By Carol Paur, Special to the Catholic Herald

ST. FRANCIS — “Everyone knows that seminaries are crucial to the future life of the church,” said Fr. Michael Witczak, rector of Saint Francis Seminary.

Important yes, but few of the more than 700,000 members of the Milwaukee Archdiocese are familiar with the institution that helps train priests for southeastern Wisconsin’s Catholic population.

“There are people emotionally invested in the seminary idea even though they don’t know a lot about it,” said Pamela Meyer, director of seminary development at Saint Francis Seminary. According to Meyer, many people don’t even know the seminary is in Saint Francis along Lake Michigan. Furthermore, there is a misconception that the seminary is on its deathbed due to the low number of priests that have come out of it in the recent past.

This “hidden jewel,” however, is far from dead and does more than churn out priests, says Meyer. The seminary, founded in 1845 by Archbishop John Martin Henni, opened its programs for lay ministry in 1972, and in 1973 created its diaconate program. Today there are 210 students enrolled with 28 in priestly formation and 40 in the diaconate program. There are 17 faculty members.

After reviewing the archdiocese’s parish planning process, one parish decided something had to be done to generate interest in Saint Francis Seminary; something to respond to their parish mission of promoting vocations and adult enrichment.

“We wanted to promote the seminary out here,” said Fr. Daniel Sanders, pastor of St. Benedict Parish in Fontana. “There are a lot of people from Chicago who are not familiar with Milwaukee.”

St. Benedict began their seminary awareness by hosting a third-year seminarian, Robert Kacalo, for about eight months.

“It gave a personal touch to the seminary having a seminarian here,” said Fr. Sanders, who is also on the seminary’s board of trustees. “It was a learning experience for the seminarian, but it also helped the parish in its promotion of vocations. I had to stretch a bit to see with different eyes.”

Not all parishes, however, have the opportunity to host a seminarian, since there are more than 220 parishes and only 28 seminarians. The process also involves interviews, meetings and evaluations on the part of both the seminary and the parish.

If a parish can’t host a seminarian, Meyer recommends what she calls the “Seminary Road Show.” Fr. Witczak and three seminarians visited St. Benedict Parish in mid-July. During their “Seminary Road Show” parishioners learned about the history of Saint Francis, along with its different programs.

“Though there is an awareness out there that there is a shortage of priests, it helps to have a constant reminder of the need for vocations,” said Ruth Ann Van De Bogert, a St. Benedict parishioner. “Also, it’s good for young boys to see and hear people from the seminary. The priesthood as a vocation has not been discussed (as an option for young men) like it used to be.”

Van De Bogert was also surprised to learn of the different courses offered for the diaconate program and lay ecclesial ministry. After Fr. Witczak’s visit, a woman enrolled in the lay ecclesial program and one man is considering the diaconate program.

“This was a way of connecting our parishioners and our guests to the training of future ministers of the church,” said Fr. Sanders. “It helped people become aware of the larger church.”

The seminary will open its doors to St. Benedict parishioners on Sept. 18 as a follow-up to the July weekend. Parishioners will have a tour, go to Mass and have lunch at the seminary.

Meyer encourages parishes to host a visit by Fr. Witczak. They can also tour the seminary. To set up a visit, contact Meyer at (414) 747-6436.

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