Sjv Responds to Commonweal

By Jennifer Haselberger
Canonical Consultation
March 10, 2015

http://canonicalconsultation.com/blog.html

Earlier today, the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis circulated the attached response to Paul Blaschko's article 'Inside the Seminary'. Although the response makes liberal use of the pluralis majestatis, the name that appears as author of the response is that of the current rector of Saint John Vianney Seminary, Father Michael Becker.

Father Becker was not the rector of Saint John Vianney during the time to which the Blaschko article refers. Moreover, Father Becker's response does not dispute those aspects of formation that Paul wrote of. Instead, his response attempts to frame those incidents within a larger context.

Ironically, perhaps, that larger context is the formation program outlined in the Program for Priestly Formation (PPF). As I have mentioned before, the current edition of the PPF, which is in use at seminaries throughout the United States, was the 'labor of love' (his term, not mine) of none other than Archbishop John Nienstedt. In light of the ongoing, year-long investigation into the conduct of the Archbishop (which is at what stage now, exactly?), and especially in light of allegations uncovered during that investigation of inappropriate behavior towards seminarians under his authority (including seminarians in the Twin Cities), I think Father Becker's response does little to refute the idea that there are very real reasons we we should be worried about priestly formation.