Closing Quigley
The announcement came last week that Chicago’s Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary is closing at the end of this school year, and I held off commenting on it. Both of my sons graduated from there. We have been actively involved in that community for years. So it’s personal.
But a few points are important to make.
Some of the media and/or blogs have carried the same statement that Quigley has lost its mission of turning out men for the priesthood, and that they’ve not seen an ordination of one of their students in 16 years. Not true. Fr. Pawel Komperda, an outstanding young priest, was ordained for the Archdiocese of Chicago this past May. He was very active in his four years at Quigley, running Students of the Cenacle, among other things. My son took up that role when Pawel graduated.
My son, Andrew, is currently in first year Theology at Mundelein Seminary, and will be ordained in just under four years for the Archdiocese of Chicago. There are currently 11 former Quigley men in major seminaries, the largest group in 30 years. This year’s senior class at Quigley is the smallest, and enrollment picked up after that each year.
I’ve heard the explanation that ‘the model for discernment to a vocation’ has changed in modern times, and that’s true. But a group of parents, faculty and alumni are challenging that as an excuse, and they point to the formation that does take place at Quigley. It’s one of the last Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese that requires the students to be Catholic, to receive the sacraments, to attend Mass together three times a week. They also encourage parents to regularly receive the sacraments. In other words, be good Catholics.
There’s a resistance movement afoot that’s challenging the closing.
Waving placards proclaiming “Good men wear black!” and fake “For Sale” signs with the address of the Chicago archbishop’s Gold Coast residence, parents and alumni of Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary called on Cardinal Francis George to reverse his decision to close the school.
One mother said that the call to the priesthood is, in fact, “a big decision for a 14-year-old to make.”
But she said the church is underestimating the lasting impact of a high school seminary education. Some men who are called to the priesthood later in life attended a high school seminary, she said, including the new associate pastor at her own parish, St. Hedwig.
Other parents and alum have been speaking out about the announcement.
Les Weiss, a 1976 graduate of Quigley South, said he regrets not following his classmates to the college seminary.
“Part of me always felt that I cheated God,” said Weiss, whose son Michael is a freshman. “But I’ve got four children, three sons, and I’m hoping they’ll make up for me.”
But George said parents like Weiss are an exception. In today’s society, most families no longer encourage their sons to become priests, he said.
Activists have been gathering outside the cardinal’s residence, and plan to hold a candlelight vigil with the rosary at Holy Name Cathedral this evening. They don’t believe the decision is irreversible, and they’re making the case for keeping what has been a jewel in the Archdiocese for over 100 years.
People are paying more attention to Quigley, to teaching the faith well, and to vocations to the priesthood than they have in a long time. This is a golden opportunity for the Church.
