Monday, February 19, 2007

Parish Group Visits Seminarians at Sacred Heart Seminary

On Saturday, February 17th, a group  of young men from the Diocese came down to visit Sacred Heart Seminary and to learn more about the life of a seminarian and the need to discern one's vocation. The group consisted of young people from elementary school all the way though high school as well as parents and adults who simply wanted to learn more about what the seminarians do. Fr. Bill Rutkowski, from St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish in Bay City, was also with the group and offered Mass that evening.

The day's events included talks given by Eddie Dwyer about the universal call to holiness; Chris Coman about the need to discern one's vocation; and Denis Heames about the need to always stand for truth. The seminarians also led smaller groups through the seminary to give the visitors an experience of the history as well as the every day life at the there.

It was a day intended to expose people to the priesthood and to encourage young people to ask God what to do with their lives. As one middle school student replied after being asked about his favorite part of the day: "I liked learning about vocations and asking God about his will for my life." "Getting young people thinking about God's call for their life helps young people to hear that call" said one of the seminarians.

Events like these help to raise vocation awareness for all people regardless of age, gender, or state in life. They are a direct response to Bishop Carlson's call to build up a culture of vocations. Soon these young people will have to make decisions about where God is calling them and knowing what their options are enables them to make a more informed, and hopefully, prayerful decision.

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