Go West, young men

Men from the Bismarck Diocese studying for the priesthood are invited and scheduled to meet at the edge of the North Dakota badlands June 11-13. The “Seminarian Getaway: Unload and Unwind” event is sponsored by the Belfield Knights of Columbus Council 6310 to express appreciation and encouragement to those studying for the priesthood.
           
Belfield Council members Roger Decker, Tom Tessier and Rudy Syminow are co-chairmen of the event. The inaugural event was held in 2016 with nearly all diocesan seminarians attending. Decker said priests from the Bismarck Diocese are also expected to participate in the 2017 getaway.
           
“The priesthood is founded on the principle of service that Jesus showed us while walking this earth,” Decker said. “We owe so much to these current and future servant leaders. Our KC Council wants to give our brother seminarians a chance to take a breather from their studies and schedules.”
           
Syminow said priests from the diocese are welcome to be part of the event. “We in the Bismarck Diocese are so fortunate to have so many dedicated priests. Our council is so appreciative of their efforts and this is one way when we can give them something back for all they do for us.”
           
The Seminarian Getaway: Unload and Unwind program provides a venue for prayer, reflection, socializing and fellowship. The St. Bernard Parish Hall is the central location for activities, but participants will interact with residents of many western North Dakota counties.
           
Seminarian support
 
Father Josh Waltz, director of vocations for the Bismarck Diocese, is working closely with Decker, Tessier, Syminow and many members of the Belfield Knights of Columbus group. Father Waltz sees involving seminarians with laity in rural areas as important in the formation process because the diocese is made up of a lot of small towns.
           
At the 2016 event, Father Waltz noted the attraction of small towns is “something very unique to North Dakota . . . We have a lot of young men that are signing up because of the fraternity and the love of the parishes, the support of the laity.”
           
Father Waltz, in a letter to the Belfield council as part of an application for an award within the Knight of Columbus organization for the 2016 event, noted, “As Vocation Director, I encounter many councils of the Knights of Columbus. This council went above and beyond what was asked of them and managed to think way outside the box and provide one of the greatest fraternal gatherings we had this summer. Moreover, I believe that they have started something new and fresh in our diocese and are leading the way to new ideas for vocations in the Knights of Columbus organization!”
           
Hunting opportunity
 
In addition to the brotherhood of the seminarians and priests, those attending will be given the opportunity to see the native beauty of the area. One activity scheduled is harvest of vermin that negatively affect the economy of beef producers—a prairie dog hunt.
           
Father Bill Ruelle, pastor of St. Bernard Parish, complimented the Belfield Knights on their efforts in a letter to the council. “Through prairie dog hunting, a pastime unique to our area, we were able to offer joyful and prayerful support to the good seminarians of the Diocese of Bismarck.”
           
Father Ruelle related the experience to his own formation. “I know that when I was a seminarian, it was always encouraging just to know that there were people back home who cared about me and supported me in what I was doing,” he wrote. “Our seminarians need that encouragement and an event such as ‘Unload and Unwind’ certainly provides it.”
           
Decker said there is a thirst for spiritual growth, which the seminarians and priests of the diocese share. “This event allows us as laity to interact with seminarians, to learn about their needs and lend support: time, talent, treasure and prayer,” he said. “There is much support for the seminarians commitment and there are many women and men in the diocese who care deeply for them”.”
           
Event schedule
 
The seminarians and priests gather on June 11 at a social, supper and evening of visiting. “This is a low key event with no pressure, no deadlines, no agenda,” Syminow said. “We (Belfield Knights of Columbus Council 6310) are committed to getting to serving our servant leaders in the diocese.”
           
Mass initiates the June 12 schedule followed by fellowship at breakfast prepared by the Belfield Catholic Daughters Court Our Mother of Perpetual Help 2148. Seminarians and priests are then divided into teams of two with a guide and landowner for the prairie dog hunt. The day concludes with a reception and supper for the participants. The public is invited and a free will offering will be accepted.
           
Decker said the event is a venue when the seminarians can get to know each other better, as well as interact with their future brother priests. “Our diocesan seminarians attend schools all over the world,” he said. “The ‘Seminarian Getaway: Unload and Unwind’ program offers a chance for participants to gather, get to know each other and interact with the laity in the area.”
           
A big part of the “Seminarian Getaway: Unload and Unwind” is the opportunity for the seminarians to meet with the laity of the St. Bernard parish family and the entire Belfield community and region. “St. Bernard’s (parish) serves members that come from diverse ethnic, social, professional and economic backgrounds,” Syminow said. “Yet, we all believe in a God that cares for and loves us all.”
           
Syminow said Council 6310 feels strongly about supporting the priests and seminarians of the diocese. “We want to share that commitment and seek to see God’s goodness in our seminarians,” he said. “Who knows, one or many of them someday may be our spiritual father as the pastor of our parish. We have an obligation to support them and get to know them.”
           
Support for the Seminarian Getaway: Unload and Unwind through the Belfield Knights of Columbus Council 6310 approaches almost one-third of the membership. The Belfield Catholic Daughters Court Our Mother of Perpetual Help 2148 and parish members also assist.
           
The Seminarian Getaway: Unload and Unwind welcomes the public to the supper and reception on June 12. Individuals planning to attend are asked to contact the Belfield Knights of Columbus or the St. Bernard Parish.
           
The event concludes the morning of June 13 after Mass.