prefer-
                                                                                                 able. We decided that individual ordina-
                                                                                                 tions would take place over the course
                                                                                                 of a week, one per day, at the cathedral,
                                                                                                 with 10 people maximum present. In
                                                                                                 total, almost a novena of ordinations!
                                                                                                    There was little planning to do, as the
                                                                                                 liturgies would be standardized and aus-
                                                                                                 tere. I was able to divvy up the 10 people
                                                                                                 fairly easily; I know it was more difficult
                                                                                                 for those with larger families. I got on

        A Socially Distanced                                                                     social media to announce that I would
                                                                                                 be ordained on May 20 and that it would

                    Ordination
                                                                                                 be livestreamed. Many people reached
                                                                                                 out and some expressed their regret that
                                                                                                 it would be a subdued affair due to the
              BY DE AC ON K YL E T IE T Z | 4T, A RC HDIO C E S E OF DU B U Q U E                restrictions. I was not very concerned
                                                                                                 about this; rather, I was grateful to be
                                                                                                 ordained on time. Also, I anticipated that
                                                                                                 priesthood ordination next year would
                                                                                                 look a little more normal.
                                                                                                    The week came and my classmate Jake
                                                                                                 Dunne was to be ordained deacon first.
                                                                                                 Unable to attend in person, we tuned
    The liturgy began unceremoniously, catching me off guard.                                    in to the livestream in the basement.
    One minute we were in the sacristy, the next we had processed                                There he was! It was a joyful experience
    in and begun. It was strange without any opening hymn or noise                               to watch the ordination. Meanwhile, I
                                                                                                 was keeping a mental list, OK, what do I
    from the congregation. As I approached my seat, I realized that                              need to remember for tomorrow?
    several people had not noticed us enter. I gave my best “Hey,                                   It was difficult to wait all day to be
    we’re going!” look, which was met with a bit of surprise. The                                ordained in the evening, but I took the
                                                                                                 day normally. I prayed early and had a
    ordination was under way.                                                                    Holy Hour full of consolation. I came back
                                                                                                 to the chapel in the afternoon to pray to
      My classmates and I were finishing our        seminarians had left campus already,         Mary, the Holy Spirit and St. Francis de
    Holy Land pilgrimage in March when we           though, and we soon followed suit.           Sales, one of my favorite saints. Suddenly,
    began to hear about the pandemic and              I returned to stay at our diocesan semi-   it was time to go to the cathedral.
    travel restrictions. As Jerusalem began to      nary, St. Pius X, in Dubuque. There, we         I gathered with my family and the few
    empty out, we were one of the few groups        joined our brothers in minor seminary        others for a small supper before the or-
    remaining. In one sense we were grateful        and finished our classes online. Soon,       dination. We distanced ourselves and
    to be able to visit the uncrowded Holy          however, we began to wonder what dia-        ate Jimmy Johns in the cathedral hall. I
    Sepulchre every day. Yet we soon became         conate ordination would look like with       had suggested Taco Bell (yum!), but that
    anxious to return home. Finally, after a        the COVID-19 restrictions. Would we be       was shot down for inexplicable reasons.
    rerouting, a missed flight and a late-night     ordained on time? Could we invite peo-       Someone likened this subdued ordina-
    bus ride, we arrived at Mundelein. Most         ple? Where would we hold the liturgy?        tion to priests in Russia being ordained

6     T he Br id ge | Fall 2020/Winter 2021
Pandemic Forming priests in a - Mundelein Ministry - Diocese of Tucson Online News
Mundelein Ministry

                                                             “Sometimes, God works with grand gestures and
                                                              ceremony. Other times, he is more subdued, and we may
                                                              not recognize that his work has begun. In either case, we
                                                              trust in his grace and know that he calls us into service.”

                                                              what you believe, and prac-      was very grateful to minister as a deacon,
                                                              tice what you teach.”            an ordained servant of Christ.
                                                                 A little bit uncertainly, I      I am continually grateful for how things
                                                              proceeded with the liturgy,      played out over the past few months with
                                                              preparing the altar and as-      ordination and my summer assignment.
                                                              sisting during the Eucharis-     The greatest challenge was to continually
                                                              tic Prayer. There was a lot      wait to see what conditions would be like
                                                              to think about between the       week after week. I was able to approach
                                                              Mass parts, wearing a bulky      these changes with a peaceful heart, a
                                                              dalmatic and operating a face    grace of the Holy Spirit. It was a bless-
                                                              mask and hand sanitizer. It      ing to be ordained for the service of the
                                                              was a blessing to give Com-                     Church, and I look forward
                                                              munion to my family as I saw                    with excitement and hope
                                                              the joy upon their faces. Soon                  for priesthood ordination.
                                                              enough, I declared, “Go and                        Sometimes, God works
                                                              announce the Gospel of the                      with grand gestures and
                                                              Lord” and we were done. We       KYLE           ceremony. Other times, he
underground during the Communist era.           had some cookies in celebration.               TIETZ          is more subdued, and we
As I ate my ham and swiss sandwich, I did         The next day, I led Exposition of the        is a fourth-   may not recognize that his
                                                                                               year theolo-
not feel particularly akin to those who had     Blessed Sacrament and did Benediction                         work has begun. In either
                                                                                               gian studying
given so much more.                             for the seminarians. I was deacon for          for the        case, we trust in his grace
  The liturgy began without ceremony. My        daily Mass and gave a real barn burner         Archdiocese    and know that he calls us
brother and sister-in-law read the Scrip-       of a homily, I’m sure. That weekend, I re-     of Dubuque.    into service.
tures. I had joked with my dad that he          turned to my home parish
would have to cantor, but I asked another       to assist at the Mass, which
seminarian instead. Overall, the liturgy        was livestreamed. It was the
proceeded quickly, and it came time for         feast of the Ascension and I
the ordination. I was elected and made          was grateful to be with my
the promise of obedience.                       home parish, though mostly
  Soon enough I was “hitting the marble”        virtually.
(or in my case, the carpet), lying down for       I was able to be at my
the Litany of the Saints. It was a beauti-      summer assignment, St.
ful moment as the company of saints was         Francis in Marshalltown,
invited into the liturgy. Unexpectedly, my      for 10 weeks. Certainly, I was
arms fell asleep and I realized that I should   blessed to assist at Mass, lead
have practiced lying prone beforehand.          Benediction and preach. I had
Next was the laying on of hands, and I          seven baptisms, all of whom
felt the warmth of the Holy Spirit as the       were girls, and all in Span-
archbishop brought his hands down. The          ish! An unexpected grace was
prayer of consecration flew by and soon         proclaiming the Gospel read-
enough I was a deacon. Standing, I went         ing at Mass, which feels dif-
over to be vested in stole and dalmatic by,     ferent — weightier — than
a priest I had known since high school. I       proclaiming the other read-
then received the Book of Gospels and           ings. It was difficult with the
heard these important words: “Receive           continued COVID-19 restric-
the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you          tions to be unable to meet
have become. Believe what you read, teach       many people in person. Yet, I

