In the Light of Faith

[Editorial from the Southern Nebraska Register
(Aug. 28, 1998)]

The highly attended dedication of St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward and the return of all students for another year of studies calls us to reflect on why we devote so many of our resources toward education.

Before Christianity, few people were exposed to education. The wealthy or promising few were sent by pagan parents to small schools run by people like Plato to study philosophy, which means "love of wisdom." All different subjects were studied in order to see how they all fit together. This was done for the personal benefit of knowng the truth, not because it would land you a job.

Christian parents wanted their children to be educated except they knew that the human mind could not fit all those subjects together properly on its own, so all subjects were looked at through the eyes of faith or revelation which comes through Christ and His Church.

This is the basis of all university education as it developed in Europe through the centuries. Theology was studied by all students before they could go on to study law or medicine. We still have this tradition but we've dropped the theology part and replaced it with computer learning.

Our new college seminary will assure that young men who seek to serve God fully will be given the opportunity to learn about all human activity and God's creation in the light of faith. They will do so in an environment of supportive prayer separated in some ways from the noise and temptations of our society which is increasingly rejecting the Christian ideal of sacrificial service.

St. Gregory lived in a time of great corruption and is best known for the extensive demands he instituted that clergy might properly prepare for and live worthily their entrusted offices of pastoring God's Church. His efforts preserved the Church as it left the ages of barbarianism. How proper that Bishop Bruskewitz has appealed to his legacy and prayers to prepare our clergy as we drift in modern secular barbarianism. We constantly hear calls to improve our nation's educational system but the reason given is our economic future and not the need of each individual to seek and know the truth. Jesus told us the truth would set us free.

Establishing a new seminary is an unusual event and some see it as pioneering. But it shows that the Catholic Faith in the Lincoln Diocese is vital and committed. Indeed, we must be thankful to the young men and their families who are willing to sacrifice for the benefit of all. We also must realize the generosity that exists to be able to financially support this effort and be full of thanks.

Having our young men trained at home has many benefits. The visibility of the institution will encourage vocations because many young men can now visit the facility and see for themselves the joy and satisfaction of those living there, families will be closer to their sons and most importantly our bishop will be able to be a closer and stronger influence on his spiritual sons.

Our investment in St. Gregory the Great Seminary is great but its future will depend totally on prayer: the prayer of those who study there, the prayer of those who teach and guide there, the prayer of those who consider attending there, and the prayer of our children and all of us who desire to be guided by the Spirit of Truth, not toward an economic future, but toward a future in service to God and neighbor both as clergy and as lay members of the Church.

[Updated 10/3/98]