“I am not original,” a young priest told me recently.
Those are jarring words to hear.
America loves originality. The latest app. The flashy phone. The new initiative that promises to change the world.
But the heart of a priestly life is not in apps or phones or initiatives. It’s at the front, on the altar, in the confessional. It’s where priests have served God’s people since Pentecost.
Saint John’s Seminary is not original. Since our doors opened in 1884, 3,000 alumni have gone out from Brighton to serve the people of God across New England and beyond – hundreds of pastors, dozens of bishops, and at least one candidate for sainthood. None of them were original.
They were faithful. To the Truth, to the Sacraments, to the call of Jesus Christ.
Chances are, that’s how you know some of them. Our alumni live their lives for you, in parishes across New England and beyond. Perhaps a Saint John’s alumnus heard your first confession, prepared you for confirmation, or said your wedding Mass.
As the years pass, other Saint John’s men will be there to baptize your children, teach them the faith, and offer last rites to those you love. It doesn’t matter if you know their names. All that matters is the God they represent.
We train our seminarians to do that faithfully. If you’re reading this, you get it. You know the men we’re training. You know the mission that we serve. Please join our work! Help to form the priests who will serve you tomorrow. Give today.
Sincerely,
Very Rev. Stephen E. Salocks, ‘80
Rector
