Kenrick-Glennon Seminary

BERJAYA Class Dean Speech – Deacon Jacob Carlin, Wichita

“As is tradition, the dean of the Deacon class offers a few parting words and presents a class gift to the Seminary. When I was trying to think of something profound to say before we go, I was reminded of the words of Mother Teresa who said, ‘You can do no great things. Only small things with great love.’ Perhaps our class will not be remembered for some extravagant, extraordinary, or grandiose achievement, but I hope that we can be remembered for the great love with which we served the community. I hope that we indeed did small things with great love.”

“In light of that beautiful quote, I would now like to present to the Kenrick-Glennon community, a gift from our class. Please accept from us, this framed, canvas print of Mother Teresa. Due to the incredible witness of her life, the example she is to all of us of service, and since she was canonized during this academic year, we found it fitting to make sure that a picture of her found its place in the halls of our community.”

BERJAYA Fr. Randy Soto has served the Kenrick-Glennon Seminary community for an entire decade, becoming a beloved professor, resident priest, and spiritual father to the men in formation. We are grateful for the legacy Fr. Soto leaves to the seminary and wish him well in his new assignment at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Before departing St. Louis, Fr. Soto has shared a brief review of his experience at Kenrick-Glennnon Seminary – spanning ten years and witnessing over 150 men become priests.

Tell us about your next assignment. What have you learned in your time at Kenrick that will aid you in your new role?

Blessed by the generosity of my Bishop and Archbishop Carlson and their trust in me, I have been chosen to continue serving the Church by assisting in the formation of priests. My next assignment will be at the North American College in Rome where I will be a spiritual director and teach classes at the Gregorian University. The spiritual formation of the future priests alongside the other three dimensions of formation, is crucial, of utmost importance for it is only through meditation and prayer that a man can find himself and within himself, find Christ our High Priest and Shepherd. I pray to God for his continued blessings upon me as I go to the eternal city of Rome in order to assume this important job.

The most important lesson that I have learned at Kenrick is “teamwork.” Known in ecclesial language as “communion.” Kenrick is a small community, but we have learned to work together towards a common good and towards achieving the goals we have set up in our strategic planning. Collaborating closely with the administration, our faculty has achieved important milestones in the history of this institution. During my time here we have been accredited twice through ATS and HLC, we have been approved to grant the STB degree and possibly an STL degree from the Gregorian, we have reformed our curriculum, we have established the new mission and vision of the seminary, we have set up new and objective standards of evaluation for the students, and we have created a wonderfully collaborative effort with the student body so that they can learn to live as “men of communion” as our President-Rector Father James Mason often says.

The second thing I would like to highlight about Kenrick and what I have learned during my time is the quality of the seminarians that attend our school. I have watched almost three generations of priests go through our program and seen over 150 priests be ordained in the last 10 years that I have been here. Each and every one has inspired in me a sense of humility and gratitude, for God has blessed each one of them with many talents to edify his Church. I treasure their friendship and count on their prayers.

Last but not least, the generosity of our staff members, including our Carmelite sisters and kitchen staff, has always been second to none. It gives me great comfort to know that everyone here is a great a support for the mission of our seminary and I am grateful for that.

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What have been the most rewarding aspects of your time at KGS?

On a personal level, I have been grateful for the opportunity to constantly challenge myself and renew the vigor of my priesthood as I had the opportunity to maintain and deepen my spiritual life while trying to offer high quality scholarship and formation. Also, over the course of these years, the Word of God has steadily become more and more of primary importance in this house. When I first arrived, there was no public practice of lectio divina. Now, students are meditating on the Word of God not only in my classes but also communally and individually during their times of prayer. It has also been remarkable to see the ever growing interest from the student body to invest themselves in the study of the Spanish language in order to minister to the millions of Hispanic people in the areas that our sending dioceses serve.

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How have you used Lectio Divina to assist seminarians in opening themselves to dialogue with God?

This question connects right in to what I just mentioned. The method of lectio divina is so important for the soul to grow deeper into the mysteries of Christ. There can never be a better method to teach the Holy Scriptures than that of lectio divina. For if the scriptures are Christ speaking to us, then the art of meditating on scripture, called lectio divina, is a sure way to deepen our understanding of Christ’s will and who he is. The practice of lectio divina assures the candidates that their meditation is done in an orderly fashion and that it leads to contemplation and action as complimentary steps of this practice. It assists the students in their knowledge not only about Christ but the knowledge of Christ himself. It also helps the men be open to a more active participation in the liturgy and in the mission of the Church.

Finally, because the Holy Bible is the soul of theology, the method of lectio divina serves as a trampoline so that students may dive in to the most intricate aspects of our Catholic Theology. To assist the seminarians, I have written a book about the practice of lectio divina that includes the recommendations of Pope Benedict XVI in paragraph 87 of his Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini including lectio, Meditatio, Oratio, Contemplatio, and his addition of Actio. I have developed a worksheet which we use in class to support the progress of each student as they meditate on the different passages assigned in each class. What is most fascinating is that over the years, as the students practice their lectio divina using our worksheet, I see steady deepening in their contemplation of the scripture. Rather than testing them on every minute detail, doing lectio worksheets yields better results in assimilation and integration of God’s word.

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How have you seen the seminary’s mission come alive?

I have seen it first and foremost in the spontaneity of our students to take seriously their own formation and be honest and transparent. They hold themselves accountable in a mature fashion. I have witnessed this particularly in the way that our community has become more positive and truly built up communal life and a collaborative effort. All the extracurricular activities become great occasions of formation for the men as each one of them strives to live with the joy of the Gospel.

This joy is a true assurance that our mission of forming healthy, happy, holy priests, is surely at work. I have seen the men praying with sincere devotion, helping their classmates with studies, cleaning after events, going to serve their parishes; they do these things with a sense of responsibility. They are in awe at the opportunity to be missionaries in the hands of God and sharing the joy of His Gospel message. While all these things are very positive, there are some areas for growth in our seminary. I give thanks to God that we are all on the same page that it is only through prayer that we can do what the Lord is asking of us. The men truly know this and embrace the challenge to constantly deepen their prayer life and improve themselves.

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What is one of your favorite memories from your time at the Seminary?

Honestly, some of my favorite memories include the class presentations of the Class of 2017. I enjoy watching their creativity and sense of humor alongside their seriousness around the work to be done in catechizing the faithful. I have also enjoyed watching all the young men be ordained to the Sacred Priesthood because, at the moment, I witness the blossoming of the seed that God planted in the young man from his youth. Lastly, I have truly enjoyed the trips, the parties, and the respectful and jocular fraternity among the students and professors which have all made for lasting memories.

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