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Pandemic Forming priests in a - Mundelein Ministry - Diocese of Tucson Online News
Academic Update

                                                                                            men will need to sanitize the desks once
                                                                                            class is over, coronavirus fades into the
                                                                                            background as we listen to and discuss
                                                                                            important topics such as the nature of
                                                                                            priesthood and the seal of confession.
                                                                                            Normally, the entire seminary takes all
                                                                                            their classes in the same building, which
                                                                                            sits between the residence hall and the
                                                                                            library. Due to the space limitations that
                                                                                            social distancing requires, however, we
                                                                                            have utilized new classrooms, including
                                                                                            rooms in the Conference Center and the
                                                                                            Faculty Building.
                                                                                               While the in-class experience has re-
                                                                                            mained largely normal, some professors
                                                                                            have begun using an educational meth-
                                                                                            od known as asynchronous learning. In
                                                                                            classes taught by professors who have
                                                                                            opted to teach according to this method,
                                                                                            one class a week is in-person and an-

                  Pandemic
                                                                                            other class is taught online. The online
                                                                                            component can be accessed each week at
                                                                                            a time of the student’s choosing.

                  Academics
                                                                                               In Dr. Steven Smith’s “Psalms and
                                                                                            Wisdom” course for the men in fourth
                                                                                            theology, we are in class at 10:45 a.m.
                                                                                            on Tuesdays as normal. The next class
                                                                                            of the week, which traditionally would
                BY DE AC ON JAK E D UNNE | 4T, A RC HDIO C E S E OF DU B U Q U E
                                                                                            have been on Friday at 10:45 a.m., is of-
                                                                                            fered as a series of videos, audio record-
    Instead of walking in and plopping down in the normal spots                             ings, charts and texts on two Microsoft
    as we have for the last few years, the seminarians in fourth                            platforms, Teams and Sway. Most of the
                                                                                            material is on Sway and consists of vid-
    theology cautiously walked through the door of classroom 201,                           eos and audio recordings set in a presen-
    known to most as the Music Room, and immediately looked                                 tation that the student can go through
    left and right, as if they were about to cross the street. They                         at his own pace. The student has from
                                                                                            Tuesday evening to Sunday night to lis-
    were scanning the room to see if this space in which we have                            ten to the audio, watch the videos, read
    sat countless hours would look like it always had or if we were                         the readings and then blog on the Teams
    entering the bridge of the USS Enterprise.                                              page in a classwide discussion on the
                                                                                            topic of the Psalms.
                                                                                               Last spring, online classes consisted
      A pleasant sigh. There is only a tele-     entire seminary at the Paluch lectures,    of logging into Teams at the usual class
    vision unit to the left, with a camera       rector addresses, and other events, is     time and watching a lecture and engag-
    mounted underneath. Moving towards           now three-quarters full of just fourth-    ing in virtual class discussions, which is
    the tables, we notice some wires running     year theologians.                          an identical experience to Zoom meet-
    across the front row connecting a series       Once class has started, the men sit at   ings and sessions on other virtual plat-
    of circular microphones set on the desk-     their desks, taking notes and listening    forms. It amounted to a lot of time spent
    tops. Each person looked for the large       to the professor as we have always done,   on screens. During March and April, the
    round blue sticker with a golden cross,      only now with masks (and for those         faculty were working hard just so that
    which we have come to know is a spot         with glasses, they see their professors    we could finish the semester. While we
    we can sit in. One chair at each desk. The   through fogged lenses). Other than the     were watching live lectures in the spring,
    Music Room, which regularly hosts the        announcement prior to class that a few     Marie Pitt-Payne, director of intellectual

