The following comes from a Sept. 3 story in the Angelus, Los Angeles online archdiocesan newspaper. (Photo: J.D. Long-García)
….Founded in 2003, the Juan Diego House [a house of formation for college-age seminarians for the Los Angeles archdiocese] has been run for the past eight years by Father James Anguiano. In 2008, Father Anguiano’s inaugural year as director of activities, the house hosted eight seminarians.
This year, that number has blossomed to 26, and a program that was initially contained in one building has expanded to five housing units spread along the block of its Gardena neighborhood.
“It’s exciting and frightening at the same time,” says Father Anguiano of accommodating the recent spike in vocations. “I told Archbishop Gomez ‘We gotta slow down praying for vocations. I’m at capacity!’ [Laughs] But it’s a good problem to have. Having a local example of living, breathing vocations that are alive and active in our community is really exciting.
“….I encourage the men to allow the true self to come forward,” explains Father Anguiano. “Not trying to be the person I’m not, but rather the person God has created me to be I think is very, very important. Realizing that these feelings that we have are real, and not to try and hide them or tuck them away, but to deal with them whether it’s in formation, spiritual direction, or whatever it may be.
“Learning to be honest about what you’re feeling. Because we need healthy priests. Priests who are going to be honest. Priests who are going to be men of integrity. And you have to be honest with yourself and with God so that you can be the person God has created you to be. Not someone else.”
The program at Juan Diego House is built upon four “pillars of formation”: spiritual, human, pastoral and academic. This program, which aims to assist each seminarian to “know himself better, have a deeper understanding of what it means to be a priest and be committed to serving God and neighbor,” includes activities such as daily Mass, eucharistic adoration, meeting regularly with an assigned spiritual advisor and two retreats per year.
Congrats Father James!
Wonderful – Eucharistic Adoration !
Do ALL Seminaries in CA require the CCC as a student text – so that Priests can accurately teach the Doctrine of the Faith to all ?
Do ALL Seminaries in CA teach both Forms of the Mass – Ordinary and Extraordinary – to serve all the people of God ?
Good questions. We all need to ask our Diocese Bishops !
Thank God above for these men! Godspeed to them all in learning all they can in order to this crucial work, and do it well, in service of God and humanity.
When Cardinal McIntyre built St. John’s Seminary College, there was plenty of room for seminarians. Because Cardinals Manning and Mahoney made the college seminary so liberal, many men either sought out another vocation or entered another seminary. It is a scandal that the largest archdiocese in America has no minor or college seminary. Ave Maria Purrissima !
Jesusita, I agree 100% with about 50% of what you said. Minor seminaries were those for high school kids. To take a boy from eighth grade through regular seminary with no life experiences is what lead the sex abuse scandal and Priest, well meaning as they were, who could not relate to parishioner’s real life issues. This article tells us of a good program to help formation for college students. They should then be able to make a good decision about going into seminary. A few, if not most dioceses, now want men who have an education, have held jobs, had girl friends, etc, so they know what they are getting into and what they are giving up.
Bob One,
I have to take issue with your assessment, especially regarding child molestation cases that originated in the past 40 years ago. Extraordinarily few men who started in the 9th grade of the minor seminary ever became ordained to the priesthood. Correspondingly, I don’t think you can name more than a few cases where a scandalous priest attended the minor seminary. Your words are quite plausible but I just don’t think they’re true.
From what I can tell, the crisis had very little to do with forming priests from childhood but much more to do with moral corruption, sadly, among some of our bishops.
Bob One—- in regards to the evil, criminal child molesters, which you mentioned— such men who are truly evil, are NOT THE NORM! One must never confuse a DERANGED FUTURE CRIMINAL who is a minor seminary student– with the NORMAL student!! NO WAY!! No Catholic minor or major seminary, in all the world, is a place where criminals are incubated!! It is just that a local bishop must carefully assess seminary candidates, and those with no aptitude, and who lack GOOD CHARACTER— must be turned away.
Linda Maria, you got that one right and hit the nail on the head.
Bob One, most priests, and many Saints, of pre-Vatican II, started out serving as altar boys, and were very serious, with very good behavior! They were taught GOOD CHARACTER, and those with GOOD CHARACTER, as well as intellectual gifts– often aspired to the holy priesthood! Many came from devout Catholic homes, and attended Catholic parish schools. Then, if interested in the priesthood — many attended minor seminary! Such young men, who were gifted at spirituality, were mature beyond their years! Minor seminary is EXCELLENT for mature and gifted future priests!
