Office of Vocations - Diocese of Tulsa

TWO new seminarians! On September 1, 2008, Bishop Edward Slattery, acting upon the recommendation of the Diocesan Seminary Advisory Board, officially accepted Sean O’Brien and Alex Carroll as “seminarian affiliates” for the Catholic Diocese of Tulsa.  This brings the number of seminarians affiliated with the diocese to 16.

For most of his life, the Church of St. Benedict in Broken Arrow has been the home parish for Sean O’Brien.  Since graduating from Broken Arrow High School, he has attended St. Gregory University (SGU) studying Theology.  Currently, he is finishing his senior year at SGU and will be helping out in a local parish.

Alex Carroll, has lived most of his life in Broken Arrow, but not always as a Catholic.  He is a Lutheran convert and for the past two years has been trying to figure out God’s call for his life as a physics major at the University of Tulsa.  He will spend the current academic year residing and serving at the Church of St. Mary, Tulsa and continuing his liberal arts education at Tulsa Community College.

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For most Catholics, the term “seminarian” is easily recognized as “one of those men who goes to school to become a priest.”  And while this is a very simplistic definition of what happens, at least it is understood.  But, what is a seminarian “affiliate”?

This pre-seminary experience is a discernment option for a man who has completed the full seminarian application process and has been accepted as a “seminarian” but because of their particular circumstances or reasons, they will continue their current schooling and / or employment within the Diocese of Tulsa instead of attending a formal seminary formation program.  Most affiliates will reside and help out in a local parish.  In this way they have the guidance of a mentor priest and are expected to fulfill some basic commitments of spiritual, pastoral, and human formation as they experience parish life and ministry.

If you know of any young, single, Catholic men whom you believe God may be calling or if there is a young man whom you know God has blessed with many talents and gifts that would make a good priest, please do not hesitate to invite them to consider the possibility of seminary and/or priesthood.  At the very least, send their contact information to Wayne Rziha in the Office of Vocations (wayne.rziha@dioceseoftulsa.org  -OR-   918-695-2117) and he will follow up with them.