8     T he Br id ge | Fall 2020/Winter 2021
Pandemic Forming priests in a - Mundelein Ministry - Diocese of Tucson Online News
formation at Mundelein, and other fac-
ulty members began researching better
methods with two goals in mind: to be
physically present on campus in the fall
and to create a better balance on the
cognitive load of the seminarian. Physi-
cal presence was accomplished by the in-
credible work of Pam Helminski-Devitt,
senior director of events and guests
services, and the staff of Environmental
Services who coated the campus with
stickers, informing seminarians and
faculty how to space themselves, and
provided innumerable dispensers of
hand sanitizer.
   Asynchronous learning solved two
aspects of the cognitive load problem.
First, it acknowledged the complexity of
seminarians’ lives, as they are not only
studying but serving in parishes, par-     fects the brain in the
ticipating in a robust community life,     same way as stress and
and striving to become humanly and         overwork. Asynchro-
spiritually deep individuals. By allow-    nous learning avoids
ing the student to engage the different    staring at screens and
platforms and types of content, asyn-      uses technology more
chronous learning provides a level of      creatively, decreasing
freedom while trying to achieve learning   the stress from exces-
outcomes. Another problem solved by        sive screen time.
asynchronous learning is screen fatigue.     So what would hap-
Experience from the spring at Mundelein    pen if a student were
and research done during this year show    to be sick? What if he
that too much time spent on screens af-    wanted to remain sep-
                                           arate out of caution?
                                           The television set lurk-
                                           ing to the left in the
                                           front of the room and
                                           the microphones on
                                           the desks would serve their part. An ill         Mundelein’s seminarians are grate-
                                           or quarantining student could join the       ful to be present on campus and able to
                                           class from his room by logging onto the      study, since we are not merely taking
                                           class through Teams. He would see the        classes but engaging with the Faith that
                                           professor and watch anything that the                      we love, and ultimately
                                           professor puts on the screen. The micro-                   the person of Word made
                                           phones on the desk allow him to hear                       flesh. Therefore, we will
                                           discussion or questions being posed by                     be sad when we must be
                                           fellow students. If he wants to contrib-     DEACON
                                                                                                      off campus in December
                                           ute, he is able to do that by communicat-    JAKE          (as many campuses are do-
                                           ing through the television set. Therefore,   DUNNE         ing), but we will continue
                                           even if a student was forced to isolate in   is a          studies through online
                                           his room due to exposure to coronavi-        fourth-year   and asynchronous learning
                                                                                        theologian
                                           rus, he would not miss out on any of the     studying for
                                                                                                      methods, very appreciative
                                           class work and would continue to move        the Diocese   to continue our journey to-
                                           forward virtually unhindered.                of Dubuque.   ward the priesthood.

                               www.usml.edu | br id ge@usml.edu | Follow us on Facebook at facebook .com/mundeleinsem               9
Pandemic Forming priests in a - Mundelein Ministry - Diocese of Tucson Online News
Campus Life

                                                                                                      “A lot of my discernment occurred in a
                                                                                                  kayak, either peaceful quiet mornings or
                                                                                                  really vigorous, hard training sessions,”
                                                                                                  he said. “That’s where I was able to chew
                                                                                                  on things, process things, so it was large-
                                                                                                  ly between the adoration chapel and the

 Come to the Water                                                                                lake that I discerned to enter seminary.”
                                                                                                      After his board interviews for Munde-
                                                                                                  lein, De Palma walked around the lake
                  BY M AT T H E W O CK ING A | 3T, DIO C E SE OF YA K I M A                       and felt a sense of peace. While honing
                                                                                                  his kayaking technique, he simultane-
                                                                                                  ously views the lake as an aquatic chapel
                                                                                                  where prayer and paddle meet.
                                                                                                      “For most of my life, getting off of land
     Water contains a fluid spirituality.                                                         and being in the water puts me in a dif-
       Catholics use it for baptism. Priests bless it. Jesus walked on it.                        ferent perspective of life that often helps
       There is something sacred about any body of water, and                                     me to let go of those worries that I car-
                                                                                                  ry when I’m walking,” he said. “Here in
     when such an entity is called St. Mary’s Lake, that seems to                                 seminary, being on the water helps me to
     elevate the water’s sanctity.                                                                see life from a different perspective in a
                                                                                                  way that is very freeing and allows me to
                                                                                                  come back to my studies and my prayer
        “I think the lake is one of the biggest     of many, common carp and grass carp.          with a different perspective.”
     draws and one of the greatest blessings          Cotta recalls his first semester of sec-        Other seminarians simply enjoy the
     we have on campus,” said Deacon Robbie         ond theology being especially grueling                         lake’s beauty and complete
     Cotta from the Archdiocese of Atlanta.         with classes from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on cer-                     Holy Hours and rosaries
     “It usually puts me in a position interi-      tain days. After class, he found physical                      on the three-mile walking
     orly of gratitude, just enjoying creation      and spiritual renewal in casting.                              path around its perimeter.
     in its simplicity and its goodness.”             “Sometimes, I have to check myself to                        Some even use it as a set-
        In many ways, St. Mary’s Lake is the        remind myself that fishing doesn’t take        MATTHEW         ting for homily prepara-
     defining asset of a campus full of distinct    the place of prayer time,” Cotta said,         OCKINGA         tion. Water contains a
                                                                                                   is a third-year
     beauty and aesthetic delights. A spring-       laughing. “But I think there is a spiritual    theologian
                                                                                                                   fluid spirituality, and the
     fed lake, it covers approximately 106          aspect to it; sometimes the bite will slow     studying for    seminarians of Mundelein
     acres and ranges in depth from a few feet      down … I can just sit down and pray and        the Diocese of  find St. Mary’s Lake to be
     to as much as 18 feet. Originally dubbed       do a Rosary.”                                  Yakima.         life-giving waters.
     Mud Lake due to its swampy nature, it            In addition to anglers, paddlers of dif-
     became a popular point of recreation be-       ferent strokes glide on the lake’s waters.
     fore Mundelein Seminary existed. Busi-         The boat house that sits on the east edge
     nessman Arthur Sheldon purchased the           of the lake shelters various vessels, in-
     property and changed the name to Lake          cluding canoes, rowboats, a sailboat,
     Eara. When George Cardinal Mundelein           a pontoon boat and kayaks. Two such
     purchased the property from Sheldon            kayaks belong to John De Palma, a third-
     in 1920, he renamed the water to honor         year theologian studying for the Arch-
     Our Lady. With myriad academic, pasto-         diocese of Seattle. De Palma worked as
     ral and spiritual duties on their plates,      a physical therapist for many years and
     seminarians consider the lake’s waters a       fell in love with competitive kayaking in
     refuge of recreation and prayer.               Cashmere and Wenatchee, Washington.
        For fishers of men looking to be fishers    In 2003, he moved to Gainesville, Geor-
     of fish, the lake provides many catch-and-     gia, to pursue his kayaking career. He
     release candidates. Besides largemouth         owned a home on Lake Lanier, where he
     bass, St. Mary’s Lake houses catfish, blue-    trained as the thought of the priesthood
     gill, crappie, sun fish and, to the chagrin    entered his heart.

