Chicago closes its seminary high school. Good.
By educating young men who would later become priests and bishops, law enforcers and political leaders, Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary helped shape a city and a church.
But in the end, the same shrinking enrollment and escalating costs that have plagued other schools in the archdiocese brought down the historic high school seminary.
On Tuesday, the archdiocese announced Quigley would close its doors in June 2007, marking the end of an era and signaling a significant shift in how the American church is drawing young men to the priesthood. [...]
A majority of families chose Quigley for its college preparatory curriculum. Even Cardinal Francis George has pointed out that Quigley has produced more lawyers than priests.
I know what you're thinking. The American church is drawing young men to the priesthood? (Rimshot.) Seriously, I hate to stomp on the ashes of a beloved institution, but this is a wise choice by the Chicago archdiocese. There's something disturbingly arcane about steering boys toward a demanding lifetime vocation at an age where some malls won't let them in alone.
Besides, I've resented Quigley since the time I happened to meet five of its graduates at a church mixer. All of the young men were married or engaged (you guessed it--not priests.) When I wondered aloud about the odds of meeting five seminary graduates who ended up choosing lay life, they corrected me: as it says above, most Quigley students don't end up choosing the priesthood. One of the guys, with creditable diffidence, mentioned that he and his parents made the choice because "it's basically a good deal": any boy with "sincere interest in the priesthood" can get financial help to attend Quigley.
Obviously this begs the question: Sincere interest? THEY'RE LIKE 12. In effect, the Archdiocese of Chicago has been offering a free or discounted Catholic education to any child--oops, male child--who agreed to "consider" the priesthood. So now that it mostly turns out lawyers and aldermen, they're closing the school--the investment no longer bringing desired returns. Despite the emotional cost to some in the community, it's a worthy gesture of respect to the laypeople whose dollars keep the archdiocese working.
Labels: news, theological education
posted by Theologienne @ 10:54 AM
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2 Comments:
Getting past the predictable gender-driven bile, I have to agree with your post. The remnants of the long gone "six-and-six" model of priesthood formation (H.S. and junior college, then senior college and "theologate") mostly shut down decades ago. Why a major archdiocese would wait is beyond me, and Lord only knows the facilities could be used for equally noble uses in the local church - catechesis, shelter, office space for ministerial work, formation for ecclesial lay ministers.
As one who experienced both college-level and grad-level seminary formation in an environment that once housed the old system (Saint Meinrad), I can tell you that in its day it had to be remarkable. I felt that by the architecture (think "barracks bathrooms"), and the histories passed on by many of the faculty who had studied there, or later joined the Benedictine monastery that sponsors the place. The cameraderie was good, and did not lead to the unprovoked female-bashing you suggest. (Honestly, we were all too busy!!)
Pray that the men who answer the call to priesthood and the diaconate find their paths to maturity in the world that now remains, and that those who grew up as "lifers" give something back, in gratitude.
Gender-driven bile? I do think it's unfair for the Church to comp what was probably a very good education for some boys with no equivalent program for girls. Symmetrically, though, the archdiocese does have a graduate tuition assistance program for lay ministers, which I suspect is overwhelmingly used by women.
And as a woman who attends school with mostly seminarians, I wouldn't say all-male environments foster female-bashing (necessarily--we could ask some Duke women what they think), and while I agree they can be great for individual and community development, they don't contribute much to good understanding between the sexes. Let's say I'm glad that my fellow women and I are there, and that the guys have opportunities to work collaboratively with women before they'll have to do so in the "real world."
It's good to see (from your profile) that some ex-seminarians do find ways to "give back" and integrate their formation into lay life. Amen to your prayer, and thanks for reading!
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