Institute provides for priestly formation

By Renee Webb, Globe editor
Posted January 9, 2003

Seminarians of the Diocese of Sioux City take part in a variety of educational experiences to prepare them for the priesthood. In recent years some of them have participated in a 10-week course at The Institute for Priestly Formation in Omaha.

According to the director of the institute, Father Richard Gabuzda, it starts with a silent, directed eight-day retreat. During this retreat the seminarians meet once a day with a spiritual director and meet daily as a group for Mass, but other than that it is all silent so the men can learn to listen to God.

"We also have classes, but they emphasize integrating classroom learning with personal prayer," he explained. Class topics include prayer and virtue, Christian spirituality and sexuality, the spirituality of diocesan priesthood and liturgical spirituality. "Finally, the seminarians also work in hospitals and nursing homes for several days a week during six weeks of the summer."

Todd McCoy, a seminarian of the diocese who attends St. Meinrad School of Theology in Ind., took part in the institute last summer.

"The program taught me a lot about myself and the importance of prayer in my life," he said. "I came away with a greater appreciation of the liturgy and how the celebration of the liturgy relates to my personal prayer life."

He found the program to be very beneficial to his formation because, in part, he learned so much about himself especially relating to sexuality and spirituality.

"I learned how to more fully embrace celibacy as a gift from God," said McCoy.

Father Gabuzda pointed out that the institute stresses the importance of "receiving the call to a celibate life as a call not simply to give up something, but to see it as a call to a life of generativity, of fruitfulness. Celibacy received in this way helps the priest to enliven parishes and individuals with whom he is called to work."

The numbers of seminarians attending the institute have grown steadily since the program started in the summer of 1995. Last year 81 seminarians took part and this summer the institute expects to draw more than 100.

Father Kevin Richter, pastor at St. Boniface Church in Sioux City, became affiliated with the institute in the summer of 1997. After becoming familiar with the formation program while taking classes for his master's in the Christian Spirituality Program at Creighton University, he began to serve there as one of its spiritual directors and works with them on other projects.

"Every seminarian during the summer program must meet with a spiritual director once a week," he explained. "Generally, each summer I work with six seminarians." For the last two years, he has attended the retreat which enabled him to meet with the seminarians on a daily basis during that time.

Father Richter said the program fills an important niche in the formation for the seminarians.

For 10 weeks, there is an intense focus on their own spirituality and their own relationship with God," he said.

Father Richter continues to be involved in the Institute for Priestly Formation because he sees value in it.

"The program was very helpful to my seminary formation in many ways, some of which I do not yet realize," said McCoy, a native of Jefferson. "It was an amazing experience for me and my formation."

And even though he works at the institute as opposed to attending classes there, it has been very rewarding for Father Richter, He has found working with seminarians in their spiritual direction to be very strengthening for him personally.