10     T he Br id ge | Fall 2020/Winter 2021
Faculty Profile

 DR. KEVIN
  MAGAS
              BY L E E NOE L
      P T2, DIO C E SE OF C HE YE NNE

This fall, the University of
St. Mary of the Lake faculty
is excited to welcome Dr.
Kevin Magas to its ranks.
Magas is teaching “Principles of
Sacraments/Sacraments of Initiation”
and “Sacraments of Healing and Vocation”
for the seminary, while also leading two
classes for the Liturgical Institute branch
of USML: “Liturgical Movement/Liturgical        cal and spiritual renewal that shaped        How has your Catholic faith
Year” and “Liturgy of the Hours.” Magas,        the vision of the Second Vatican Coun-       formed you into the person you
who is the father of two boys with his          cil. I study how these movements re-         are today?
wife, Victoria, recently graduated from         trieved these foundational sources of           This is ultimately the mystery of grace
the University of Notre Dame with his           the Christian life. I am more interested     that Paul attempts to describe when he
Ph.D. in theology/theological studies. He       in the questions: Do we really live from     talks about life in and with Christ. “It is no
taught at Holy Family College and Silver        the liturgies we celebrate? What are the     longer I who live, but Christ who lives in
Lake College before arriving at Mundelein.      implications for our lives if we took the    me” (Gal 2:20) is a favorite verse of mine.
From theological interests and academic         words, gestures and prayers of the litur-    When I have been incorporated into Christ
inspirations to family life, Magas brings       gy seriously? What does the “eucharistic     through baptism and live out the promises
a balance of valuable experience to             form” of the Christian life actually look    of my baptism in the world, then Christ is
Mundelein’s faculty.                            like lived out in my time, place, culture?   the lens through which I see the world and
                                                                                             live my day to day life. When Christ takes
What interested you about being a               Do you have any fun hobbies with             away the cataracts of sin from my eyes, I
professor at Mundelein?                         your family?                                 can see the world rightly and live doxologi-
   Theology for me has always been more              My children are small (4 and 2) and     cally “for the praise of his glory.” (Eph 1:6)
than an academic exercise. I see it above all   we enjoy taking them to the usual places:    I suppose this is just a theological way of
as an invitation to build up the Church in      zoo, library, going on walks, biking, go-    saying that it has formed me at the deep-
love and share the fruits of one’s contem-      ing to the beach … But more than “doing      est levels of my being, shaping my out-
plation. The seminary context of USML           things” with my kids, I just like being in   look and way of living in the world and
makes explicit the fact that theology is at     their presence and “wasting time,” so to                        loving others.
service of the pastoral life of the Church.     speak, with them.
It’s a place which facilitates the integra-        Outside of time spent with my family,                       Cubs or White Sox?!
tion between theological study and the          I enjoy lifting weights/strength training.                       I am tempted to an-
spiritual life.                                 I find the relationship between the spiri-                     swer with the Catholic
                                                tual disciplines of the ascetical life and   L E E N OE L      “both/and” here. But my
Do you have specific areas of study             the rigors of physical training to be mu-    is a second-      family and my wife’s
                                                                                             year pre-
within Liturgical Theology that                 tually enriching.                            theologian
                                                                                                               family have roots in the
pique your interest?                                                                         studying for      south side of Chicago,
  My main area of study is in the 20th                                                       the Diocese of    which I cannot betray.
century movements of biblical, liturgi-                                                      Cheyenne.         White Sox.

                                                       www.usml.edu | br id ge@usml.edu | Follow us on Twitter @mundeleinsem                  11
Faculty Profile

                                                                                             introspection with spiritual discernment
                                                                                             and prayer greatly interests her.

               Dr. Juliana                                                                       While she is new to Mundelein, Vazquez
                                                                                             Krivsky is familiar with the professorial role

