CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte is blessed with 45 men who are enrolled at three seminaries to study for the priesthood this fall.
To date, 24 men are enrolled to study at St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly. Sixteen men will study at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio. Four men will study at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. One man is taking a pastoral year.
Kolbe Murrey, a parishioner of St. John the Baptist Church in Tryon, is one of those studying at the college in Rome.
The Catholic News Herald recently asked Murrey to talk about his discernment process as a seminarian, to help people of the diocese get to know him:
CNH: When did you first hear the call to a vocation to the priesthood?
Murrey: I was always attracted to the priesthood even from a young age. It was not, however, until my high school years that I really began to deeply consider the call to priesthood. The calling came about very naturally since I had been an altar server since my first holy Communion in second grade. This consistent experience of being part of the sacred liturgy and near the priest as he celebrated the Mass slowly led toward a desire to pursue Christ in a more intense fashion. Joining seminary was the obvious course of action.
CNH: Who did you first talk to about your vocation?
Murrey: The people who most influenced me to join the seminary were definitely the good priests that I knew (and still know) and the young men I met at Quo Vadis Days who were also discerning the priesthood.
CNH: How did you go about discerning where you felt called to explore your possible vocation?
Murrey: Once I actually realized I needed to look into seminary, I went to visit the college seminary for a few days. This was a great help to my vocation because I was able to meet the other young men there and just spend time living the life for a day or two. During this time while I was gathering information and starting the application process, I started getting some consistent spiritual direction. This was a crucial part of my discernment before seminary, and remains important throughout my seminary formation. On a practical level, the establishment of St. Joseph College Seminary made going to seminary much more feasible. Instead of traveling across country right after graduating high school, I have stayed in North Carolina and in the heart of the diocese. This has been a great blessing and given me a unified and focused first four years of formation.
CNH: What advice do you have for a man discerning a call to the priesthood?
Murrey: The spiritual life can seem daunting – especially when you are in high school and you are given more and more responsibility, so make sure that you talk to your pastor and avail yourself of the sacraments of confession and the Holy Eucharist. Confession will clear out the obstacles in order to discern with a clear conscience, while the Holy Eucharist will bring you closer to Our Lord. Lastly, those things which have most helped me and continue to help me pursue Our Lord are a daily Holy Hour and the rosary. Before I joined the seminary, I spent a Holy Hour in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament once a week, as often as I could. This was a big help while discerning my vocation. However, now that I am in seminary, I have developed the habit of a daily Holy Hour with the Blessed Sacrament and a daily rosary. Now, perhaps this seems like too much for your current schedule, but if you can start doing this at least in part, Our Lord and Our Lady will lead you where you need to be and give you peace while discerning. Do not be afraid to pursue Our Lord with your whole heart. Do not be afraid to give your entire self to Mary. Do not be afraid – “noli timere”!
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
Priests
5 YEARS
Father Casey Coleman
Father Santiago Mariani
Father Joseph Matlak
10 YEARS
Father Gabriel Carvajal-Salazar
Father John Eckert
Father David Miller
Father Lucas Rossi
15 YEARS
Father James Ebright
20 YEARS
Father David Brzoska
Father Joseph Dinh
Father Christopher Gober
Father Matthew Kauth
Father Shawn O’Neal
Father Frank Seabo
Father Francis Arockiasamy
25 YEARS
Father James Collins
Father Mark Lawlor
Father Eric Houseknecht
30 YEARS
Father John Allen
35 YEARS
Father Brian Cook
40 YEARS
Father Christopher Kirchgessner, OSB
Father John Pagel
Abbot Placid Solari, OSB
45 YEARS
Father Richard Hanson
Father Lawrence Heiney
Father Joseph Mulligan
Father Francis O’Rourke
Father James Shea, SJ
50 YEARS
55 YEARS
Father Joseph Zuschmidt, OSFS
Father Joseph Angelini, OFM Conv.
65 YEARS
Father Thomas Clements
Monsignor Joseph Showfety
Father James Solari
Deacons
10 YEARS
Deacon Philip B. Miles
Deacon Wayne Nacey
15 YEARS
Deacon Mark J. King
20 YEARS
Deacon Miles Merwin
Deacon Joseph Santen
25 YEARS
Deacon Wayne Adams
Deacon Michael Langsdorf
Deacon Carlos Medina
Deacon Rafael Torres
Deacon John Weisenhorn
Women religious
50 YEARS
Sister Mary Rose Bumpus, RSM
Sister Carolyn McWatters, RSM
60 YEARS
Sister Mary Schmuck, RSM
Sister Barbara Wheeley, RSM
70 YEARS
Sister Mary Jerome Spradley, RSM
Sister Maria Goretti Weldon, RSM
Sister Mary Robert Williams, RSM
75 YEARS
Sister Maureen Dees, RSM
*Click on bold names to read coverage from the special Vocations edition