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Testimonials

Testimonials

“Being enrolled in this Graduate Program has helped me to increase my love for Christ and his Church because of the solid teaching and spiritual nourishment it has provided me. The professors are impeccable and the program is incredibly stimulating and authentically Catholic”

- Drew Zagursky

“What I like most about STS’s masters program is the orthodox education I am receiving. All of my professors are extremely passionate about Catholic Theology and are dedicated to passing on to their students the beautiful teachings of the Church in all its fullness.”

- Brooke Hewitt

“My experience at St. Charles both challenged and deepened my faith life in ways I could not have imagined prior to beginning my studies. The professors and resources I had access to at the Seminary revealed a depth and beauty to the Catholic Faith I had not experienced before. I graduated from STS with a deeper love for Christ and His Church, and with a passion to share that love in a more profound way with my family, friends, parish, and community.”

- Heather Maigur

“STS is an ideal place for the study of theology. There is a real sense of fellowship among the students, which contributes to a warm and supportive classroom environment. The graduate program has exceeded my expectations and I will truly miss STS once my studies are complete!”

- Jose Quintana

“I was born in a nuclear family of seven siblings, (all males). I had a zeal of becoming a Catholic priest when I was growing up in Nigeria, but I never accepted this grace to priesthood from God. Finishing my college in Nigeria, I decided to become a full businessman. Though I did become a successful businessman, yet the professional life I was pursuing never seemed totally right for me. I was troubled on whether to become a priest or to remain in the business. After fervent prayers and consulting my pastor on what to do, fortunately, God did show me signs as I requested. In three of my dreams, I saw three priests telling me that I had to leave my business and enter seminary, otherwise they would deal with me. I never took these dreams and the warnings seriously until those priests revisited me again with the same warning, but this time not in my dream but in a trance as I was praying. At the disappearance of these three priests, I was unable to hear again. I became deaf. This time I decided to ask God for mercy and promise God that if I could hear again, I would serve him. God did restore my ears after seven days, and not hesitating, I flew to the seminary as I promised. Due to my age at this time, I was unable to join a diocesan seminary in Nigeria, but a Religious Order (Luminaries of the World Missionary). After completing my Philosophical studies with the religious Order in 2016, unfortunately for me, the Order was closed down due to the death of its founder. Because of this all the seminarians in the congregation had to leave. I didn’t know what to do this time. Whether to go back to my business or to start again to look for another seminary. At this point, the only hope was in God alone.

God willing, I was invited by my cousin to the United States in the same year. While in the United States, I was able to contact the vocation director, Fr. Steve DeLacy of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in order to continue my discernment to the priesthood. After a rigorous application processes, I was accepted as a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia. Currently, I am in my III Theology and I pray for God’s grace in my vocation.”

– Kenneth Omeke, Archdiocese of Philadelphia

I was a seminarian for ten long years in Sri Lanka even before I came to St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. But ever since I began my formation here at Saint Charles, I have been experiencing a drastic improvement in my academic life and an amazing progress in my spiritual journey. For the past three years, the things that I have learned, the friendships that I have established and the bonds that I have solidified are enormous thanks to this hallowed place. I had an undying desire for the Sacred Scriptures. Like a deer that thirsts for the running streams, I thirsted for the Word of God. Saint Charles Seminary has allowed me to quench that deep thirst in my soul for all these years. I am so grateful for all the professors who taught me about the unfailing love of God in order to make me what I am today. I consider this a great privilege and a blessing to be a part of Saint Charles’ family.  My stay at Saint Charles Seminary has “given me wings to fly on high”

– Pramod Ranjuna Perera, Archdiocese of Colombo, Sri Lanka

“After finishing my philosophy studies at Saint Gregory the Great Seminary in Nebraska, I was sent to Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary for theology studies. Saint Charles has been a wonderful place to continue my formation. Although there are no cornfields at Saint Charles it certainly is a place I can call home. I am most grateful for the fraternity and the examples of my classmates in living out their faith. The brotherhood I experience here encourages me daily to grow in my faith and pursuit of doing God’s will. My time at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary has been a great gift and I look forward to seeing what God will do with the rest of my time here!”

