Seminarian getaway offered fun and fellowship

“It’s difficult to be generous without a relationship with Jesus.”

Those were the words Bismarck Diocese seminarian Jacob Magnuson of Minot used to summarize the 2017 Seminarian Getaway: Unload and Unwind held June 11-13. The event, sponsored by Knights of Columbus Council 6310, was hosted at St. Bernard Parish in Belfield.

The goal of the event is to express appreciation and encouragement to those studying for the priesthood. Belfield Knights of Columbus Council member Roger Decker, who serve as co-chairman with brother knights Tom Tessier and Rudy Syminow, said, “We owe so much to these future servant leaders. Our KC Council wants to give our brother seminarians a chance to take a breather from their studies and schedules.”

Diocese Vocations Director Fr. Josh Waltz coordinated the seminarian participation. The Knights of Columbus Council 6310 members coordinated the local parish involvement. Father Adam Maus, pastor at St. Jerome of Mohall, St. John of Lansford and St. James of Sherwood; Fr. Corey Nelson, pastor at St. Thomas the Apostle of Tioga, St. Michael of Ray and St. James of Powers Lake; Fr. Chris Kadrmas, judicial vicar for the diocese; and Fr. Bill Ruelle, pastor of St. Bernard, Belfield, joined the seminarians.
           
Magnuson, who completed his College III year at Saint John Paul II Seminary in Washington, D.C. this past year, graduated from Bishop Ryan High School in Minot. He spoke about the generosity of the people of St. Bernard Parish, echoing the sentiment of the 12 seminarians who attended and participated.
           
“The fact that we come here and experience such great generosity is already a sign that these people (parishioners of St. Bernard parish) are devoted to the church and are devoted to a spiritual life,” he said. Magnuson said the actions of the KC Council, Catholic Daughters Court and St. Bernard parish family displayed the fruit of generosity through their actions. 
               
“And, so we have seen that generosity and it is a very clear symbol of the great work that Fr. (Bill) Ruelle is doing in this parish and these great people who are experiencing Jesus,” he said.         

Father Chris Kadrmas, judicial vicar for the diocese, who grew up at St. Charles Parish in Bowman, said the event gives the young seminary students a chance to bring seminary study and real life together in a great venue.

He said the Seminarian Getaway: Unload and Unwind is “a great mixture of all the things that are great about North Dakota: the wide-open spaces, the rural life, the camaraderie of all of us gathering together…It shows the greatness of western North Dakota, its people, and it primes us, gets us ready, especially these seminarians, to dedicate their lives to these good people.”

Seminarian Grant Dvorak of Bismarck was thrilled with the display of faith and service he saw in the St. Bernard Parish family. “My approach to service has just been impacted by this because it’s simply like what needs to be done,” he said as he reflected on his experience the last two years at the event.

He explained that the example of the St. Bernard parish family showed him that there are many kinds of service to God. “It doesn’t just have to be in church reading for Mass. It can be service to us, the seminarians, baking goods and all these different things that seem menial at first, but, really, it’s all service to God and his mission for us in each little daily task that we have. I think my view of service has definitely grown in that way.”     
   
Isaiah Fisher, a first-year seminary student from Bismarck, was awestruck with the cooperative spirit of the brother knights at the event. He called his participation “a wonderful, wonderful time. It’s really nice to be able to take a step back and see God at work here, to take a step back and just observe and take everything in and be joyful about what we are so blessed to have here.”

Fisher further noted, “This is one of my first events as an official seminarian so it really gives me insight as to what it is like to be around a bunch of good, faithful men who are seeking God’s will for their lives. It’s wonderful. All of these people are making me better, being around the parishioners of Belfield, they are all wonderful people. It is just a great experience to see God at work here.”

Father Kadrmas said spiritual direction during seminary studies is structured and summer assignments give seminarians an opportunity to become integrated with the faithful of the church. He noted prayer and spirituality are so important in development “but you have to start translating that into the daily life of the people you serve. That’s what this (Seminarian Getaway: Unload and Unwind) helps do.

“And, so, it’s a less intense experience spiritually, compared to the seminary, but that’s good because now we have to…integrate it into my common life…You need that transition to start integrating that spirituality. You learn to integrate that into the very life of now fun, sharing a meal together, going out on the prairie together. And, so, that is how it helps enhance spiritual life,” he concluded.

Father Bill Ruelle is the pastor of St. Bernard Parish and worked closely with the Knights of Columbus and Catholic Daughters. Over 70 individuals from the parish volunteered to make the event successful.

Father Waltz requested that the Belfield Knights of Columbus Council continue to host the event annually.