The sophomore class visited the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen and St. Mary’s Seminary on Monday, January 29.
Director of Mission and Ministry Deacon Ken Goedeke said, “The main objective of the Vocation Awareness Day is to provide our sophomores with an encounter with men and women religious and consecrated in order to raise their awareness of the different roles and functions in the Church. As a Catholic school, it is important that we recognize that everyone has a different calling and vocation in which we are to love God and neighbor and make real the Kingdom of God here on earth. The many vocations represented during this day show our students a broader sense of what it means to be a Church as ‘The Body of Christ.’”
The Cathedral had intricate stone designs and colorful stained-glass windows. As the students arrived, Mass began in the main hall of the Cathedral.
After Mass, the males and females were divided. The females stayed at the Cathedral while the males traveled to St. Mary’s Seminary.
The females had the opportunity to speak with a handful of sisters and learn about their vocation and stories. This took place in one of the chapels in the church.
The sisters spoke to the females about the rules and regulations of being a sister, how they became sisters, their daily lives, and what they enjoy most about being a sister.
Sophomore Penelope Streett said, “I really enjoyed it. I loved the stained glass and seeing all the Stations of the Cross. Also, I loved Mass and being with all my classmates.”
There were breakout groups, so the females could speak to the sisters outside of the panel. They also ate lunch with them.
When the males arrived at St. Mary’s Seminary, they got a glance into the priesthood. They heard from the head of the Seminary, a college student deciding what he wanted to do regarding his faith, and a married man discussing how he kept his faith throughout his marriage.
Sophomore Tyler Hug said, “It had a nice and motivational message.”
After students heard from the sisters and the priests, they took tours of the Seminary and the Cathedral.
There two chapels on either side of the main chapel of the Cathedral with the main chapel down the hallway. This chapel has two sets of stairs which has two sets of pews on either sides.
The group saw that the Seminary has a long chapel, where the pews face each other. Also, they saw a pew in the chapel where Pope John Paul II knelt. Additionally, students saw more communal areas like the gym and the classrooms.
The main focus of this trip was to allow students to reflect on themselves and their paths to faith. It provided knowledge to help them decide which vocation they would want to pursue for themselves if they would choose to do so.
Deacon Goedeke said, “This day is reserved for sophomores because it fits with their second semester religion curriculum, ‘The Church.’ In an upcoming unit, sophomores will be learning about the structure and functions of members of the Church, including religious vocations. By having this event during Catholic Schools Week and the week the sophomores celebrate their Pinning Ceremony, it focuses their experiences on our Catholic identity and mission.”