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Diocese of Belleville
Seminarian List
Diocese of
2022-2023
Click on the link below for the current list:
2022-2023 Diocese of Belleville Seminarians List
Click below to view:
New Initiative by Diocese of Belleville to Encourage Recruitment for the Priesthood
PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS
Gracious God,
You have called us through Baptism to discipleship,
believing in your Son, Jesus Christ,
who has sent us to bring the Good News of salvation to the world.
We pray to you, asking that you grant us more priests and religious
who will help us build up your Church in the Diocese of Belleville and the world.
Stir up the grace of a religious vocation in the hearts of many of our youth.
Grant to them the willingness and generosity to give of themselves
in service to our Lord Jesus and his people.
May a new generation of priests, deacons, sisters and brothers
be a sign of your presence among us.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Amen.
For information on the Diocese of Belleville vocation
opportunities, please click on the link below:
https://www.diobelle.org/vocations
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Diocesan Vocations Contacts
VOCATIONS DIRECTORReverend Joel Seipp
618-687-2012
pastor@sasmboro.org
VOCATIONS PROMOTERS
Reverend Nicholas Fleming
618-974-9184
nickfleming91@gmail.comReverend Carl Schrage
618-234-1166
carlschrage@illinoisalumni.org
DIRECTOR OF SEMINARIANS
Reverend Nicholas G. Junker
618-722-5035
njunker08@hotmail.com -
Adopt a Seminarian!
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Vocations Corner
"Vocations Corner" is distributed monthly and provides a weekly thought or meditation for that particular month on vocations.March 2023
March 5:
As we continue our Lenten season, we witness in the Gospel Jesus “transfiguring” Himself to the Apostles. “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” Those powerful words remind each of us to “listen” to our call of vocation in life. Encourage each other to live our vocation, especially those considering a choice of religious life.
March 12:
“Father Pat York is the Dean of Students and Vice-Rector at Conception Seminary College. Father Pat recalls he considered the priesthood during his eighth grade year. He credits his parents as having the biggest influence on his priestly vocation. They encouraged their children to be open to God’s call as a priest or religious in the Church. The seed of his vocation took root in his family and grew from there. He would ask his parishioners, “Pray for the priests of our diocese. Support your parish priests. Pray fervently to the Lord for more religious vocations.” Fr. Pat also encourages parents to set an example for their children in practicing their faith, “do not treat it as a burden or obligation, but as a gift that is enriching.” (The Tower Topics, by Fr. Paul Sheller, O.S.B.)
March 19:
Today (March 19) is the feast of the Solemnity of St. Joseph. “When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him.” (Matt 1:24) “It was grace that moved Joseph to embrace his vocation as the guardian of Israel’s Messiah. It’s the same grace that empowers us to accept God’s call and wisdom for our lives. Joseph’s yes in faith changed the world. God also has a plan for your life. You don’t know where your yes might lead and how God might use it. Ask Joseph to help. Then, like Joseph, go out in faith to be a “doer of the word” (James 1:22).” (The Word Among Us)
March 26:
“I grew up in Haiti as the first child in a family of cradle Catholics. I heard stories about how my dad discerned the priesthood before he married my mom, and I witnessed the humanity of the religious sisters who taught me in school. This faith-filled environment sowed the seeds of my religious vocations, and as a young girl I believed I was called to be a sister. Years later, after my family settled in the United States, I became a lost sheep on a college campus. In 2008, I began to go to daily Mass, participated in Eucharistic adoration, and found a spiritual director. My discernment journey took me to many communities until, in 2010, I knew that the Lord was asking me say “yes” to him through the Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Church.”
Sister Christiana Marie Rene; Sisters of Mary, Spokane Wash. Columbia November 2018
April 2023
April 2
“I attended Catholic school in Guiana and the missionary priests there were my role models. Their authentic joy and unconditional love attracted me to religious life. As I continued my studies and began my career as a teacher, I made time to pray and attend daily Mass. Still, I ask myself “What next? What am I to do with my life now?” One day, I was meditating on the verse: “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer 29:11). I began corresponding with the vocations director. Despite the long distance, I felt in inner peace and happiness..”
Sister Mary Pauline Tamakloe; Oblate Sisters of Providence; Columba Magazine January 2022
April 9
Hallelujah!! He is Risen! All our souls have been redeemed. What a wonderful legacy! We need to share this Redemption story with others – our Calling as Catholics. This is what we commemorate through each celebration of the Eucharist which allows us to receive our Lord in Holy Communion. We need to witness to this fact through our daily lives – talking with our classmates, taking care of our spouses and children, engaging with our friends and family, with our co-workers – in all we do! This is our vocation - a Call to Holiness.
April 16th
Today’s readings offer so many lessons on our Call to Holiness. The reading from Acts tells of the community being one in sharing their possessions with everyone. What a wonderful response to the call. The Gospel tells of Thomas’ doubt in the Risen Christ. This doubt can creep into our lives with us wondering if God is really present in our daily lives. It is even more challenging for those discerning a religious vocation. Let us pray for our proper response to community and for the discerner’s doubt to be relieved.
April 23
“A difficult freshman year of high school left me feeling alone and far away from God, in part because of my sins. I decided to do something different and attended a Catholic youth conference. It was there that I heard Jesus say, “Estevan, you’re not just a face in the crowd. I love you, and I’m calling you to be a saint.” From that moment on, I sought to give my life to him. After graduating high school, I entered seminary. The biggest thing I’ve learned is to lean into the Lord’s grace. No matter where your discernment leads, open wide your heart to Christ, and he will not disappoint you.”
Fr. Estevan Wetzel; Diocese of Phoenix; Columbia Magazine December 2021
April 30
Today we acknowledge the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Will you make a special effort to ask the Lord for vocations to the priesthood and religious life? Pray for the priests who have ministered to you throughout your life, both living and dead. Encourage your children, grandchildren, or other young people to consider a vocation as a priest or religious brother or sister. Pray a rosary for more young men and women in our diocese to respond to God’s call. To quote Pope Francis, “Each one of us is called – whether to the lay life in marriage, to the priestly life in the ordained ministry, or to a life of special consecration – in order to become a witness of the Lord, here and now.”
https://vianneyvocations.com/product-category/wdpv/
https://worlddayofprayerforvocations.com
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"The Veil Removed"
"The Veil Removed is a short film that reveals the coming together of heaven and earth at Mass, as seen by saints and mystics, revealed by Scripture and in the Catechism of the Catholic Church."
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Supporting our Seminarians . . .
Our Belleville Diocese is currently blessed with five (5) seminarians. Meeting the needs of their formation -- tuition, books, room and board and other expenses -- is approximately $47,000 per year for each seminarian. Your contribution to seminarian education is truly an investment in our faith and the life of the Church here in southern Illinois.
