St Joseph Preparatory Seminary - Thane Yearbook (Vienna, WV)

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R 71,5 6 -? lifgwba !f ir'p Q L . 'M . Dear Students, The men who have chosen avocation to the Priesthood as the most important dedication of their life deserve the respect y and honor of all the People of God. In years gone by there was always some fear that the neophyte might have come to the Seminary with a motive other than the right one. Experience proved that many had been moved to their de- cision by motives other than a generous giving of self to God and His Work. Today we are going through a renewal which at times is accompanied by aberations which cause great anguish and confusion. But even this turmoil has some good in that it demands a personal reappraisal of the importance of faith and of its place in our life. A Seminarian today when he enters the Seminary knows exactly, of should know, what he is doing and what he can expect. For quite some time now a concerted attack has been levelled against the Seminary, its purpose and its methods. It has been said that the Seminary has no importance in modern life because the priest has lost his identity. The young man in this time who wishes to give himself to God in the service of the Priesthood has done a lot of soul-searching, a lot of weighing of the arguments for and against a dedicated life in religion. Finally, he has had to make a determined decision against this background of pessimism and hostile attitudes. The Seminarian of today is a man in the true sense of the word. There is nothing of the immature boy in him. He has made a decision that affects his entire life and one that molds the stuff of his character. For this reason I salute the Seminarians of St. Joseph Preparatory seminary and tell them in all seriousness that if they persevere time will prove the rightness of their decision. Sincerely Yours in Christ O John King Mussio Bishop of Steubenville

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0435 ln. si . fi 'ii A usouuuvnm A Dear Students, We know that a true vocation to the priesthood is fundamentally from God. We know also that this calling is g answered by men. He must serve God first. Service to men is tied to this. The priest participates in Christ's redemptive mission. As Christ is teacher, priest and king, so the priest is called from above to proclaim the Word, to celebrate the Eucharist and the other sacraments, and to rule the people of God. He does this in the framework of the total priesthood of all the laity, nevertheless they do not have the calling nor powers of the ordained priest. There are many things a young man does to prepare for the priesthood. Many of these things are in common with all the servants of God, that iswith all the people. The spiritual life of the seminarian must be special because he is preparing for a special priesthood. He starts out with same basic faith of baptized christians, but that faith must grow in the love of God. This growth must be consistent and go through many trials. Without this love he will not be able to make the commitment of himself which is so total. Moreover, unless he is a man of prayer, unless he has a personal relationship with his Creator and Redeemer, he will not be able to live this life to its fullness. In your days at St. Joseph Preparatory Seminary may you, indeed, cooperate with the grace of God that your preparation be well founded as you advance towards the priesthood of Jesus Christ. God bless you. This is my prayer for you. Cordially yours in Christ, ff'-M24 Joseph H. Hodges Bishop of Wheeling

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Shalom, the Hebrew word for peace, is difficult to define because of its comprehensiveness. Shalom is more than a conventional greeting, though that is its common use in the Near East today. The outcome of righteousness, Shalom expresses every form of happiness. Abundance, strength and life are all constitutive elements in Shalom. It includes all that the Israelite understood by the term good every kind of material and spiritual well-being. The man who possessed Shalom had everything, because the word implies all the happiness a man is capable of absorbing. The greeting Shalom , then, is actually a prayer. This is our prayer for all mankind, and especially for YOU.