“You will receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my
witnesses... to the ends of the earth.”
A cts 1:8
Maggie Fischer
This summer, Sacred Heart seminarians
gave life to those words in Scripture as they
followed Christ’s call to share the Good
News. Whether it was through formation
programs or mission trips, these seminar-
ians brought light, love, and service, while
growing in inspiration and faith.
Vice Rector and Dean of Seminarian
Formation Fr. Stephen Burr explained how
Sacred Heart Major Seminary has carefully
designed its program to give seminarians
transformative experiences aligned with each
specific year of seminary. These experiences
equip seminarians with important tools and
encourage them to be open to God’s grace.
“Every formation experience gives a
seminarian a chance to overcome himself
and become more of the man God desires
him to be. Meaning, each program presents
challenges that take a man out of what he
might prefer or be accustomed to in his
daily life,” said Father Burr.
From their own backyard in America to
international expeditions, Sacred Heart
seminarians embraced the roles of mission-
ary and student wholeheartedly.
and stood before holy sites as they deepened
their understanding of the Gospel.
“The Holy Land was like walking around
in the Bible,” said Ryan Eggenberger, a
second-year graduate seminarian. “After
all, one purpose for investing in and send-
ing seminarians on pilgrimage is to enrich
our preaching as future homilists; in other
words, we’re supposed to come home and
share the graces God gave us.”
During their trip, the seminarians docu-
mented the incredible moments with vid-
eos and reflections on the sites they saw,
from the Upper Room to the Avdat Desert
and the Tomb of Lazarus.
While the seminarians were deeply
shaped by these first-hand experiences, the
reason for these trips goes beyond their per-
sonal formation.
“I realized this pilgrimage was meant for
many people and that I would carry them
with me to the various holy sites through
my prayer,” said second-year graduate semi-
narian Michael Churchill.
Included in those prayers were the bene-
factors and donors of the Desert Forma-
tion Experience, which is funded through
generous parish support, and the annual
Desert Golf Classic Outing hosted by Sa-
cred Heart’s development office.
LEARNING SPANISH
Guatemala
First-year philosophy and pre-theology
seminarians headed to Guatemala for ten
days, where they studied Spanish. The Arch-
diocese of Detroit has seen a large increase
in its Hispanic population over the last de-
cade, making Spanish an increasingly impor-
tant pastoral language. This formation expe-
rience is part of the seminarians’ academic
formation and is covered by tuition.
FORMATION
PROGRAMS
THE DESERT FORMATION
EXPERIENCE | Israel
First-year theology seminarians set off
for the Holy Land to journey in the Desert
Formation Experience. For thirty days, they
walked where Christ and his apostles walked,
First-year theology seminarians on
their Desert Formation Experience
pilgrimage to the Holy Land—visiting
Abraham’s well and the field where
David killed Goliath.
shms.edu
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