Bob One, a serious young man who aspires to the priesthood, is VERY PROUD to be chosen to enter a minor seminary! He is NOT a baby! He is NOT like many other boys, who are less mature for their ages, and have secular interests– and are acting immature or frivolous, chasing girls. What is needed for a man to succeed, at either the vocation of a priest. or marriage– is MATURITY!! Maturity is not always found, in frivolous secular life experiences! Some young men also attend military high schools, and are also mature– and very successful! These are all very exceptional and mature young men, to look up to, and be proud of!
Jesusita,
If my understanding is correct, L.A. no longer has a college seminary because Cdl. Mahony had to sell it to pay the settlements for all the scandalous priests that he supported. If you were scandalous and liberal, you were protected. If you were orthodox with mere allegations of scandal, he persecuted you.
For an extended period, say the last twenty five years, what was the number of men entering each year and the number eventually ordained?
I’m curious what role Chicano Studies plays in their priestly formation:
https://www.juandiegohouse.org/news.html
May these men who have heeded the Lord’s call to His priesthood be blessed by Him. May they not have the hang-ups about remaking the Church the previous generations have had. +JMJ+
When seminarians are trained to become holy priests, then there will be an increase in vocations, and the quality of the priests will improve. When no honor is given to the Blessed Sacrament (It was called ‘cookie worship’ at St. John’s), when immoral practices are allowed, when the miracles of Christ are questioned, when the priesthood is considered a job, when devotion to Our Lady is ridiculed, and when there is no dress code (seminarians looking like rag pickers), then you will loose vocations.
These men don’t look like “rag pickers” to me, Herman.
I did not say the men in the photograph looked like rag pickers. I meant to say in some ‘seminaries’ the men dress like slobs, have terrible grooming habits, and do not look at all like seminarians. A holy priest, Father Patrick Clancey, O.P. was the one who called seminarians dressed like slobs ‘RAG PICKERS’.
Herman you are too concerned with appearances – which has little to do with the Salvation of Souls. Jesus said not to judge by appearances – Jn 7:24.
We should be most concerned about the formation of all Seminarians – how much do they adhere to the Bible, and are they all REQUIRED to us the “Catechism of the Catholic Church” as a required text. If not, they cannot teach the Truth to anyone.
And are they being taught both the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms of the Mass to serve all the people of God.
I agree with Herman! Seminarians must be MATURE, and act and dress PROFESSIONALLY!! American society, since the 1960’s, sadly NEVER GREW UP– and so many people dress and act like immature, BABYISH “hippie slobs!” A DISGRACE to our Nation!!
A friend entered St. John’s in the 70’s, and was scandalized at what he found. He was not the only one who quit the seminary because of all the abuses there. If you had a devotion at all to God, you were considered RIGID, and the more worldly and more radical you were, the greater you chances for getting ordained. If more of these men had not lost their vocations at Camarillo and other seminaries, the crisis would not be as acute. Read GOODBYE GOOD MEN.
LOVE the good grooming, clean-shaven, good looks, and suits and ties, of the exceptional young candidates for the holy Priesthood, in this picture! LOVE IT!! Now– I would LOVE to see them dressed in cassocks, with Roman collars, daily! Just as in pre-Vatican II days!! And with daily Breviary in hand, too, and a daily religious routine to follow, very holy!! How IMPRESSIVE that would be, to all the world!
If you look like a pig, and smell like a pig, and act like a pig, then you are a pig. It is important to dress professionally. A priest is another Christ, and an ambassador of Christ. So, appearances are important.
They look like a bunch of future protestant ministers from their modern day suits. The way they are taught in the seminary, that is maybe exactly the case.
What do the seminarians from your religion wear?
Bruce is right on the money. Before the Council, seminarians wore cassocks most of the time. A cassock is a sacramental, much like a nun’s habit. As CC’s other informs us, the man wearing the cassock made a positive influence upon those whom he met. In Europe, the cassock was the normal attire for priests, but because of the German radicals who started the trend, many today wear a suit and tie, or just plain blue jeans.