The National Catholic Register has a great interview with Msgr. James McDonald who was appointed rector of the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception earlier this year. Here are some great snippet, but please read the whole thing.
…How do you do this modeling?
I have encouraged many boys and young men to become priests, so encouraging seminarians to persevere is a natural thing for me.
And how many of these men have become priests?
I’m not sure of the total, but three from my last parish since going there in 2000.
Three priests from one parish in six years?
I have the best job in the world. I like to talk about it.
…How does the immediate short-term look?
Bishop Murphy asked me how we are going to get more priests. I told him, “From the Blessed Mother, who gave us the first priest.”
5 comments
An excellent choice for a seminary head. “Priest Maker” sounds like a good term. Monsignor Richard Schuler of St. Paul MN must qualify as one of those, since his parish has had new priests ordained almost every year for over 20 years.
We need to clone this guy!
Former Bishop Sullivan of Fargo who recently died ordained 80 men in 17 years.
Bishop Sullivan passed away at 76 and he ordained many men for the diocese and took in many men that the lavender mafia wanted out. We have a good orthodox bishop that succeeded him and a capable vocation direcotr who sent many men to the seminary while he was pastor of St. Paul’s Newman, but you have to take the good with the bad, the weeds with the wheat persay. Fargo is in a crisis somewhat because of a previous director and one that believed in the lavender mafia.
The Heralds of the Gospel(www.heralds.us or .ca) have 200 seminarians under 18 in Brazil in one minor seminary. Over 18 there are ones who are ready and ordination is pending, and some have very few years left. Last year there was 15 priests and 5 deacons, this year 18 priests and 9 deacons, and more pending as the year goes on.
And with only 5 years of being founded (February 22nd, 2001) The reason they are growing
Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament
Devotion to Our Lady
Devotion of to the Pope.
That is the secret.