Forty-six men and women received degrees from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary during its 189th annual Concursus graduation ceremony held May 13 at Mary, Mother of the Redeemer Church in North Wales with about 300 people in attendance.
Among the some 300 people in attendance were the eight men that Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez ordained for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on Saturday, May 16.
>>>SEE PHOTOS: St. Charles Borromeo Seminary Celebrates 189th Concursus Ceremony
The eight priests, who earned graduate degrees in theology from the seminary, make up the largest class of new priests for Philadelphia since 2002.
In his Concursus remarks, Archbishop Pérez gave hearty congratulations and encouragement to the 46 graduates of the seminary’s graduate and undergraduate degree programs. He also praised the 78 faculty and staff members who serve the seminary while recognizing its importance to the Catholic Church.
“The seminary, at so many different levels, is actually the heart of a diocese that forms its ministers, whether they’re priests or deacons or laypeople for service,” the archbishop said.
The reach of the seminary’s formation programs will spread over more than half of the length of the continental United States and 8,800 miles away to the Indian Subcontinent.
Seminary graduates come from archdioceses and dioceses across the United States including Denver and Lincoln, Neb. along with Eastern U.S. dioceses including Allentown, Harrisburg, Arlington, Va., Bridgeport, Conn., and Greensburg, Pa.
Two other seminarians will be ordained priests for the Archdiocese of Colombo in Sri Lanka.
At least 27 of the 46 people receiving degrees Wednesday come from the Delaware Valley.
Five seminarians received Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy degrees, while four accepted pre-theology letters of completion. Six men received Master of Arts in Philosophical Studies and 30 men in priestly formation, women in religious life and laypeople received a Master of Arts in Theology degree.
Father Dominic Brin’K, parochial vicar at St. Helena Parish in Philadelphia’s Olney section, also received a Master of Divinity degree.
Few diocesan seminaries in the United States end the academic year with Concursus, a long tradition of St. Charles Seminary.
All graduates step into the church sanctuary to receive their degrees and awards for academic achievement and service from the seminary’s rector, Father Christopher Redcay, and from Archbishop Pérez, who only days later ordained eight of them to the priesthood.
Father Patrick Brady, the seminary’s vice rector and a professor of Sacred Scripture, gave the Concursus keynote address even as he expressed light-hearted dislike for graduation speeches.
His talk for the graduates was a warning to guard against clericalism, particularly the corrosive practice of making a priest or other religious leader the focus of one’s attention instead of Christ. He called upon each graduate to humble themselves in their ministries and serve others by keeping God at the center of their lives.
His commentary gave constructive criticism to the genre of graduation speeches, while he chose instead to focus on the words of St. Paul in sending forth the 46 graduates.
Referring to St. Paul, Father Brady said that “Christ gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry. The degrees granted by St. Charles are not given so that people depend on others. Rather, you can equip the person next to you, and they get out of your way.”
Nicholas Schell, a sports-loving seminarian from Exton, received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. In his talk he expounded some philosophy from the Philly teams he loves, revealing how God competes for the souls of the people He made.
“Our Lord, the competitor, sees you as the victory He so desires,” Schell said. “We might as well give Him what He wants, our full and unconditional love.”
Laura Aaron Connor received a Master of Arts in Theology degree, as did her husband, Deacon Michael Connor. In her address she thanked the faculty who have helped humanize, as she put it, each graduate through years of human, intellectual, pastoral, and personal formation that doesn’t end with a diploma.
“Each one of us is called to a lifetime of growth in holiness and joyful service to this Church,” she said. “Our goal is not to bring attention to ourselves, but to radiate Christ in all that we do. May we go forth as true disciples of Christ, bringing the light of the Gospel into our homes, schools, and world.”
Father Redcay in his remarks thanked the family members who have been so present in the lives of each graduate.
He cited Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic letter that identifies the seminary as the place where Church leaders are formed to help illuminate God’s concrete work in the lives of people, visible to the priest and lay leader because they are formed in their own relationship with God.
“You have been prepared to be ever aware of God’s handiwork in your lives,” Father Redcay said, “and in the lives of those you are called to serve.”
Archbishop Pérez ended Concursus by sending the graduates forth in missionary discipleship, recognizing their degrees effectively equip them for the calling God has given each of them.
“Whether you’re ordained or being ordained or a layperson, that is the work of the Church. Evangelization, as (St.) Paul VI said, is the Church’s deepest identity,” the archbishop said.
“It is the reason why we exist. And it is the reason why this seminary also exists.”
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