             Vazquez Krivsky
                                                                                             and the territory of teaching philosophy
                                                                                             and theology. Before joining the faculty at
                                                                                             USML, she had experience teaching an “In-
                                                                                             troduction to Theology” class and a class in
                        BY SE T H A R NOL D | 3T, DIO C E SE OF W IC H I TA
                                                                                             “Prayer and Mysticism” at Marquette. This
                                                                                             past spring, she taught Catholic “Social
                                                                                             Teaching” and a philosophy class on “know-
     Although life is all but mostly normal at Mundelein Seminary,                           ing and being” to master’s level lay leaders
                                                                                             in the Cor Unum program at Sacred Heart
     one thing that has been different is the lack of opportunity for                        Seminary in Hales Corners, Wisconsin.
     students to engage with new faculty and staff members. Dr.                                  Growing up in the western suburbs,
     Juliana Vazquez Krivsky is one of the new faces who, despite the                        Vazquez Krivsky was always aware of
     importance she plays in Mundelein’s mission of forming parish                           Mundelein’s presence as one of the na-
                                                                                             tion’s largest Catholic seminaries, so she
     priests, may be unfamiliar to the seminary community. Vazquez                           is honored to participate in the formation
     Krivsky has spent her first semester on staff at Mundelein teaching                     of future priests, which she sees as an op-
     philosophy via Microsoft Teams to the men in the Pre-Theology                           portunity to “touch the very heart and
     program. Nevertheless, she is thrilled to be a part of the Mundelein                    future of our Church and our world.” She
                                                                                             was attracted to the “vision of education
     community and is grateful for the warm welcome and sincere                              as a path to wisdom and happiness rather
     kindness she has received.                                                              than a mere repository of factual infor-
                                                                                             mation.” Vazquez Krivsky is very excited
        Vazquez Krivsky hails                                        Vazquez       Krivsky   about “the idea of intellectual formation
     from the Chicago suburb                                       went to school in         as it intersects with the human, spiritual,
     of Lombard, Illinois. She                                     neighboring Milwau-       and pastoral dimensions of formation.”
     describes herself as “a sub-                                  kee, receiving both a         In her experience so far at Mundelein,
     urban girl at heart” and has                                  master’s and doctor-      Vazquez Krivsky is elated by her students’
     many fond memories of                                         ate degree in system-     thirst for knowledge and their ability to
     growing up in western Chi-                                    atic theology through     collaborate, to critically discuss pastoral
     cagoland. During these nov-                                   Marquette University.     and practical implications of philoso-
     el times, she enjoys drink-                                   While studying at Mar-    phy, and to make connections between
     ing coffee, going for walks                                   quette, she developed     philosophy and the life of faith. She has
     in the park, catching up                                      a specialization around   been impressed by the charity and pa-
     with friends and browsing                                     the 20th century Je-      tience displayed by all members of the
     petfinder.com for a possible       “...she is honored to      suit thinker Bernard      University of Saint Mary of the Lake and
     pet dog. She has also used           participate in the       Lonergan, as well as      is looking forward to being back on cam-
     these months to dive into          formation of future        Aquinas, philosophical    pus as soon as possible. “To think that I
     Joseph Pieper’s Leisure: The      priests, which she sees     anthropology, Trinitar-                   could contribute in even a
     Basis of Culture. She has a        as an opportunity to       ian theology and grace                    small way to the comfort a
     love for poetry and Russian                                   and conversion. Cog-                      parishioner might receive
                                       “touch the very heart
     literature and would enjoy                                    nitional theory is of a                   from their pastor during
                                          and future of our
     getting back into horse-                                      particular interest to                    a crisis, the wise counsel
     back riding, something she        Church and our world.”      Vazquez Krivsky, and                      a penitent might benefit
                                                                                             SETH
     greatly enjoyed in the past.                                  she hopes to explore      ARNOLD          from in the confessional,
     There are many Midwestern landmarks further how current theories of trauma in-          is a            or the conversion experi-
                                                                                             third-year
     she would like to visit, including Starved tersect with various theologies of healing                   ence of someone who may
                                                                                             theologian
     Rock State Park, the Dunes State Park in and conversion narratives. The strong con-     studying for    have felt abandoned by God
     Indiana and Devil’s Lake and the Apostle nection between the human sense of awe         the Diocese     is incredibly rewarding and
     Islands in Wisconsin.                          and wonder produced by philosophical     of Wichita.     humbling,” she said.

12     T he Br id ge | Fall 2020/Winter 2021
Faculty Profile

               Building Bridges, Forming Pastors: A Conversation with
                         Dr. Mark Therrien
                                        BY M AT T HE W G E M B RO WS K I | 2 T, DIO C E S E OF S AG I N AW

In any intellectual discipline, there is the danger of keeping                                     that is Jesus Christ. It will embed in him
                                                                                                   a deep, personal relationship with Christ
one’s knowledge so wrapped up in high language and abstract                                        from which his entire ministry will flow.
philosophy that it never becomes accessible to a wider audience.                                   Lastly, it will equip him with the tools
Theology is no different. There’s a certain skill set that’s necessary                             necessary to skillfully shepherd his peo-
                                                                                                   ple through life’s journey.
to translate sometimes archaic patristic teachings or lofty Church                                     All of this is impossible, however, if the
doctrines into concrete formulae that can be used in everyday life.                                manner of delivering Church teaching
As he enters his first academic semester at Mundelein Seminary                                     can’t be tailored to the needs of parish-
                                                                                                   ioners, that “bridge work” Dr. Therrien is
as assistant professor of dogmatic theology, Dr. Mark Therrien                                     so passionate about. “The seminary,” he
sees plenty of opportunity to do just that.                                                        said, “is kind of a natural place to contin-
                                                                                                   ue that work. I’m now training men who
   “I don’t like the ivory tower, in the                                                           are going to be on the front lines of our
sense that oftentimes theology can                                                                 parishes, and its good to know that I can
seem rarified and divorced from Church                                                             take what I’ve gained from the Church
life,” Therrien said. “I’ve always been                                                            Fathers and tradition and distill that
very attracted to working as a bridge                                                              to people who are on the front lines so
between the two.”                                                                                  they can have the resources they need to
   Having received his doctorate in the his-                                                       think theologically for the pastoral care
tory of Christianity from the University of                                                        of God’s people.”
Notre Dame in August of 2019, Mundelein                                                                During his first academic year at Mun-
Seminary will be Dr. Therrien’s first full-                                                        delein, Dr. Therrien will be teaching cours-
time teaching appointment — but he’s no                                                            es in “Spiritual Theology,” “Philosophy and
stranger to ministry in the Church. “Even                                                          Religion,” “The Principles of Vatican II,”
when I was at Notre Dame, I was working                                                            and an “Introduction to the New Testa-
with the McGrath Institute for Church Life,                                                        ment.” He belongs to the Ukrainian-Greco
which has lots of programs that interact                                                           Catholic Church and attends Immaculate
with dioceses and parishes. So, in the sum-                                                        Conception Parish in Palatine, Illinois. He
mer, I was training people how to teach                                                            and his wife recently welcomed their first
catechetics in their parishes, how to use the                                                      daughter in October. Please pray for Dr.
Catechism as a document.” For him, the field                                                       Therrien and the seminarians he will be
of theology cannot remain an intellectual                                                                             teaching. In his own words:
pursuit. Theologians have the responsibil-          Here at Mundelein, as in every Catho-                             “The need to train men as
ity to “build bridges” and be able to answer     lic seminary, every aspect of a seminar-                             parish priests, equipping
the question of the discerning Christian:        ian’s life is geared toward the four di-                             them with the fullness of
“What does this mean for my life?”               mensions of priestly formation: Human,                               the tradition and being
   Having spent two years in a seminary          Intellectual, Spiritual and Pastoral. The          MAT THEW          able to pass that on in a
himself after college, Dr. Therrien knows a      seminarian must grow in all areas of his           GEM-              way that is coherent in the
thing or two about the intricacies of semi-      life so as to be a true model of Christ to         BROWSKI           modern world, could not
nary life. “You’re not just here for intellec-   his future parishioners. When taken se-            is a              be greater than right now.
                                                                                                    second-year
tual formation, there’s also the spiritual       riously, formation will enhance his hu-                              I consider myself a man of
                                                                                                    theologian
formation, the human formation and the           man personality and make it a bridge for           studying for      the Church and am hon-
integration of these things. I know that         others to encounter Christ. It will shape          the Diocese       ored to work with her in
my class fits within a wider trajectory.”        his mind and conform it to the Truth               of Saginaw.       such an intimate way.”

