On May 1, I was blessed to attend the “Senior Mass” at Saint Andrew’s College Seminary (Seton Hall University) as one our seminarians, Nickolas Naticchione, prepares for graduation. This is a big step, as he will soon begin his theological studies on his journey toward the Altar of the Lord! Not only was Nickolas being honored, but he also helped plan and lead us in the liturgy as cantor. It was a very special night for him and for his family.
As an alumnus of this seminary, being present at these important events always feels like going back home, as so many good memories come back to me. It is such a great gift to the see the happiness of the seminarians, especially our men from Camden.
As I waited for the Mass to begin, I stood outside the Immaculate Conception Chapel at Seton Hall and enjoyed the nice, cool weather. I was able to talk to our seminarians and other seminarians from neighboring dioceses. As always, I was so impressed by their joy and their hope. They were there celebrating their brother seminarians, while also looking forward to their future graduations, which would take place in the next couple of years. It was wonderful to see this and to think about my future visits for these great and important celebrations.
So often, I want to reflect, and with some sadness miss my own days in the seminary, but these young men teach me and all of us the importance of growing and always moving forward. Our vocation is about service and becoming who we were created to be: saints! This cannot be done by a “business as usual” attitude, but by accepting the challenges God gives us through our lives and doing our best to rise and meet those challenges and grow in the confidence that God has given us in our gifts and talents. It means picking ourselves up and trying again when we fail or fall, and giving God the best we have to bring others to Him.
God continues to speak to us, and we need to be open to His voice as He calls us to serve Him in so many different and beautiful ways. We are given so many chances to grow and to be open to God’s call, and we need to make the most of each of them. This is what our seminarians – and all men thinking or discerning the priesthood – are called to do in our lives. We do this through prayer, study and service. Saint Andrew’s College Seminary has done this for so many men, and I was happy to see the fruit of all their work in the seminarians I spoke with.
We continue to pray for Nickolas and all seminarians as they continue to follow God’s call. We also pray for the five men who will be ordained May 14 as they prepare for their ministry here in our Diocese. We hope that many other young men will follow their example, have the courage to say “Yes!” to the Lord and follow His call to be His priests.
Father Adam Cichoski is director of vocations for the Diocese of Camden.
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