Alaskan seminarians reflect on summer & look ahead to continuing priestly formation

CatholicAnchor.org
As the summer days grow shorter and autumn approaches, students across Alaska are preparing for the beginning of a new school year. Among those students are the four young men studying to become priests for the Archdiocese of Anchorage. The Catholic Anchor caught up with each of these seminarians to learn what they did over their summer break, and what the next academic year holds in store.

KEVIN KLUMP

Kevin Klump will be entering his third year of major seminary at St. Paul Seminary in Minnesota. He spent the majority of his summer with 175 other seminarians from across North America at The Institute of Priestly Formation in Omaha, Nebraska.

“The summer was dedicated to affective development in deep prayer, fraternity, and study about daily discernment prayer, celibacy, priestly identity and the sacred liturgy,” Klump said of the institute.

He said it was difficult to choose just one highlight, but one that stood out was learning to pray the Daily Examen, an Ignatian spiritual habit which calls to mind God’s presence throughout the day, seeks forgiveness of sins, increases gratitude, asks petitions and plans for the day ahead.

When Klump returns to Saint Paul Seminary, he is looking forward to delving deeply into Scripture and fraternity with his brother seminarians.

“I have been reading the Holy Gospel according to Saint John of late, and I am very excited to study the Holy Gospel formally this semester,” he said. “I am also very much looking forward to further conversion and growth into Christ Jesus.” His courses will include Catholic Social Teaching, Johannine Literature, the prophets, patristics and sexual morality. Klump is projected to be ordained a deacon in the summer of 2018, and a priest in 2019; both ordinations are anticipated to occur on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart.

JAKE BROWNLEE

Jake Brownlee spent the first part of his summer at home in Alaska assigned to various parishes. He visited parishes in Soldotna, Kenai, Homer and Seward.

“This was a great experience for me,” he said of the visits. “I was able to experience the church in these parts of the archdiocese where I had only normally gone to fish. The people have incredible faith. I would love to be a priest there one day and serve the people of the Kenai Peninsula.”

Brownlee spent the remainder of his summer in Bristol Bay where he works as a commercial fisherman to pay for his seminary studies.

The highlight of his summer was when, during his time in Bristol Bay, they caught 20,000 pounds of fish in one day. He is now preparing to return to Minnesota where he will begin his final year of minor seminary at St. John Vianney Seminary where he will complete his double major in philosophy and Catholic studies. He is looking forward to serving as a leader for the incoming freshmen seminarians. He anticipates being ordained in the summer of 2022.

ED BURKE

Ed Burke will be entering his second year of minor seminary at St. John Vianney Seminary in Minnesota. He spent his summer doing odd jobs such as landscaping and cutting firewood, and working on a fishing boat in the Cook Inlet. The highlight of his summer was attending Father Robert Whitney’s priestly ordination. When he returns to school, he is looking forward to more time for prayer and daily access to the sacraments. He is working toward a double major in philosophy and Catholic Studies. He is projected to be ordained to the priesthood in the summer of 2024.

MADISON HAYES

Madison Hayes emailed responses to the Catholic Anchor from Siena, Italy, where he has begun a language immersion program as he prepares for theological studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Before he left for Italy, he had a full summer at home in Alaska. The day he finished his pre-theology studies at St. Paul Seminary, he flew to Eielson Air Force Base near North Pole as part of his chaplain candidacy, as his seminary studies are co-sponsored by both the Anchorage Archdiocese and the Archdiocese of Military Services. He worked with the priest chaplain, serving the active duty airmen and National Guardsmen for 33 days.

When his time at Eielson was completed, he headed to Anchorage to witness the ordination of Father Robert Whitney on June 23. The following day, he was officially accepted as a candidate for holy orders at a Mass celebrated at the Holy Spirit Center by Anchorage Archbishop Paul Etienne. This celebration was the highlight of Hayes’ summer.

“It was an enormous grace to be able to take this important step in my formation,” he said.

Afterward, he enjoyed showing out-of-town family around Alaska and spent some time fishing. As he prepares for his studies in Rome, he is looking forward to being “immersed in the richness of the universal church, especially being a stone’s throw away from the Rock of our Church (Pope Francis).” His anticipated diaconate ordination is October 2020, with priesthood in the summer of 2021.