SEMINARIAN FORMATION
“ The most profound thing for me was the communal aspect of it . In the past when I was at adoration , I would be one of the few people there . By contrast , here was a chapel full of men who are aspiring to be priests of Jesus Christ singing hymns and praying . I knew that this would be what seminary is like — praying together with a life centered around Christ ,” Ferrigan said .
At the weekly community Holy Hour , a resident priest gives a short talk on a variety of topics for reflection and prayer . Msgr . Daniel Trapp , who serves as the spiritual director for the seminarians , remembers the Holy Hour as part of his seminary experience in the 1980s . Msgr . Trapp believes the hour spent in communal prayer is the most important part of the week outside of Mass .
“ Jesus said to his disciples , ‘ Could you not spend one hour with me ?’ For centuries , this is the way that priests have spent that hour with Jesus . It ’ s a great assist to their celibate relationship with the Lord , taking this time to review their difficulties and bring those to the Lord in his presence ,” said Msgr . Trapp .
Ten years ago , first-year theology seminarian Mark Beukema had never even heard the term “ Holy Hour .” Beukema , now 43 years old , spent ten years in South Korea teaching English after obtaining his master ’ s degree . Raised in a devout Episcopalian family with a grandfather who was an Episcopalian priest , Beukema assumed he ’ d follow in his grandfather ’ s footsteps and become a priest for the Episcopal church he knew . But Beukema was disappointed in the direction his church was taking , and he had always been drawn to St . John Paul II and St . Teresa of Calcutta as examples of holiness . To him , it felt natural to become Catholic .
When he returned to the United States , Beukema decided to discern the priesthood with the Diocese of Marquette while living in the rectory at St . John the Evangelist in Ishpeming .
The day he arrived , he was introduced to the concept of a Holy Hour by Father Ryan Ford , pastor at St . John .
“ I thought prayer was one thing , and I realized , with Father Ryan ’ s tutelage , it was something else entirely . It was more powerful than what I was doing and what I knew it could be ,” said Beukema . “ It took me a long time to build a Holy Hour so that I could enter into it in a meaningful way .”
When he entered seminary , Beukema embraced the community Holy Hour in addition to a personal , daily Holy Hour . As a poet , Beukema “ thinks poetically ,” and the beauty of the Holy Hour with his fellow seminarians in the chapel has not been lost on him .
“ Recently , Father Steve Pullis gave a great talk about the Sacred Heart of Jesus . I think of all the images that he painted for us with his words , the incense lofting up above us , everyone getting on their knees to pray before the Lord in thanksgiving . . . it ’ s just a beautiful moment that ’ s seared in my memory ,” Beukema said .
Ferrigan and Beukema plan to bring eucharistic adoration to their future parishioners regularly in hopes of showing others how to fall in love with Jesus the same way they have . Both say they ’ ll miss the community Holy Hour with their fellow brothers in Christ after they leave Sacred Heart .
“ The community Holy Hour shows me that the best thing a priest can do is point people to Jesus ,” Ferrigan said . “ The communal aspect provides an important reminder to us that discerning priesthood isn ’ t something that we seminarians are meant to do alone . It ’ s true that we ’ re called to know the Lord in a personal way , but it ’ s also important to have an external element such as this which outwardly demonstrates that the whole community is centered around a total dependence on Jesus .” shms . edu 27