FORMING FAITH

For the men in formation in the Diocese of Albany — many of whom were scattered around the United State and Europe — the coronavirus pandemic could have been a time for them to question their faith.

After spending nearly three months sheltering in place, questions about our faith and future are only natural. But instead of having that effect, the pandemic has only strengthened their resolve and faith in God.

“Now more than ever it is important to keep my faith in God to turn to him and pray constantly and turn this over into his hands, said Paul McDonald, first-year, pre-theology from Rochester, who is back living and studying at the St. Isaac Jogues House of Formation. “It’s essential to remember that he is in charge. He has a plan and he never gives us more than we can handle.”

What was difficult to handle was how to get these men back to the Diocese while the rest of the world was shutting down. Father Anthony Ligato, the Vicar for Vocations in the Diocese, kept a close eye as things developed in February as churches in Northern Italy closed, stay-at-home orders were issued in March and classes at the Pontifical North American College in Rome when to remote learning, which posed some difficulties with all the classes in Italian.

“On March 11, when it became more serious, in conference with the bishop, he said if you want to bring them home, feel free to do so,” said Father Ligato, referring to seminarians Matthew Duclos and Stephen Yusko, both in third-year theology.

As flights were booked for the pair, who both returned to the States and did a 14-day quarantine, seminaries were starting to close here. St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Ill., closed where Nate Resilla, third-year theology, and Marko Pranic, first-year theology, were studying. Resilla was studying in the Holy Land, so before he came back to the House of Formation, he had to return to St. Mary of the Lake with 44 other men and self-quarantine for two weeks.

The Cathedral Seminary House of Formation in Queens and St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore also closed “within the span of a week” and 29 of the 32 diocesan seminarians were back in the Capital Region either with their families, living in rectories or at the House of Formation.

The House, which had eight men prior to the pandemic, had as many as 18 living there recently. While they had to adjust to the new faces and cultures, they transitioned easily to remote learning. Father Ligato said, for example, the pre-seminary program at St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry was set up for distance learning long before the pandemic.

“They had been providing remote learning for students that might be in other areas of the Diocese, state or around the country,” Father Ligato said. “They were well-prepared to move to the remote-learning concept like our schools and high schools.”

McDonald, who is in process of getting his master’s degree in catechetics and evangelization from Franciscan University of Steuben­ville, added two of his three years there have been done remotely. Joseph Tuan Pham, second-year pre-theology from Vietnam, who has spent time in South Korea before coming to the Diocese, said he has been “studying online for years … our brothers are dealing very, very well with that.”

Another thing they have handled well is the new faces at the House of Formation.

“Camaraderie in the house is very good despite the fact that a lot come from different cultures,” McDonald said. “We are able to draw together around God and around faith. It’s a good learning experience and we are able to learn from each other. Since we are all working for the same goal and moving in the same direction it helps we are all rowing in the same boat.”

Added Pham, “We had to change the way of living to stay at the house without going out. We stay home as much as possible to reduce getting the disease. We are still a community. We pray together and we cook and clean and have a lot of fun together.”

Daniel Vallejo, second-year, pre-theology, said: “We are like brothers and most of us have the experience of living in the seminary before. We basically understand each other and it was not a big challenge.”

Adjusting the schedule with additional people in the house was the biggest challenge, said Vallejo. They designed a new plan for meals and cooking, Masses, cleaning the house twice a week and having hand sanitizer just about everywhere.

Pham added social media has been essential in continuing their vocation.

“Thank God for social media. It is the time to connect with one another with the instruments we have been given by God,” he said. “We need to change the way we serve the people. We miss seeing the people. Before we got to go to parishes on the weekend and it was great. We changed the way of serving and reaching people. We pray on the phone and with social media and we have Masses at the house to connect with (the faithful) spiritually.”

While the seminarians have been doing everything online, one thing they are all pumped up for is their parish assignments to start this summer.
“All of us are excited to go to the parishes,” Pham said. “As Father Ligato said, this is a very important time to reach the people. They need us more than ever.”

This potentially difficult experience, which the seminarians have adjusted to with relative ease, has impressed Father Ligato.

“They have handled it well,” he said. “I think it has been part of the learning experience for their formation; how as priests we are going to be able to handle these types of crises with our parishioners … they have been supportive of each other and me. … They are coming to understand how pastorally they need to respond to this situation.”

And they also credit Father Ligato for being there for them during this uncertain time.

“Father Ligato, he is a great gift for the Diocese and the House of Formation during the pandemic,” Pham said. “He is the soul for the house.”
For more information about vocations in the Diocese of Albany, head to http://www.albanyvocations.org