Ad Altare Dei
Lansing middle schoolers visit Sacred Heart on a day of discovery
by Pieter van Rooyen
MOSAIC, Summer 2007
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Eighth grade students from Huron Valley Catholic Middle School in the Lansing diocese, front, made a day-long visit to Sacred Heart to complete their Boy Scout badge requirements. Seminarians from Lansing, rear, were their hosts. |
"Eighth graders are coming to visit the seminary? When I was in eighth grade, I didn't even know what a seminary was."
That is the reaction of seminarian Andy Vogel when he heard that eighth grade boys from Huron Valley Catholic Middle School, in the Diocese of Lansing, were coming on Saturday, March 31, to check out the seminary. Five eighth graders—Paul O'Hannigan, Carl Pressprich, Mark Harburg, Joe Rolph and Lloyd Webb, and one dad—John Harburg—came to visit Sacred Heart to consider what life is like for men studying to become priests, and to complete their preparations for the Ad Altare Dei Boy Scout badge.
Ad Altare Dei, Latin for "Up to the altar of God," is a badge created in 1926 in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to recognize those who serve faithfully as altar boys. The phrase comes from the words of the old Latin Mass the priest said as he ascended the altar: Introibo ad altare dei, "I will go up to the altar of God."
Through the Boy Scout program, the boys complete an intensive period of studying their Catholic faith. They also do activities at their parish, including regular Mass attendance, and conclude with an undertaking to help them consider their own vocation: to married life, religious life or the priesthood. For the eighth graders of Huron Valley Catholic, their work for the badge was ending with the visit to Sacred Heart.
For most of the kids, this was their first visit to a seminary. Lansing seminarians Jeremy Meuser and Anthony Strouse led the group on a tour that concluded at the student lounge where they were met by the rest of the Lansing seminarians, and together watched the video Fishers of Men. All the seminarians and the eight graders were captivated, inspired by the video that spoke of the need for men to answer God's call and totally give their lives in service.
Afterward, the seminarians answered some of the boys' questions, such as, "How did you decide to become priests?" After hearing stories of conversions and calls from God at various ages, the boys took on the seminarians in a game of basketball. Don't believe the scoreboard or the groans of pain coming from the seminarians. The seminarians let the eighth graders win!
The Boy Scouts then went up to the main chapel for evening prayer with the entire seminary community. They relaxed later in the refectory over meat loaf, brownies and soft drinks. Between the food, the basketball, the video and the chanted psalms, the day was full and exciting.
Why did the boys come? Partly they were curious about seminary life; partly they simply wanted to earn the Boy Scout badge. The dad who drove the boys, John Harburg, whose son is second-year seminarian Nate Harburg, hoped for only this much: He knew they wouldn't all become priests—in fact, maybe none of them will—but, he said, "I only hope the boys can appreciate from this how great a call to the priesthood is. The faith at the seminary is palpable. It is great to be around men of faith, whose hearts are directed toward God."
Ad Altare Dei. These young people came to God's altar and experienced the life of those called to the priesthood. May God bless them, and all men and women, with the grace to hear the call to whatever vocation God gives them.
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