                                                       www.usml.edu | br id ge@usml.edu | Follow us on Insta g ram @mundeleinsem                    13
From the Diocese

                                                                                        With its vast space and topographic
                                                                                     diversity, it is no wonder such a diverse
                                                                                     community calls the Diocese of Tucson
                                                                                     home. An area of almost 43,000 square
                                                                                     miles, with more than 300,000 Catho-
                                                                                     lics, Tucson is both large and incredibly
                                                                                     diverse. The Diocese of Tucson is the
                                                                                     fifth-largest in the geographic United
                                                                                     States and borders California on the
                                                                                     westernmost edge the Diocese of Phoe-
                                                                                     nix to the north, New Mexico to the
                                                                                     east, and Mexico to the south. The entire
                                                                                     southern border happens to sit on the
                                                                                     U.S./Mexico border and contains six of

                   On A Mission                                                      the state’s 10 “ports of entry,” as well as
                                                                                     three military installations. Additionally,
                                                                                     Tucson is home to several Native Ameri-

                          to Serve                                                   can communities, including the Akimel
                                                                                     O’odham, the Tohono O’odham, the Pi-
                                                                                     ipaash and the White Mountain Apache
                                                                                     Tribe of the Fort Apache Reservation.

                        BY R IC H A R D R I V E R A | 3T, DIO C E SE OF T U C S ON   Missionary roots
                                                                                        Around 1687, Father Eusebio Kino, SJ
     Waking up early one morning, I sat in near silence as                           established his first mission among the
                                                                                     rural people of Sonora at Nuestra Se-
     the sun rose over the copper-colored beams that form the                        nora de los Dolores. Eventually, that site
     wall between Arizona and Mexico. As the colors of the                           became the home base for his explora-
     sky changed, life started moving and the warmth of the                          tions, as well as for the establishment of
                                                                                     other missions, including Arizona’s San
     sun seemed to make itself present in the smiles of people                       Xavier del Bac, Tumacacori and Guevavi
     walking past. It was as if an old friend was greeting me, over                  missions. While it was common for mis-
     and over. That is when I recognized that I had fallen in love                   sionaries to impose the faith on others,
                                                                                     Kino took a different model, one of pro-
     with the Diocese of Tucson.                                                     posal. The commonly named “accomo-
                                                                                     dationalist model” used by Kino made
        Talk to enough people about what                                             him a friend who emphasized the good
     drew them to Southern Arizona, and                                              in their native cultures. Through loving
     someone will usually mention the dra-                                           service, Kino shared the Gospel with the
     matic landscape, with its impressive                                            native people.
     mountains, and the almost alien quality                                            Today he is often called the “Apostle
     the desert displays at sunrise or sun-                                          of the Southwest” because of his great
     set. Getting out into the desert, with its                                      service and ministry to the people he
     splendor and harshness, looking up at                                           lived with and encountered. Famously,
     the evening sunset, the star-filled sky at                                      Kino defended the native people and
     night or just staring at the magnitude of                                       even risked his life for their good. He
     a saguaro, can almost be a religious expe-                                      introduced new ways of living, adapting
     rience. Yes, it’s a cliche,’ but 10 months                                      their culture and understanding of the
     out of the year the weather is amazing.                                         world around them. For Kino, mission
     While it does get brutally hot, I’ll gladly                                     was found in a simple question: What
     take 115 degrees and dry over 95 with 90                                        if Christ was incarnate today, here to
     percent humidity.                                                               these people?

