When he celebrated a Mass in May marking the fifth anniversary of Saint John Paul II Seminary in Washington, Cardinal Donald Wuerl – the seminary’s founder – said the seminarians studying there should always remember its special link to three popes: St. John Paul II, for whom the seminary is named; Pope Benedict XVI, who was pontiff when the seminary began in 2011; and Pope Francis, who visited there during his 2015 trip to Washington.
That connection to those three popes weaves through the fabric of the lives of the seminarians studying there and the priests guiding them.
“With St. John Paul II, it’s not just the name. He’s the patron saint of the seminary,” said Father Carter Griffin, the seminary’s vice-rector who also serves as the archdiocese’s director of priest vocations. “He was a man of tireless pastoral activity, because it was grounded in his relationship to our Lord and devotion to our Lady.”
St. John Paul II is not only a priestly role model for the priests and seminarians there, but the chapel has two of the saint’s relics, including a piece of the blood-stained cassock he was wearing on the day when an attacker tried to assassinate the pope in 1981, which offers a poignant reminder of every priest’s call to give his life for Christ. And the formation of the seminarians is guided by a document that the future saint wrote on priestly formation.
In the seminary’s hallway, a framed and signed apostolic blessing from Pope Benedict XVI is on display. But the most special connection to Pope Benedict XVI can be found in the seminary’s chapel, where the altar that pontiff used at his 2008 Papal Mass at Nationals Park is now used as the seminary’s altar. “It’s the center of the seminary each day,” said Msgr. Robert Panke, the seminary’s rector who guides the formation of the archdiocese’s seminarians. “We adore Him (Jesus) from the altar, and we receive Him (in Communion) at the altar.”
The seminarians also study Pope Benedict’s writings, Father Griffin noted. “Pope Benedict was a consummate teacher. He taught the faith with such clarity and beauty, and his writings are read and prayed about by the seminarians,” the priest said.
The third papal connection unfolded this past September, as Pope Francis visited the seminary after celebrating the Canonization Mass for St. Junípero Serra outside the nearby Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
“The vicar of Christ, he taught us out on those steps,” said Msgr. Panke, still smiling almost nine months after the pope’s encounter with the seminarians and priests at St. John Paul II Seminary. He said that to have the Holy Father “come to your place, your seminary, it was so special. It was a uniquely grace-filled moment.”
Pope Francis told the men that the priesthood is “a journey of service,” and that if they are good priests, they should go to bed tired each night from serving God and His people. He also encouraged them to adore Christ, not only in the chapel, but by how they live.
The seminary’s altar contains an altar stone used by Archbishop John Carroll, who in 1789 became the bishop of Baltimore and the first Catholic bishop of the new United States of America.
The seminarians and priests there have a living connection to their current archbishop, Cardinal Wuerl, who celebrates Mass and prays with them during the year, and also meets with the seminarians to offer them personal encouragement.
“He exhibits a love for the Church and the Holy Father,” said Msgr. Panke.
Cardinal Wuerl blessed and dedicated the new seminary in 2011, when it had 20 initial seminarians studying there, and three years later, he blessed its new wing that included 20 additional student rooms. Now construction is underway for a new multi-purpose lecture hall and a larger dining room there, and this fall, about 50 seminarians are expected to be enrolled there for this coming school year, including more than 30 for the Archdiocese of Washington. Next year, three men from the seminary’s initial group of seminarians are on track to be ordained as priests for the archdiocese.
The two priests who lead the seminary said it is a prayerful, joyful place, and the seminarians want to serve God and the Church. “They’re exception for their generation, preparing to be leaders, whether they’re ordained or not,” said Father Griffin. “They love the Lord and want to do something great with their lives.”
As the seminary continues to grow, its connection to three popes, and to its founding archbishop, helps shape the next generation of priests being trained there to serve the people of the Archdiocese of Washington. “We’re very grateful to Cardinal Wuerl for his vision and leadership,” said Msgr. Panke. “This is a great gift to our archdiocese for the formation of its future priests.”
