‘It is Christ or nothing’
Nine more men enter St. Joseph College Seminary
MOUNT HOLLY — Nine young men have joined St. Joseph College Seminary, bringing the total enrollment to 27 as the college seminary kicks off the academic year in its new permanent home in Mount Holly.
The members of “Echo class” were welcomed by the college seminary’s rector, Father Matthew Kauth, during Mass Aug. 2 at St. Ann Church in Charlotte. After Mass, the new men moved in to their new quarters.
St. Joseph College Seminary, now in its fifth year, is for undergraduate men discerning a possible religious vocation, before taking the step of enrolling in a major seminary for specific formation to the priesthood for the Diocese of Charlotte. Students work toward a bachelor’s degree in philosophy at nearby Belmont Abbey College while experiencing a Benedictine-style communal life on their path of discernment.
In his homily, Father Kauth spoke directly to the new class.
“You have to be just about mad (to follow Christ),” he said, smiling at them. “I’m not sure how far you’ll go. Maybe you will go all the way. But all the way isn’t just the priesthood. The priesthood is a means that Christ uses as an instrument to serve His faithful. All the way, of course, is sanctity.”
Drawing from Matthew 14:13-21, Sunday’s Gospel reading which recounts Christ’s multiplication of the loaves and fishes to feed thousands, Father
Kauth told them: “The hunger that we have for Jesus Christ is greater than any other hunger.”
The college seminary’s rigorous schedule, the coursework, the intense prayer and discernment efforts – “all of that is just to put all those lesser hungers aside, so (as to) feed on God alone,” he continued.
“If you are going to follow Jesus Christ, He has made it such that you cannot follow anyone or anything else. No other metric, no other reasoning, no other campaign – just Him. It is Christ or nothing.
“You have no idea what He will feed you with. No idea how He will slake your thirst. No idea how He will fill your heart’s greatest longings. But you know enough to take a step and to hope beyond hope that He will respond to you and turn around and say, ‘I’m not going to send you away. I will give you something to eat.’”
After Mass, the nine men and their families drove to the new seminary building to move in to their rooms. For the first time since the college seminary opened with its first class in 2016, all students will be living and studying together under the same roof. Enrollment in previous years was so high that the diocese had to purchase multiple houses to accommodate everyone while the permanent building was under construction. The building was finished this summer.
During their move-in, the new men and their families were assisted by their older fellow students. They toured the building while their parents attended an orientation, and a welcome dinner for them and their families rounded out the day’s events.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
For more information
The St. Joseph College Seminary building may be largely complete yet campaign fundraising continues, with $14.5 million of the $20 million raised so far. For information, go to www.stjosephcollegeseminary.org.
Father Matthew Kauth talks about the opening Mass for the St. Joseph College Seminary for the 2020-2021 school year: https://youtu.be/R8VvyaZ8LQ0
St. Joseph College Seminary fundraising continues
MOUNT HOLLY — For the first time in its history, St. Joseph College Seminary welcomed its incoming class of nine men onto the newly completed seminary campus at 22 Arctus Ave. after the seminary’s opening Mass Aug. 2.
The Gothic-inspired two-story building has a chapel, classroom, library, conference rooms, a kitchen and refectory (cafeteria), faculty offices, and a guest room for speakers and visiting priests. It also includes 40 dorm rooms or “cells” for the college seminarians.
Established in 2016, St. Joseph College Seminary has been a magnet for young men wanting to discern the priesthood. Enrollment growth has been faster than the diocese had anticipated, from eight students in its first year to 27 this year.
Campaign fundraising is under way, with $14.5 million of the $20 million raised so far.
For information about the St. Joseph College Seminary capital campaign, go to www.stjosephcollegeseminary.org or contact Jim Kelley, diocesan director of development, at 704-608-0359 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter