Seminarian outreach

MADISON  This week, the Catholic Church marks National Vocation Awareness Week in the U.S. as a time to promote vocations to the priesthood, diaconate and consecrated life through prayer and education and to renew prayers and support for those who are considering one of these particular vocations.

For more than a decade, the Paterson Diocese has been blessed with many vocations and recognizing this gift to the Diocese are the parishioners of St. Vincent Martyr Parish here. Every October, the parishioners join together to create care bags for seminarians, which include the basic essentials such as soap, belts, undershirts, socks, after-shave lotion and laundry necessities.

The bags are given to seminarians studying for the priesthood at Immaculate Concep­tion Seminary at Seton Hall University in South Orange, Domus Bartimaeus House of Discernment in Boonton and at multiple parishes throughout the Diocese.

Christine Farner coordinates the seminarian outreach and said, “Our parishioners look forward to collecting items for the ‘goodie bags’ for our seminarians. It has allowed them to do something for their future priests.”

For the collection, bags are given out to parishioners to fill with a “wish list” of items. The youngest members of the parish also participate with St. Vincent School students filling two bags and the youth ministry of the parish purchasing gift cards.

“We encourage everyone to participate but mostly, we tell everyone that the seminarians need our prayers the most,” said Farner.

This year, 85 bags were filled and all of the seminarians who received the bags are from the Paterson Diocese. Five seminarians at Bartimaeus House received bags that were delivered by a team from St. Vincent’s.

Father Edgar Rivera, diocesan director of vocations and director of Bartimaeus House, said, “Our seminarians have received many blessings over the years. I want to thank the parishioners of St. Vincent Martyr who donated gift bags to our seminarians of Bartimaeus House. Through the generosity of Christine Farner and her fellow parishioners, it is with great joy to share in the blessing we have.”

The idea to make these care bags came about more than a decade ago when Farner sat with a group of seminarians, who were discussing how to give back. One of the seminarians was Father Raymond Orama, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Paterson, who was ordained 10 years ago.

“I met Father Raymond 13 years ago when the Bishop had this program to pray for our seminarians. Father Raymond was the seminarian I had to pray for. I didn’t know who he was until one day when we got in contact with each other,” said Farner.

Farner along with Father Orama, who was a seminarian at the time, and some of his fellow seminarians talked about how many seminarians don’t have family in the area to get everyday living essentials and many times, they arrive here from poor countries. “That’s how the idea came up,” said Farner. “Some of these men couldn’t afford something as simple as laundry detergent or didn’t have a belt.”

During the first year, Father Orama who was serving at Our Lady of the Magnificat Parish in Kinnelon at the time, did the collection there. Eventually the outreach came to St. Vincent Martyr Parish and Farner said, “We won’t ever give this outreach up. Our parishioners look forward to it every year.”

Msgr. George Hundt, pastor of St. Vincent’s, supports the project and he’s happy the parish does it. His garage is where all items received is sorted for the bags.

During the last week of October, Farner and her team deliver the bags and are able to meet some of the seminarians. “It’s always so exciting. We have to pray for our seminarians and care for them. They are our future priests and they make celebrating the Mass for years to come possible.”