By Sue Schulzetenberg

The Visitor
 1-6-12

It’s the year for Rome for seminarians of the St. Cloud Diocese.

Ten of the diocese’s 19 seminarians will be spending time in the Eternal City in 2012.

“We’ll have more seminarians in Rome than we’ve ever, ever had,” said Father Gregory Mastey, diocesan vocations director. “It’s an education that’s filled with connections to the early church.”

The seminarians are studying and touring in Rome for various lengths of time — from four years to slightly more than a week. Father Mastey said studying in the city allows seminarians to see new spiritual sites and devotions, learn about church traditions, experience the universal church and bring home stories to share with future parishioners.

Some seminarians will not study in Rome for extended lengths of time, and that is good too because then they will not all be formed from the same mold, he said.

Extended stays

Four seminarians — Thomas Howes, Joseph Koczur, Aaron Nett and Jeremy Theis — are in the midst of four years of graduate studies in Rome.

“Just living in Rome, seeing all the beautiful works of art, how churches are supposed to be built, learning from the top theologians of the church and being close to the Holy Father are highlights,” he added.

Howes said he has especially treasured seeing historical sites in Europe that are significant to the church’s history and making friends with people from around the world. He also realized he wants Minnesota to be his home.

“In general for a person’s human development, getting out of your own culture and being a stranger in another culture is a beneficial thing for person’s perspective and growth,” Howes said.

Transitional deacons Joseph Backowski, Ben Kociemba and Jeremy Ploof are participating in a January term in Rome.

“We will be going to Rome to see the Vatican offices, many of the churches and historical sites, visit the St. Cloud seminarians who are in Rome and maybe even attend Mass with Pope Benedict XVI,” Deacon Ploof said.

In March, two seminarians, Seth Lardy and Derek Wiechmann, will spend about nine days in Rome. They will visit the Vatican and Assisi.

“It’s going to be a pilgrimage, so it will be a prayerful week,” Wiechmann said. “It’s during Lent, so it will be a time of fasting and penance. I look forward to growing in my faith during that week.”

Seminarian Doug Liebsch is participating in a semester abroad in Rome through the Catholic studies program of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. One of his highlights has been serving for Pope Benedict’s Christmas Eve Mass.

“It was good to be so close to the Holy Father,” Liebsch said. “He is the man who has been given the keys to bind and loose on this earth in Christ’s absence before he

 comes again. He has the same office that our Lord gave to Peter.

“Being so close to Pope Benedict helped me to realize his humanness and the mystery of the papacy,” he added. “The man whom Jesus Christ has put in charge of the

 church as successor of Peter is a real man.”

Liebsch also found praying at many holy sites and saints’ tombs in Italy enriching.

“Praying at these sites really makes me think about the reality of the church and the impact that she has had on the world in the past and continues to have today,” he said.

Pictured above:

Photo courtesy of Doug Liebsch

Doug Liebsch is studying in Rome for a semester. He served Mass for Pope Benedict on Christmas Eve.