Renewal and Calling: The Propaedeutic Stage in Light of the Jubilee Year
January14,2025
The Jubilee Year Begins
On Sunday, December 29, Archbishop Thomas Zinkula celebrated Mass at the Cathedral of St. Raphael to mark the opening of the Jubilee Year in harmony with dioceses worldwide. The Archbishop presided at the celebration, which began with a procession led by the Metropolitan Cross and included the blessing of water and the sprinkling of the assembly.
The Cathedral parish is currently undergoing renovations, but this isn’t stopping the celebration of Jubilee events. Fr. Dennis Quint, Pastor at both the Cathedral and St. Patrick in Dubuque, is celebrating a Jubilee Prayer Service for Health Care Workers at St. Patrick on Saturday, April 5, at 10:00 a.m. “There will be time for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Confessions as well as part of our Lenten observance,” said Fr. Quint.
Parish leaders are planning a multi-tiered approach to welcoming parishioners, local Catholics, and the faithful throughout the archdiocese to the Cathedral when the renovation is complete.
Left Photo: Archbishop Thomas Zinkula stands next to the Metropolitan Cross, which was chosen to lead the procession and open the celebratory year as it has led processions for so many special liturgical celebrations of the Church in Northeast Iowa. Metropolitan crosses have a second crossbar, which represents the plaque on the Cross of Christ containing the inscription INRI (Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum - Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews) and are used in liturgies celebrated by the metropolitan of a province. The Archbishop of Dubuque is the Metropolitan of the Province of Dubuque, which includes the dioceses of Davenport, Des Moines, and Sioux City.
Renewal and Calling: The Propaedeutic Stage in Light of the Jubilee Year
The Jubilee Year has historically been a time of renewal. The Jubilee serves as a reminder that God is close to his people and provides for them, calling them to grow closer to Him and provide for one another.
Three seminarians have entered into their own phase of spiritual growth and reflection this year, in the Propaedeutic Stage of their seminary formation.
In 2023, the Holy See and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops added an introductory “Propaedeutic Stage” to priestly formation. This year is a dedicated period to focus intensely on spiritual and human development by cultivating the skills they need to live in community and lay the foundations of spiritual life. Prayer is at the heart of this period. Sean Hamilton, Matt Mitchell, and Cory Rude are the first in the Archdiocese of Dubuque to take part in this new stage of formation.
Fr. Mark Murphy, Archdiocesan Vocations Director, explains, “This initial year in seminary formation is meant to be a time of further discernment as a man moves from whatever he was doing previously (work or school) into seminary life with a focus on developing the spiritual and human dimensions of a person.”
Sean Hamilton - Propaedeutic Stage Home Parish: St. Ludmila in Cedar Rapids
The past three months have been some of the best of my life! Being a seminarian involves a lot of classes and prayer, but what has been the most interesting and challenging for me has been all the things that happen outside of the chapel and classroom. New this year, the Propaedeutic Stage seminarians spend Tuesdays and Thursdays at Divine Word College in Epworth, IA. Divine Word College is a college/seminary for the Society of the Divine Word (DW), an international missionary order of religious. The culture at DW is second to none, everyone is truly welcome and knows they are part of the community. DW is a truly international campus that has over 20 different countries represented among the student body. I have had the privilege to partake in several multicultural masses and non-English masses. Seeing how different cultures celebrate Mass is fascinating and has really opened my eyes to the universal church.
Another eye-opening experience has been living in a community. Learning how to disagree and remain brothers has been a new experience for me. A part of living together that I am surprised to find enjoyable is the structure that regular prayer hours provide. Every weekday, we gather as a community at 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. for prayer. These regular times force me to set aside schoolwork or other activities and join the community in raising our hearts to God. In many ways, my entire day is centered around these hours and so these two hours provide a constant rock in an otherwise changing schedule.
Thank you very much for your support of my brothers and myself as we discern our vocations!
Matt Mitchell - Propaedeutic Stage Home Parish: St. Thomas Aquinas in Ames
My name is Matt Mitchell and I am a first year Propaedeutic Stage seminarian for Dubuque. I entered formation in August of this year. This is the first year the Archdiocese is integrating the Propaedeutic Stage so, in many ways, we are serving as ‘guinea pigs’ for future seminarians. I’d like to comment on a few aspects of this formation stage that I have found very helpful in my discernment towards the priesthood.
First, the creation of another year of formation that is primarily focused on the human and spiritual growth within a man is invaluable. The wisdom of the Church desired this stage for men to encounter deeper stirrings of the heart and soul without the distraction of demanding academics. This is a blessing. In the context of seminary, many deep issues arise regarding a man’s past, his woundedness, and how he believes God sees him. This year grants space for these deep issues to be looked at, accepted, and improved in the tender gaze of God. Second, separation from the world is a huge part of this year. Participating in technology fasts, entering into silence, and growing in obedience have allowed me to fall in love with God once more and to fully abandon my cares to Him. Finally, this Propaedeutic Stage has given me space and time to further my understanding of philosophical and theological material. We have taken deep dives into topics such as Theology of the Body, Lectio Divina, and Philosophy. Each of these topics expand one’s capacity for prayer and have further reminded me of how ripe God is in every element of life.
"Overall, this first semester has been a blessing to be in. The peace, consolation, and rest that seminary has provided me with in this Propaedeutic Stage is what I hope so many others can experience."
- Matt Mitchell
Cory Rude - Propaedeutic Stage Home Parish: St. Ludmila in Cedar Rapids
I would like to start off by praising God for the beautiful gift of seminary formation. By no means or stretch of the imagination has this been an easy four months, but boy oh boy has it been worth it! I am nearly done with my first semester in the Propaedeutic Stage of seminary formation. Propaedeutic is essentially a “fancy” way of saying preparation. The main goal of this first year of formation is to center my life on Jesus Christ and to focus on the human and spiritual pillars of formation.
There is an oft repeated refrain of “We need more priests! Why on earth is the church adding another year to seminary formation… Don’t they understand we are in a vocations crisis?”
While it is understandable that people are concerned and desire more shepherds to tend the Lord’s flock, it is important that we trust the guidance of the Holy Mother Church. The Church, as I have been told, doesn’t just need “more bodies”, it needs healthy and happy priests. On that note, I am learning so very much about myself and people in general. To use a construction analogy, I am laying the foundation (through the guidance of the Holy Mother Church) for a healthy vocation, whatever that may end up being. I believe that God is calling me to “shepherd His flock and serve His people” and this is the first step!