Attending grad school changes students' lives

Mr. Dievendorf is pastor at Grace Congregation United Church of Christ in St. Johnsville. Shortly after he graduates from St. Bernard's, he will be ordained.

Attending a Catholic theological college is not out of the ordinary for a Protestant minister, he said, noting: "Catholic theology is extremely sound from a Protestant perspective."

Life changing

"It really changed my life," he said. "It's allowed me to fulfill a life-long dream. It makes theology, God and church come alive."

The father of three children said it was challenging at times to juggle school, family life and his job, but his family was supportive: "My youngest is a senior at [SUNY] Plattsburgh, and he would say, `I have a term paper, Dad. When's yours due?'"

Attending St. Bernard's, which is located in the Albany Diocesan Pastoral Center, Mr. Dievendorf developed new relationships. "The students and the professors care," he said. "They are wonderful people, like family. We're very close."

He encourages others to attend St. Bernard's. "Just do it," he said. "It's the experience of a lifetime."

Going deeper

"If you're searching for a deeper understanding of theology, this is a place to dig deeper," she said. "There are all kinds of wonderful people to help you do that."

Mrs. Alonzo first heard about St. Bernard's when the Albany chapter of the Rochester-based school opened in 1989. She had five children in college and didn't think the time was right to go back to school herself. Five years later, however, while attending the Office of Religious Education's Spring Enrichment, she saw a display for St. Bernard's. It seemed this was the right time for her.

"It was one of those life-transition times," she said. "I had given up a full-time career in teaching to raise five kids. I was turning 50, and my youngest was going into college. I was praying, asking what I should do now."

Exciting experience

"At times, it was hard to juggle, but it was what I needed," she said. "I enjoyed my studies so much, I couldn't wait to get home from work to study."

Now that she has completed her graduate studies, Mrs. Alonzo sees herself as a trail-blazer in her family. "I'll have three children in grad school this fall. I feel like I'm leading the way," she said.

Changes

Attending St. Bernard's changed her. "I look at things and reflect on them theologically now," she said. "I look at life through a different lens."

An important part of the experience for Mrs. Alonzo was the relationships among faculty and students. "It is continuing on a spiritual journey and being there with other companions," she explained. "There is a whole sense of being able to hook into a small group of people doing the same thing."

(In addition to Mrs. Alonzo and Mr. Dievendorf, other graduates in the class of '99 include John Madden Jr., Christopher Ringwald, Albert Schrempf, Claudia Warren, Janice Hesselink and Barbara Morgan. Commencement will take place on May 14 at St. Mary's Church in Rochester, where the main campus of St. Bernard's Institute is located.)

(05-13-99) [[In-content Ad]]