Four of our seminarians from the Archdiocese (Nathan Haverland, Mark Ostrowski, Danny Schmitz and Quentin Schmitz) received candidacy this week in a ceremony at their ceremony. This is probably not a good analogy, but I always compare the reception of candidacy to the engagement of a couple for marriage. Even though these men have over three years to go before they could, God willing, be ordained transitional deacons for the Archdiocese, in candidacy, they declare themselves publicly to be candidates for ordination. Although much personal discernment can and will take place after candidacy (and should, I might add), the reception of candidacy takes a man beyond mere personal discernment of the Lord's will and opens him up in a public way to be known as one formally seeking ordination. In making this public stance, the seminarian says that he is comfortable letting the Church know him as a man who feels called by Christ to be a priest, and as a man who will guard nurture this vocation and submit it to even closer scrutiny by the Church. It is a great step, and we are rightfully proud of these four fine men, and all of our seminarians. Let us pray for them in a special way, and on this Memorial of St. Therese, let us entrust them to her intercession. May they imitate her little way and find inspiration in her vocation to be love in the heart of the Church. +m St. John Vianney, pray for us!
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