Seminarians in focus as Diocesan Ministries Appeal continues

CLIFTON  It wasn’t until Tom McKinley of Hawthorne started ministering to the desperately poor a world away in the Philippines that he heard in their cries a possible call to the priesthood by God.

“Poverty in Cebu City is extreme like we don’t see here in the United States. It’s destitution — kids in rags, street urchins, and people living in shacks,” said McKinley, 45, a native of St. Anthony Parish in Hawthorne.

In the Philippines, he ran a Rotary Club, which fed the poor and arranged for them to receive dental work. He returned to his family in Hawthorne in 2019.

“Serving the poor was rewarding. I started thinking, ‘How can I do more of this — put my Christian principles into action?’ That led me to consider the priesthood,” he said.

That revelation brought McKinley to contact Father Edward Rama, director of the diocesan Vocations Office, and he joined its weekly support group for men who are discerning their vocation. Re­cently, this later-in-life seminarian began his first year of studies at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Mass.

It is the annual Diocesan Ministries Appeal (DMA) that enables McKinley to study at the seminary.

The 2022 DMA invites parishioners to contribute to ministries that serve the poor, sick, and needy through diocesan Catholic Charities agencies. They also include support for inner-city area school students, educational needs for diocesan seminarians, and priests’ healthcare, including support for Nazareth Village, home for retired diocesan priests in Chester, said Timothy Potter, chief development officer of the diocese.

There are 12 seminarians in the diocese, who study at six seminaries, most of them at Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University in South Orange. Others include Pope St. John; St. Andrew’s Hall, also in South Orange; Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md.; Pontifical North American College in Rome; and Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception in Douglas­ton, Queens, N.Y.

Seminarians with a bachelor’s degree study for seven years before being ordained a priest. The Program for Priest Formation by the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops calls for adding another year starting in 2023, which will drive up costs for dioceses around the country, Father Rama said.

“The cost of educating and forming seminarians is substantial. The generous contributions to the appeal by parishioners help the diocese to fund their seminary studies,” Father Rama said.

McKinley graduated Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey and Villanova University in Philadelphia before embarking on the first of two careers: a college professor in literature. After earning a master’s degree in literature from the University of London, he pursued a second career in the fields of magazines and publishing. McKinley’s career took him to Thailand, China, and the Philippines over 19 years, he said.

Also, McKinley has written several books on self-help and spirituality, including one about Psalms, “Passages for Inner Peace.” He also learned conversational Chinese, he said.

“I’ve always been a believer and read the Bible. Life is a hard thing. A relationship with God helps us get through life,” McKinley said.

In September, McKinley began studies at St. Pope John. He said his favorite course thus far explores the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament. Despite his experience in graduate studies, he finds he has a “heavy workload” at the seminary. In addition to classwork, his schedule includes small-group faith sharing, morning and evening prayer, daily Mass, and a pastoral assignment, assisting campus ministry at a local college, McKinley said.

“In my discernment process, I decided to try out the seminary. My fellow seminarians of the diocese and I are grateful for the financial support that enables us to pursue seminary formation and education,” McKinley said.

Last year through the generosity of the faithful, the DMA raised almost $5.1 million in pledges. Half of the amount received over the parish’s DMA goal is returned to the parish for its own needs, Potter said.

Please consider participating in our Diocesan Ministries Appeal. To make a donation or pledge online, visit 2022appeal.org or call 973-777-8818, ext. 218, for more information.