Seminary Education Fund allows seminarians to focus on discernment, not finances

Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

“I think it’s one of the best things we do,” said Father Conor Kunath, vocations director for the Diocese of Covington, about the Seminary Education Fund. The fund directly supports the formation of seminarians in the Diocese of Covington, helping them focus soley on discernment without the stress of financial strain.

There is an annual collection weekend for the Seminarian Education Fund, this year it is October 25-26; however the fund takes donations all year.

Currently, the Diocese of Covington has six men in seminary formation. One is in the second year of his configuration stage, two are in the discipleship stage and three are in their first year of formation — the propaedeutic year.

The propaedeutic year of seminary formation was introduced widely across the United States for the 2023-2024 school year after the Vatican identified an issue. “Young Catholic men aren’t as well formed coming out of high school and college as they had been in past generations,” said Father Kunath.

The Diocese of Covington has three seminarians studying in their propaedeutic year: Aaron Batson, Mother of God Parish, Covington; Evan Callahan, Sts. Peter and Paul, California; and Evan Ihrig, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Burlington.

“The idea of the propaedeutic year was to set aside a whole year in which guys could do intensive, human formation work. It’s more like a yearlong retreat that they go on where they’re really focused on deep self-reflection and deep human and spiritual formation,” explained Father Kunath.

Those in the propaedeutic year take almost no classes for credits, the whole year is set aside for personal and spiritual formation, ensuring that the seminarians are prepared for the “discipleship stage,” of seminary.

This stage, following the propaedeutic year, is where, “they’re going to enter more seriously into the intellectual formation that they need to do philosophy. You’re going to continue going on the stuff you did in the propaedeutic year, lots of human formation, a lot of spiritual formation in there as well,” said Father Kunath.

Two of the six seminarians for the Diocese of Covington are in the discipleship stage: William Fuller, Holy Cross Parish, Latonia, is in his second year of the discipleship stage, and Joseph O’Bryan, Immaculate Heart of Mary, is in his first year of this stage. During this point in formation, the seminarians will typically study to receive a college degree, in turn the discipleship stage will take 3-4 years to complete.

Following the discipleship stage is the configuration stage. Where a seminarian will do 3.5 years of study and formation before being ordained a deacon and ministering at a parish for the final six months.

In this stage, “your discernment is going to move from, ‘Am I called to be in seminary to Am I called to be ordained,’” said Father Kunath. “Now we have to give you the practical skills that you need for ministry as a priest in the diocese. How to be a confessor, how to do some level of parish administration. You’re also able to dive deeply into the theological life of the Church,” he said. The Diocese has one seminarian in the configuration stage, Michael Schulte, St. Pius X Parish, Edgewood, is in his second year of configuration.

The Seminary Education Fund raises money in support of all the seminarians in formation for the Diocese of Covington. “It’s an expensive ministry that we have,” said Father Kunath. “It really does show just how much we as a diocese love our seminarians and love our priests and I don’t think that you can really put a value on that.”