I know that the title lends is self to criticism, because there is no ideal seminary in any denomination…but that could change.

The National Catholic Church has always and most likely shall always be a small Catholic Denomination, compared to the Roman Catholic, Southern Baptist, ELCA, etc.  That is okay, because throughout the years the PNCC has proven that the faith of the Church can be strong even if numerically the Church is small.

With that in mind, it can also be said that it would not/will not take a miracle to get the PNCC back to a point where it can continue on in mission, comfortably.

It is with small Church big Faith in mind that there is a need for drastic overhaul of Savonarola Seminary of the PNCC.  Again, this is just an opinion, my opinion, not be confused with me speaking for or on behalf of the PNCC or anyone else in the PNCC.

Since the PNCC is smaller with around 120 parishes in the US and Canada, it is obvious that we don’t have an overflowing number of men in the seminary at any given time.  Savonarola Seminary is located in Scranton Pa, down the road from St. Stanislaus Cathedral (yes, where it all began!).  The building itself is pretty antiquated, but serves the purpose of housing men and serving as a classroom and library well.  But due to being small in class size and volumes in the library, Savonarola is too small to be a degree granting institution of higher education.  That is a problem, since most if not all other major denominations that have seminaries do grant a Master’s degree or equivalent.  

Now while that does put the clergy of the PNCC at a disadvantage (more so on a local level in comparison with other clergy), this does allow for great flexibility with each seminarian and their process and journey towards ordination.   In fact, being a non-degree granting school is the only disadvantage and here is why:

The idea of traditional seminary education is no longer suitable for many Christian Churches.

The face of Christianity is changing at a rapid pace in the United States.  You would be hard pressed to find any denomination that is experiencing growth at this time.  Parishes throughout American Christendom are shrinking.  This leads to a lack of funding to run a parish.  To pay a seminary educated pastor a salary, provide health care, housing, etc. can be quite a challenge for many parishes.  It is because of this, that many denominations have begun to educate and train their clergy locally.  

Perhaps you may have heard of ‘Bishop’s School’?  It is an in-diocesan program used by many Episcopal dioceses to educate and train men and women for holy orders.  Now, I have been out of TEC for many years, but if I remember correctly, the Bishop and clergy from the diocese meet with candidates one a week for a day of education and instruction in all things ‘church’ (homiletics, church history, sacramental theology, pastoral care, etc.).  I believe it takes anywhere from 4-6 years for a candidate to complete Bishop’s School, but they are at the same level of preparation as a student coming out of a major seminary.  This works for both the clergyman and the church.  The candidate for orders has not piled up a huge amount of debt for education (my first year of seminary cost nearly 20,000$), and since this debt has not accumulated, the parish to which they are assigned does not have to worry about paying off these student loans, nor having to pay over-burdensome amount for a full time clergyman.

How does this work within the PNCC and Savonarola Seminary?   

Easy!  The PNCC is just like all other denominations.  Parishes are not as large as they used to be, money is tight!  But since the seminary does not grant degrees anyway, this easily allows the PNCC to implement a localized program for education and instruction for men pursuing holy orders.  As of right now, the burden of seminary in the PNCC is not about money, but about the convenience of study.

Here is an example:  Mr. Smith has been a member of Queen of the Rosary PNCC Parish (the parish name is made up to protect the innocent) for many years.   He is a school teacher, or school counselor, or whatever, and has thought for sometime that he might be called to serve Christ’s Church as a priest.  Great!  Queen of the Rosary parish has a pastor who is a few years away from retirement; and money is tight.  Mr. Smith does not want to give up his secular job and feels that he could serve the parish while continuing on in his field.  A perfect situation for a cash-strapped parish!  

But….in order to answer this calling, Mr. Smith has been told that he must quit his job and move himself and his family to Scranton Pa, which is several hundred miles away.  Mr. Smith is unable to commit to this, since he needs his job and his wife cannot leave her job either!  

You get the point!  But, with the age of technology, the PNCC is able to provide the seminary curriculum and studies for Mr. Smith via the World Wide Web!  On-line distance classes, working locally with his pastor, and occasional meetings and classes with the Diocesan Bishop will provide Mr. Smith with the proper theological and spiritual development needed to be a strong parish priest. 

In fact (and please be patient, I cannot find the article), one study shows that locally trained, non-seminary educated clergy are more successful in growing parishes than their traditionally educated counterparts.  

Now this does not have to be the case for everyone.  My wife and I were in a situation where moving to Scranton was feasible, and this may continue to work for some,  but distance learning does have to be an option.  We only have one seminary for the US and Canada!  

Many Churches have begun utilizing distance learning/on-line classes for candidates.  In order to increase, and more importantly encourage men to answer God’s call to the priesthood, the PNCC needs to look at this option.  

Until next time,

Peace be with you!

PE