– Tony Schukei, Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska

“It was a crisp morning and I was nearing the end of a run with some fellow seminarians. My legs were tired, I was breathing heavily, but the one thing that kept me going was the fact that the end was close at hand. Out of the blue, Daniel Rice, one of the seminarians I was running with, piped up and changed our course. Instead of taking the easy path back to the seminary, he led us around a corner and waiting for us was a monster of a hill. Any consolation I had was dashed as we began the trudge up the hill. In between gasps for breath and in an attempt to quell my growing frustration, I said to Daniel: “It’s a good thing I love you, bro.” His response was instantaneous, with a huge smile spread across his face, seemingly unfazed by the miles we had just run: “Dude, I’m doing this because I love you.”
It was a moment that captured one of the best and most rewarding aspects of my experience since entering St. Charles Borromeo Seminary: the friendships I have formed. I have found that these friendships are much more than just a side-effect of the formation process, however. It is precisely in the context of relationships that we are called to live as disciples of Jesus Christ. Our knowledge of the Scriptures and theology is not wholly complete until we start living the truths that are contained within. The friendships that I’ve made have given me the opportunity to integrate what I’ve learned in the classroom into the way I live my life. Our primary vocation, as St. Thérèse pointed out, is to love and we cannot learn to love simply sitting in a classroom. We can only grow in our capacity to love by loving those around us.
The way of love is rarely the easiest, as Daniel showed me that morning. What I’ve been reminded of since coming to St. Charles though is that I don’t have to run it alone. I’ve been blessed to make friends who are willing to go the extra mile with me, who are there to challenge and encourage me when things get tough, and to celebrate victories as I am formed into the man God has called me to be. After all, the ultimate race we run is not a morning jog back to the seminary, but a marathon to eternal life in heaven.”

- Jordan Evans, Diocese of Arlington, Virginia

“St. Charles Borromeo Seminary is a warm, inviting community filled with kind professors and good-hearted people who are all striving to answer their call from God. From the very first day I entered, I felt welcome by everyone even though I didn’t know anyone yet. The life of the seminary is built around prayer, and it’s amazing to see how eager everyone is to pray. As an Eastern Catholic studying in a Roman Catholic seminary, I do not feel neglected. I love how much the seminary is open to Eastern Christian education. All of the professors I’ve had so far have tried to incorporate some Eastern theological perspectives in their courses. One of my favorite classes has been the elective “Eastern Christian Thought” taught by Fr. David Fisher. In that class, we covered some of the greatest Orthodox theologians such as St. Gregory Palamas and St. Symeon the New Theologian, as well as many contemporary Orthodox theologians such as Fr. John Behr and Fr. Alexander Schmemann. For those who are discerning God’s call, I strongly recommend this beautiful and prayerful seminary. At the very least, give it a try by coming to visit and experiencing the warmness of the community.”

- Bohdan Vasyliv, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia

“My time so far at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary has been an incredible blessing in my life. First and foremost, it has taught me how to have the type of spiritual life that I always have desired but also had thought to be unattainable. But while a strong spiritual formation might be expected of a seminary, what has similarly impressed and surprised me is how well-rounded the experience here at the seminary has been. I feel like I am an all around better man for having been here, which is the highest acclaim I can give. The priests at the seminary bring their varied personalities and experiences, teaching us both in and out of the classroom how it is we can emulate Christ in our own lives. Their approachability and accessibility provides a great example of the priesthood we are all discerning. Similarly, the seminarians who are here are among my closest friends in the world. Not only are they striving to be saints, but they encourage me to do the same – and show me how much fun one can have while walking that path! From sports and social events to the chapel and the classroom, my time at St. Charles has taught me how I can live as a disciple of Jesus Christ in every facet of my life. My time here has certainly been a time of great grace, and for that I have nothing but gratitude! “

- Daniel Reuwer, Diocese of Arlington, Virginia

“Being a part of the St. Charles community has been a life changing experience. In this community I am surrounded by excellent priest formators, excellent professors, and an excellent environment in which I am able to grow immensely and nurture my vocation. St Charles provides ample support to each seminarian to help facilitate growth in the four dimensions of priestly formation. During my time at St. Charles, it has been easy to trust this institution and to know that I am in a good place to be formed. I am immensely grateful to St Charles, as over the past four years I have been challenged to become a disciple of Christ. Through all the various aspects of formation, I have been able to discover my weaknesses and strengths and use that knowledge to begin to become the man Christ wants me to be. I am grateful for God’s abundant graces, and for St Charles Borromeo Seminary for being a vehicle for that grace to work in my life. “

- Robert Lane, Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina

“It is time to express thanks and gratitude to the Most Rev. Archbishop Nelson Perez, Archbishop Emeritus Chaput, Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary’s rector Bishop Keith Chylinski, faculty priests and staff members of the seminary for their abundant love and generosity for this seminarian from the Mymensingh diocese of Bangladesh. It is hard to express in words the gratitude when someone gets an unimaginable gift beyond anything he could have expected in his life. It happened in my life.