14     T he Br id ge | Fall 2020/Winter 2021
where two worldviews are
                                                           still colliding and yet live in
                                                           harmony.                               “While the landscape
                                                              Mundelein has a tradi-              draws me into awe of
                                                           tion of sending men in pre-            God’s transcendence,
                                                           theology to serve at the To-
                                                                                                  the people humble me
                                                           hono O’odham Reservation,
                                                           in Tucson, for a week during            as they remind me of
                                                           spring semester. During my                 His immanence.”
                                                           internship, I had the op-
                                                           portunity to visit a group of
                                                           my brother seminarians on         migrants. I have experienced ministries
Life of mission                               their mission trip. As I walked around         like this in the past, but never with such
  Kino’s style is still the root experience   the grounds and became familiar with           intentional compassion. The comedor, or
of anyone serving the diocese today.          the Franciscans dedicated to that com-         dining room, filled every hour with a wave
Someone can dedicate their entire lives       munity, I was impressed to find modern         of new people, and each time it was the
serving in one of our many reservations,      “Father Kinos” at work. Their first con-       same: The volunteers had the same wel-
caring for those who first called this        cern was to care for the needs of others,      coming spirit, the same high energy, the
place home. In the Tucson desert, we          building bridges through service. Their        same intentional care for each individual.
still find a dynamic experience of faith,     example stirred in my heart a deeper           Each wave of people had the same experi-
                                              understanding of what it means to lay          ence as the first. Every hour was served as
                                              down one’s life for a friend.                  if it was the only hour of the day.
                                                 Just a few weeks later, a member of            I’ve fallen in love with the Diocese
         “I found myself                      the seminary faculty arrived to perform        of Tucson. While the landscape draws
       most humbled, and                      a “mid-term checkup.” More than just           me into awe of God’s transcendence,
        inspired, during                      an evaluation, this visit provided an op-                     the people humble me as
        the two days we                       portunity to participate in service out-                      they remind me of His
                                              side my parish boundaries. I found my-                        immanence.         Someone
      spent working with
                                              self most humbled, and inspired, during                       once told me, “You know
        the Kino Border                       the two days we spent working with the                        you love someone when
        Initiative, which                     Kino Border Initiative, which focuses on       RICHARD        you see their face every-
      focuses on service                      service to those seeking to immigrate to       RIVERA         where you look.” Thanks
                                              the United States.                             is a           to the missionary zeal of
        to those seeking                                                                     third-year
      to immigrate to the                        The missionaries perform their min-                        Father Kino, I see Jesus
                                                                                             theologian
                                              istry in the spirit of Kino. Everything        studying for   in the faces I meet, in a
         United States.”
                                              from food to clothing and even tempo-          the Diocese    landscape that proclaims
                                              rary shelter is provided for displaced im-     of Tucson.     God’s glory.

                                    www.usml.edu | br id ge@usml.edu | Follow us on Facebook at facebook .com/mundeleinsem                 15
Forming
                       priests in a
                     Pandemic
                                            BY J O SE PH NGU Y E N | 3 T, DIO C E S E OF S A N JO S E

     In early March of 2020, Mundelein Seminary faced a challenge                                      On Friday, March 13, the decision was
     that the world had never seen before: the COVID-19 pandemic.                                   made to send the seminarians back to
                                                                                                    their home dioceses. The third theology
     As the seminary developed ways to respond, it stayed focused                                   class, which was still on pilgrimage in the
     on its mission to form priests who could react to the changing                                 Holy Land, returned to the United States
     pastoral dynamics across the country.                                                          the week after the decision. The other
                                                                                                    institutes on campus — the Institute
        Throughout the early months of 2020,        “It was a big decision to send people           for Pastoral Leadership, the Liturgical
     Father John Kartje, rector/president of      home, but we were from such a large               Institute, the Instituto de Liderazgo
     Mundelein Seminary, kept a close eye on      geographical area, I knew that if an              Pastoral and the Institute for Diaconal
     the developments of the coronavirus as       ultimate lockdown order for everybody             Studies — also simultaneously suspended
     it made its way into the United States       came out, it would be hard for guys to get        in-person classes. All classes changed
     and especially when it arrived in Chicago.   home,” Kartje said.                               from the in-person format into online

16     T he Br id ge | Fall 2020/Winter 2021
Cover Story

                                                                social media for the           “I didn’t see bitterness or a sense of
                                                                parish and enhancing        disappointment,” Kartje said. “Sure,
                                                                its digital presence,       they may have had hopes or thoughts
                                                                helping with religious      that it would have looked different, but I
                                                                education       at    the   did see a profound sense of what it really
                                                                parish, and home visits     means to be Church. At the core of this
                                                                to deliver groceries.       life they’re called to, it’s not about how
                                                                Seminarians          also   many people are in the cathedral on their
                                                                learned other aspects       ordination day.”
                                                                of rectory living such as      Reflecting on first Masses he witnessed,
                                                                how to live in Christian    Kartje was similarly encouraged.
                                                                community with the             “I found particularly moving a number
                                                                priests they were with      of first Masses where it would be just
                                                                and making use of           the priest and a concelebrant or two,
                                                                the time in shelter in      and maybe 20 people in the church,
                                                                place for deeper prayer     an incredible joy and gratitude for
                                                                and interiority. Many       living into that new charism, and as I
                                                                seminarians found this      witnessed each one of those, I felt even
                  learning. A brief hiatus    time to be fruitful in personal growth        more encouraged and grateful for the
                  was made so that the        and a better vision of what it meant to be    Church that these men were going out
                  seminary faculty could      a parish priest, as well as gaining more      to live their vocation … that manifested
                  adjust to the new format    formation in pastoral service.                the fullness and the glory of what the
                  of teaching. Then, the         The pandemic also affected ordinations.    Church is all about.”
                  week of March 23, classes   Due to uncertainty about how the                 Mundelein Seminary continued to
                  resumed for the seminary    situation would affect large Masses, many     reach out to the community throughout
                  as well as for the other    dioceses chose to postpone ordinations,       the summer. Kartje held an online Bible
                  institutes online. Using    or hold them with fewer people present.       study dealing with how to live in the
                  the Microsoft Teams         Deacon Joby Joseph, studying for the St.      midst of uncertainty. Father Bradley
                  software, seminarians       Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese          Zamora, director of worship, recorded
                  and students of the other   of Chicago, had his diaconate ordination      musical reflections as a way of doing
                  institutes connected with   postponed from May to July. In spite of       online ministry. The May Crowning
                  their professors from       having to wait longer, Joseph found in        was moved to the virtual platform,
                  across the country and      this time the ability to prepare more for     with many seminarians from across the
                  continued their studies     his ordination. Staying at a parish during    country taking part with music, prayers
                  online.                     shelter-in-place and during the summer,       and readings. The fundraising event was
                     “It was a challenge,”    the deacon spent his time in prayer,          held online as well on July 16, honoring
                  Kartje said. “We were       reflection, and study as he was
                  trying to get up to         waiting for the day to come.
speed with remote learning.”                     “Our (ordained) life won’t
  In spite of the seminarians being           necessarily be comfortable, but
spread across the country, and the            will still be beautiful,” he said,
faculty having to teach without students      adding that he was “able to
in the physical classroom, a spirit of        ground myself in Christ, and to
generosity and patience was present           really ask myself the question of
among all. Many seminarians now spent         whether or not I believe this is
much of their time living in parishes.        something important to give my
One benefit of this arrangement was the       life to going forward.”
ability for seminarians to do more hands-        Kartje    noted     that     the
on pastoral work, and to find new ways        ordinandi had an attitude of
of doing ministry creatively. Some of         greater understanding of what it
these methods included helping parishes       meant to be a priest for the Body
with livestreaming Masses, posting on         of Christ.

