www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Byzantine Seminary

[ 09-06-2002: Message edited by: J Thur ]

Greetings,

Making the assumption that I am the only seminarian commenting here, I would like to clear a few things up.

1. The average age of the seminarian here in Boston is about 32 so there are no boys here.

2. No one forced me to come here. I wanted to be a priest, and this is where I have to go to become one.

3. I think everyone is still thinking of seminary the way is was when one of the other posters was there 20 years ago. Much has changed in that time. Things are very different. Along with academic work, there is also the human a spiritual formation componant, as well as the firls education part. I spend time in the parish, and spend the whole summer in the parish.

It is my belief that priests are not born, they are formed. One thing that the church has learned because of all of this is that we were not forming out guys the right way. Ordaining men that do not have the right training can only lead to a disaster. We live in a very educated society, and people have real questions about their faith, and they need real answers.

I would suggest the before anyone makes comments about the current seminary training program, they spend sometime in the seminary and stop posting quotes from 20 years ago. Take sometime and read "I will give you Shepheards" the document by OUR Pope John Paul II about the training of priests.

It seems to me that we want to be in communion with Rome, but we don't want Rome telling us what to do. I admit that I have not been in the Byzantine church for long, and I do not know all of the history, but if you belong to something, then you have to play by the rules.

Just some thoughts from this 36 year old boy in the seminary.

Peter

PS if you saw the secretaries here it would not be a problem. Just trying to be funny.

[ 09-06-2002: Message edited by: J Thur ]

[ 09-09-2002: Message edited by: J Thur ]

Why? It appears to be true in a significant number of cases. Pretending the problem doesn't exist merely contributes to the problem. I'm beginning to detect a significant "Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" tendency here, which can be added to the previously detected "Give the bishops the benefit of the doubt" tendency. Are you saying that the Church can't operate in the face of the vigilance of the people?

A intelligent discussion of issues can be conducted without using such graphic references. Everyone should keep in mind that this Forum is sort of like a family dinner table that has folks of all ages at least listening to and participating in the conversations. Great care should be taken as to how one speaks as well in the content of one's speech. Accuracy is everything. The average person reading comments such as Joe Thur's will come to the conclusion that all priests are to be lumped into this category.

All I'm asking is that the discussions be kept at the level of a scholarly journal or a college classroom and not descent to the level of a bar on a Friday night after everyone has had too much to drink. When discussions are kept positive and constructive they have a chance of helping the Church. When they descend to a constant dwelling on the problems they become worthless.

Problems exist. Let's discuss them like adults rather than as imature brats looking for attention.

Nothing graphic was said, but euphemization seems to be rampant. And Eupemization exists mainly to avert people's eyes or turn their minds from ugly things. Ugly things are among us, and for too long, people euphemized them away. No more. Part of discussing things as adults is calling things by their proper names.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by J Thur:
[QB]OK. Let me quote what one priest told me when I was in the seminary:

"Joe, the problem with seminary life and celibacy is that it doesn't provide a home. There is no family or wife to turn to to discuss things and share one's fears and thoughts intimately nor is there a real and permanent monastic community to find solace. One is shipped away from one's original home where one can at least find comfort in one's family. What the seminarian goes through in eight years


Eight years? With that type of commitment, I sure wouldn't want to be a BC priest. Does that include getting a 4 year degree, or is that the entire time spent at the seminary by a student already with a BA/BS? I think the MDiv program at SVS is only 3 years (as well as STOTS).

Also, perhaps it would help to have another Eastern Catholic seminary, perhaps not on the East Coast...the distance by itself is enough to deter West Coast people to sign up.

Michael

[ 09-09-2002: Message edited by: J Thur ]

[ 09-09-2002: Message edited by: J Thur ]

I agree with your first sentence StuartK, and the last. But let's be clear about the "Give the bishops the benefit of the doubt" remark.
It is not "calling things by their proper name", and it is certainly not "adult", when complaining about things that are "wrong", to ascribe them to ignorance, cowardliness, or malfeasance - in the absence of compelling evidence to support the charge. One's imagination is of great utility in the formulation of hypotheses, but such leaps of imagination need to be disciplined by probative evidence, IMO, before making personal attacks.

Vigilance is great. Vigilanteeism is not.

djs

[ 09-09-2002: Message edited by: J Thur ]

The majority of posters in that thread (including me) were very supportive of your positive suggestions. They encouraged you to move forward with them and several of us offered to help publish them where more people could read them. I�m not quite sure what other support you are looking for. Could you please provide specific details?

Stuart,

Do you really think comments like Joe Thur�s comment: �Secretaries and little boys begin to look good to some of the more perverted ones.� are really part and parcel of �calling things by their proper names�? Is this the style of communication exemplified by the Holy Father? In the business world I have found that being specific and polite at all times earns one respect among colleagues to the point that they pay greater attention and give greater weight to what one says. It seems to me that such a style would also earn greater respect for one�s words and ideas in the Church as well.

Admin

[ 09-09-2002: Message edited by: J Thur ]