Director asks for prayers for six new seminarians and others

Published: September 30, 2006

By Malea Hargett
Editor

Interest from young men about studying for the priesthood in the Diocese of Little Rock is growing, vocations director Msgr. Scott Friend said.

The new class is the largest in recent years with eight men beginning their formation.

"It's a good harvest," Msgr. Friend said. "The trick is getting them all the way through to the end."

How to support priestly vocations
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This fall six men began their studies at seminaries in Indiana, Texas and Louisiana. Two other men began their Year of Discernment before they enter the seminary next fall.

The new seminarians are:

Payden Blevins, 19, son of Mr. and Mrs. David Blevins. He attends St. Mary Church in Paragould and is studying at Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving, Texas.

Mauricio Carrasco, 22, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ausencio Carrasco. He attends St. Raphael Church in Springdale and is studying at St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana.

Robert Cigainero, 20, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cigainero. He attends St. Edward Church in Texarkana and is studying at St. Joseph Seminary in Covington, La.

Andrew Hart, 23, son of Mrs. and Mrs. Robert Hart. He attends Christ the King Church in Little Rock and is studying at St. Meinrad Seminary.

Shaun Klatt, 19, son of Eileen Klatt. He attends St. Jude Church in Clinton and is studying at Holy Trinity Seminary.

Alejandro Puello, 22, son of Richard Jose Puello and Yngrida Blonda. He attends St. Mary Church in Paragould and is studying at St. Joseph Seminary.

Beginning their Year of Discernment are Victor Ruben Quinteros, originally from Argentina, who is now living at St. Edward Church in Little Rock, and Thaihoa Tran, a native of Vietnam who has been living in San Francisco. He now lives at Immaculate Conception Church in North Little Rock. A year of discernment is encouraged for those who have not lived in Arkansas very long and need more time to get to know the state, Msgr. Friend said.

Eleven seminarians also returned to classes this fall. They are:

T.J. Hart, son of Patricia Hart. He is a member of St. Joseph Church in Center Ridge and attends St. Meinrad Seminary. He is scheduled to be ordained to the priesthood by Bishop J. Peter Sartain June 30 at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock.

Jason Sharbaugh, son of Dr. Richard Sharbaugh and Mary Sharbaugh. He attends Sacred Heart Church in Morrilton and is studying at St. Meinrad Seminary.

Eddie D'Almeida, son of Mr. and Mrs. Manuel D'Almeida. He attends St. Joseph Church in Conway and is studying at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.

James Melnick, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Melnick. He attends St. Jude Church in Jacksonville and is studying at the Pontifical North American College.

Josh Stengel, son of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Stengel. He attends St. Anthony Church in Ratcliff and is studying at the Pontifical North American College.

Tony Robbins, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Robbins. He attends Our Lady of the Holy Souls Church in Little Rock and is studying at St. Meinard Seminary.

Juan Manjarrez, son of Mr. and Mrs. Isidoro Manjarrez. He attends Immaculate Conception Church in Fort Smith and is studying at St. Joseph Seminary.

Bryan LaFevers, son of David LaFevers and Brenda Roberts. He attends Our Lady of the Holy Souls Church in Little Rock and is studying at St. Joseph Seminary.

Ben Rowse, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ben Rowse. He attends St. Bernard Church in Bella Vista and is studying at Holy Trinity Seminary.

Juan Guido, son of Mr. and Mrs. Pablo Guido. He attends St. Edward Church in Little Rock and is studying at St. Joseph Seminary.

Raul Garduño, son of Juana Narvaez Garduño. He attends St. Edward Church in Little Rock and is studying at Seminario de Monterrey in Mexico.

Msgr. Friend credits the increase in vocations in the diocese to the support of his brother priests.

"The priests of our diocese are doing a good job of living out the priesthood," he said. "There is a strong sense of priestly identity. That is who guys see day in and day out. I have my part to play, but the greatest influence on them is their parishes and parish priests there. Every seminarian has several priests who have been involved in helping them get where they are."

Msgr. Friend said the seminarian class is more racially diverse, which is one of his goals.

"We want to make sure our seminarians reflect the face of our diocese," he said. "We are racially and ethnically diverse (in the state) and we want our seminarians to reflect that."

Six of the 19 men are Hispanic. They come from Mexico, Argentina and the Dominican Republic. One is from Vietnam. They range from 19 to 36 years old.

"It's an international group of kids," he said.

How to support priestly vocations

Pray for and support the current seminarians: Msgr. Friend said everyone praying for vocations has to believe that his or her prayers work.

"You really have to believe in the power of your own prayer and the power of God to answer it," he said. "If you don't pray with those two things, your prayer is not going to be effective. When I say prayer, it is fundamental."

He asked for Catholics to pray for the seminarians in their discernment and that God gives them perseverance in their studies and courage.

He said groups like the Serra Club and the Knights of Columbus are committed to the seminarians, but individual and families can also have an impact with their prayers, letters, cards and kind words.

"You would be surprised how little support there are for these guys sometimes," he said. "Write to them and let them know, 'My family is praying for you. We want to make sure you are OK.' ... They need to hear that. It really helps a guy when it's February, the food all tastes the same now, and the studies are hard. The devil has his thing to get him out of there. We don't want them to think nobody cares because it is not true.

"The seminarians are the responsibility of every single person in this diocese."

Establish a vocation committee in your parish. Msgr. Friend's office and the Serra Club can help set up the committee and suggest activities the committee can undertake.

Support the Msgr. James O'Connell Diocesan Seminarian Fund: While the endowment fund, formerly known as the "burse fund," has $9 million in it, it will not generate enough interest to continue to send 19 seminarians to college. It costs the diocese an average of $25,000 a year to educate one seminarian in the United States. For men studying in Rome, it costs $50,000 a year.

"You can set up a memorial within the fund in someone's name -- for a priest, your parents," he said.

Encourage young people to consider a vocation to the priesthood or religious life: "If you notice a kid who is a good leader or seems to help out a lot, encourage that person," he said. "We really need to do that. Sometimes that's what gets guys to realize that they are being called."

Return to the Vocations section index.