03 March 2010
Fr. McKearney spoke of the history of St. Patrick’s Seminary & University mentioning that the former bishop Daniel Walsh of the diocese is an alumnus of St. Patrick’s. It was noted that many of the region’s priests and bishops are graduates of St. Joseph’s College and Patrick’s Seminary. The presentation addressed the significant events in the birth and life of St. Patrick’s including the direction given the seminary by the Sulpician Fathers for all of its 111 years. The needs of contemporary seminarians and their proper education and preparation for priestly service according to the Program of Priestly Formation were presented to the group. Finally, emphasis was given to the programs and initiatives which strive to meet the needs of priests today through the Vatican II Institute. Among the many questions that arose during the evening some included how long does it take a seminarian to become a priest? Are seminarians and priests given proper training in the area of administration and finance? What are the specific programs offered to priests who have been out of the seminary for some time? The evening concluded with a fabulous meal prepared by members of the chapter. Fr. McKearney and Fr. Myers are looking forward to a process of continued collaboration with the various members of Legatus in order to support education efforts around priestly formation programs. The lecture and discussion was sponsored by the Las Vegas chapter of Legatus as part of their programming in this “Year for Priests.” it took place in the newly refurbished Serra House - a facility meant to house seminarians studying for the diocese and their vocation director.