                                                    www.usml.edu | br id ge@usml.edu | Follow us on Twitter @mundeleinsem                 17
Cover Story

                                                                             in the Chapel of       were established to ensure the safety
                                                                             St. John Paul II.      of the students. Microsoft Teams now
                                                                             Masses would be        supplements the classroom experience,
                                                                             held simultaneously    providing a means for students or
                                                                             in both chapels, and   faculty who need to quarantine to
                                                                             seminarians would      continue to participate in class where
                                                                             be seated with their   it becomes necessary. A new style of
                                                                             cams. Masses for       teaching developed as well. Teachers have
                                                                             the whole seminary     “synchronous days” where the traditional
                                                                             community were to      in-person class was held, while offsetting
                                                                             be held within the     it with “asynchronous days” where the
                                                                             auditorium.      The   teacher would teach online and post a
                                                                             Cardinal Mundelein     lecture for the students to watch. In these
                                                                             Auditorium, which      ways, the learning experience has also
     “For the faculty and                             had the most capacity of any building on      changed in a unique and flexible manner.
      administration, the summer was                  campus, was transformed from a theater            In looking back at the past few months,
      also a busy time planning for                   into a sacred space, with the stage turned    both seminarians and faculty found that
      and preparing for the return of                 into a sanctuary and the historic Wurlitzer   this was an experience of creativity and
                                                      theater organ finding a new purpose as        service, and that it proved the formation
      the seminarians to the campus.                  a liturgical instrument. In addition, the     at Mundelein Seminary bore fruit.
      Changes were being made,                        seminary created new sanitizing protocols         “Watching what the seminary
      especially in the liturgy, dining               and added hand sanitizer stations and         community did as they were sent to
      and classroom experience.”                      socially distant seating. Spots were          their home parishes in their home
                                                      marked with blue stickers with a cross on     dioceses I think prove that we have a
                                                      it in the chapels and the auditorium. As      program in which we want our men
     Msgr. Michael Boland and featuring               the semester began, the community was         to be creative, to take the tools, the
     speeches by Cardinal Blaise Cupich and           able to adjust smoothly and successfully to   formation that we give them and to put
     Kartje. Throughout the summer, the               the new schedule.                             it into practice in real settings,” Zamora
     priests who remained on campus prayed               Dining also changed at the seminary.                         said. “And I think from
     at Mass for the intentions and prayer            The refectory continues to provide                              what I’ve seen, both
     requests submitted online. The seminary          food for the community, though it now                           from the seminarians
     also continued to provide resources and          comes in the form of takeout. Boxes of                          who now have returned
     prayers for those who needed them.               entrees and salads are now standard, as                         to Mundelein Seminary,
        For the faculty and administration, the       well as carry-out drinks and utensils.        J O S EPH         and from priests who are
     summer was also a busy time planning             There is some limited seating within the      NGUYEN            in their home dioceses
                                                                                                    is a third-year
     for and preparing for the return of the          refectory itself, though outdoor seating      theologian
                                                                                                                      across the United States,
     seminarians to the campus. Changes               is available across the campus including      studying for      creativity is something
     were being made, especially in the               at the recently made patio on the north       the Diocese of    they’ve really leaned
     liturgy, dining and classroom experience.        side of the Theology Building.                San Jose.         into in this moment.”
        In planning the new liturgy and                  Resuming seminary life
     procedures, Zamora looked for ways to            involved preparation for
     follow the guidelines of the state of Illinois   any situation that might
     as well as the Archdiocese of Chicago.           turn up within the semester.
     One of the main concerns in doing this           Returning to the physical
     was balancing the need of having the             classroom meant taking
     seminary community pray together                 necessary precautions. One
     while maintaining use of the chapels on          classroom was assigned
     campus. A solution was found in having           to each cohort as their
     liturgies in three spaces. During most           main meeting space.
     days of the week, seminarians would be           Mundelein staff socially
     split into two cohorts, one in the Chapel        distanced the desks and
     of the Immaculate Conception, the other          disinfectant procedures

18     T he Br id ge | Fall 2020/Winter 2021
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