Pennsylvania’s St. Charles Borromeo Seminary has joined a national program led by Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon that will train priests to mentor seminarians. The program is a response to the U.S. bishops’ latest regulations for priestly formation.
“This collaboration reflects our unwavering commitment to forming priests who are prepared for the pastoral, administrative, and relational challenges of parish life,” Archbishop Nelson Pérez of Philadelphia said. “By investing in mentorship, we ensure that our newly ordained priests receive the guidance and support they need to flourish in ministry and serve God’s people with joy and integrity.”
A Dec. 4 press release from Mount Angel Abbey, a Benedictine monastery that operates the apostolate of Mount Angel Seminary, explains that Lilly Endowment Inc. awarded them a $10 million grant as part of the endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow initiative.
The initiative will train the priests who mentor ordained deacons in the Vocational Synthesis stage, in which deacons spend time at a parish shortly before their priestly ordination. This is in accordance with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Program of Priestly Formation, 6th ed.
“For nearly 140 years, our monastic community has operated the Seminary as our primary apostolate, forming priests for many dioceses in this country who are prepared for the ever-changing demands of pastoral ministry,” said Abbot Jeremy Driscoll, abbot and chancellor of Mount Angel Abbey and Seminary. “We joyfully accept this award which allows us to continue this important work of priestly formation and to bring it to a new level.”
Abbot Driscoll also expressed his confidence in the president-rector of the seminary, Father Jeff Eirvin.
“As we prepare the next generation of priests for a changing world, equipping them for leadership, administration, and relational demands is vital for the success of parish life,” Fr. Eirvin added.
He also said that Mount Angel Seminary is excited to help parish priests integrate new clergy into parish ministry.
Other seminaries across the country will participate in the initiative, including Saint Mary Seminary in Cleveland, Ohio, Saint Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida, The Saint Paul Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USML Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois, and Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as well as The Seminary Formation Council.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private foundation, started in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. which supports community development, education, and religion, according to the release. It launched the Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative in 2021, providing more than $700 million to support 163 theological schools.
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