FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK
Dear St. Mary’s Parishioners:
As I begin my three month sabbatical, I wanted to give you a description of where I am living for the time being. I am living at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park. The main reason I asked Fr. Mark Doherty, Rector of St. Patrick’s, if I could live at the seminary for a time during my sabbatical is because Bishop Soto called me one day a couple of months ago and asked me to teach one day a week at St. Patrick’s in the spring semester. I was not inclined to say no to the Bishop. So, it was arranged that I will be teaching a course on “theological anthropology”. Theological anthropology is the study of man’s relationship to God and how that relationship is corrupted by sin and redeemed by Christ. I figured since I would need time to prepare the course ahead of time, I could benefit from the library at St. Patrick’s and use some of the time of sabbatical to prepare the course.
The seminary grounds are very nice, situated on 40 acres in Menlo Park about 35 miles south of San Francisco. Without traffic, one can drive to Menlo Park in an hour and twenty minutes from Vacaville. Since the seminary was founded in 1898, more than 2,000 seminarians have studied at St. Pat’s. Because I have been at St. Patrick’s only since Sunday night, I am still getting to know the place and who lives and works there. (Since I was a seminarian at the North American College in Rome, I did not have the experience of being a seminarian at St. Patrick’s.) By the end of this week, most of the 50 or so seminarians from 13 dioceses and one religious community will have returned from their summer assignments to begin classes on Monday.
As you can imagine, especially these days, to be accepted to the seminary, candidates for seminary go through a rather extensive application process including psychological testing and interviews. Upon acceptance, the bishop will recommend that a particular seminarian study at St. Patrick’s. Presently, the Diocese of Sacramento sends seminarians to two main seminaries: St. Pat’s and Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon. Once accepted in the seminary program, the seminarians will have at least four years of academic, spiritual and pastoral formation. The seminarians from the Diocese of Sacramento also spend a “pastoral year” in a parish. Presently, 5 of the 9 Sacramento seminarians live and study at St. Patrick’s. As I get to know the faculty better, I can say that I am very impressed with the priests and laity who teach at the seminary. St. Patrick’s is blessed with an excellent rector, in Fr. Mark Doherty, and a strong faculty.
The daily life of the seminarian includes daily Mass, praying the Liturgy of the Hours, including Lauds (or Morning Prayer) and Vespers (or Evening Prayer), Holy Hour, meals together, theology and philosophy classes (for the “pre-theologians”), study, physical exercise, seminary chores and outside pastoral assignments. As you can imagine, life can be very full for a seminarian. Nonetheless, it is a good preparation for the priesthood which also can be full. Despite the demands, one learns to balance everything and to make sure that daily prayer, including Mass, praying the Liturgy of the Hours and Holy Hour, are always part and parcel of one’s life.
Please know that I keep you all in my prayers during this time of being away and look forward to being back with you on a regular basis by Advent. Speaking of prayers, please remember to pray for our youth (and a few adults) who will be confirmed by Bishop Soto this coming Saturday, August 28th. I can attest that our confirmation students have been well-prepared over the past couple years, culminating with the excellent retreat they participated in last weekend. Please pray for them, and pray for their parents, that they continue to grow in grace and holiness. May you have a most blessed week!
In Christ,
Father Berg