I had never dreamed before that I would have been able to come to the United States to study theology and form myself to be a future priest. But the Archdiocese of Philadelphia made it possible. It was not easy to continue studying theology here when I do not have great knowledge of the English language. So, I was sent to an intensive program to improve my English language skills called ESL at St. Joseph’s University. After completing my English intensive program, I started studying theology at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary.

The library at Saint Charles is very enriching. Having access to a library like this is a new thing for me here. When I have difficulty finding my favorite and assigned books, I can find it in the online library or in its catalog system. Our librarian borrows books from other university libraries for me. Back in my country, it is not possible to have recently published books to read. Many times, we read books when they are ten or fifteen years old. They are out of date.

Saint Charles has a huge campus. When I am stressed, I can go for a walk outside or to the gym for a workout. If I am ever sick, I can use my health and dental insurance which is covered by the Seminary. I forgot the meaning of hungriness here because the refectory at the seminary provides food to nourish me.

There are many chapels at our seminary. The liturgy and music are wonderful. Even though I do not have a good voice to sing, I sing because I am inspired and encouraged by the music. Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary is the best seminary ever which I will miss when I go back to Bangladesh next year. I am getting the best theological education and the best spiritual formation here.”

- Nobel Pathang, Diocese of Mymensingh, Bangladesh

“Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary is a vibrant living-learning environment that has allowed me to focus on allowing God to uncover my most authentic self. Everyone here cares about becoming more conformed to the Person of Christ, and discovering how God wants to use our individual gifts to serve Him and His people. Our faculty and formation team are fine role models and wise, well-learned, supportive guides who equip us well for our Christian mission. Lord willing, I will be a happier, healthier, and holier priest because of my time here.”

- David Slusarick, Diocese of Greensburg

“If you feel God’s call and it is a constant idea in your mind, then you should give seminary a chance so you can discern your call further. Ever since I was a little boy my family and I have been going to mass every Sunday. But my deeper interest in the Catholic Faith did not happen until I was a Senior in high school. During my senior year I was involved in a serious car accident that left me paralyzed from the waist down. Before the accident I was planning on enlisting in the United States Coast Guard, but because of the severity of my injury I would never be accepted into the military. God obviously had other plans for me and started to lead me toward the vocation of the priesthood. The doctors notified my parents that I would never be able to walk again, but with God’s grace and with the abundant amount of prayers I was able to walk again. My accident made me realize what was tremendously important in the world and that was to give praise to our Lord and show humanity the love the Lord has for us. I think that the most important aspect of being a priest is showing everyone in the world that the Lord is alive in every aspect of our lives. Becoming a priest of Jesus Christ means that one must show how we should love God and express to their community how much our Lord loves us. “

- Adam Johnson, Diocese of Trenton

“In January of 2021, the college seminary for the Diocese of Bridgeport officially closed and our bishop, Bishop Frank Caggiano, made the decision to send my brother seminarians and I to St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. I could not be more grateful for that decision. Being away from my family and discerning God’s will for my life during a global pandemic has been stressful, but St. Charles has provided me with a firm foundation rooted in faith, fraternity, and formation. Whether or not I am called to the priesthood, I know that my time here at St. Charles will help me be a better man and disciple of Jesus Christ and aid me in discovering my vocation.”

- Salvatore Orosz, Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut

“I have wanted to be a priest for as long as I can remember, even when I was only four years old playing Mass in my house. So to be able to study and discern here at St. Charles has been a dream come true. But it is still not always easy to hear and follow God’s call and to have the opportunity to discern God’s voice at an institution built for that purpose has been a great experience. It has been a remarkable privilege to be able to grow in my understanding of myself as a Son of God and to grow in my relationship with Christ through the Liturgy and Christ-centered education. Here at Saint Charles I have had the privilege to be able to do this surrounded by a supportive community of brothers who are all seeking the same thing. This has been one of the best parts of my experience at St. Charles: that I have been able to experience the support of like-minded brothers who are all trying for the same goal; we are all seeking to better understand God’s call for us. “

- Kolbe Eidle, Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania

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