By Sam M. Lucero
Catholic Herald

Seminary has strong connections to Superior diocese

MOUNT CALVARY, Wis. -- Catholic school education ends for most students in the Diocese of Superior when they enter high school. But some parents of Catholic boys have found an alternative, a Catholic high school that provides a strong foundation of faith while providing a superior academic program.

That alternative is known as St. Lawrence Seminary, a high school boarding school located 15 miles west of Fond du Lac, Wis. For many parents and students, however, calling St. Lawrence an alternative would be a misnomer. After learning about the school and all it has to offer, St. Lawrence becomes the one and only choice.

St. Lawrence is one of 10 U.S. high school seminaries, but the only boarding school where the formation and education programs are run by the seminary. At Holy Cross Seminary in La Crosse, for example, students live at the house of formation during the week, attend Aquinas High School and return home on weekends.

Eight young men from the Diocese of Superior are among the 234 students enrolled at St. Lawrence Seminary this fall. That is about the average number of local students who have attended the school over the past 10 years. The students include seniors Kyle LaPean of Hudson and Joe Lucero of Superior; juniors Richard Dzik of New Richmond, Tyler Richter of Rice Lake, Trevor Swanson of New Richmond; sophomores Paul LaPean of Hudson and Joseph Librande of Sarona; and freshmen Nathan Dumonseau of Superior.

SUPERIOR CONNECTION

The seminary's Superior connection is noteworthy. According to school records, 201 former and present members of the Superior diocese have attended the seminary.

Bishop Raphael M. Fliss attended St. Lawrence his freshman year of high school in 1944 before transferring to St. Francis Seminary, located closer to his boyhood home of Milwaukee. Three active diocesan priests -- Fr. Robert Koszarek of Eagle River, Fr. Vincent Bromley of Winter, and Fr. Gerard Willger of Barron -- graduated from the school.

In addition to these priests, Capuchin Br. John Willger, Fr. Gerard's brother, graduated from St. Francis Brothers' School, an affiliate of St. Lawrence that closed in 1971. Br. Willger has taught industrial arts and a humanities course at St. Lawrence since 1973.

Catholics in Rhinelander and members of the Teens Encounter Christ program remember Gary and Marge Buelow for their participation in parish and TEC activities. Gary was hired as St. Lawrence music director in 1995 and Marge joined the seminary staff in 1996.

HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL

The history of St. Lawrence dates back to 1856, when two Swiss priests, Fr. Francis Haas and Fr. Bonaventure Frey, arrived in Wisconsin. Hoping to establish the first Capuchin religious order in the United States, they bought the property where the seminary exists today. Formally known as the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, the religious order is part of the wider Franciscan community founded by St. Francis of Assisi.

In 1857, after bringing a Capuchin priest (referred to as a friar) from Europe, the two diocesan priests received the Capuchin habit and two years later they professed their first vows. In 1860 the priests opened Convent Latin School to educate boys and enable them to join the Capuchin order. They started with four students and three years later had 20 students. This was the beginning of St. Lawrence Seminary.

Over the next 140 years the school saw many changes.

-- A college wing was added in 1864 and merged with the Convent Latin School.

-- Expansion in 1867 made room for 42 students and 28 Capuchin friars.

-- A fire in 1868 razed the friary and college. Rebuilding began quickly and by the fall of 1869 its doors again opened -- this time under the name of Little Seminary of St. Lawrence of Brindisi.

-- The present main building, called the Laurentianum, was built in 1880. A student chapel was added to this building in 1893.

-- The Capuchin Province in 1903 made St. Lawrence College the exclusive site for preparing candidates for the Capuchin Order. This decision decreased the enrollment from 130 students to 75 the following year.

-- In 1906, the newly elected provincial minister, Fr. Antonine Wilmer, decided to open the college again to students planning a lay profession.

-- Increased enrollment in the 1950s and '60s required expansion of the campus on the hill. Enrollment in 1952 was 273.

-- The school's name was officially changed from St. Lawrence College to St. Lawrence Seminary in 1953.

-- Property was purchased two miles from the seminary in 1954 and St. Francis Brothers' School was established.

-- As the school flourished in the 1950s, new dormitories, a student chapel and activities building were constructed.

-- St. Francis Brothers' School and St. Lawrence Seminary merged in 1971.

-- Enrollment in the 1980s began to decline, from 276 in 1980 to 203 in 1984.

-- Sparked by the enrollment decline, the seminary commissioned a study in 1985 to determine its future. As a result, the seminary modified its philosophy and mission to include young men who want to lay a foundation for a life of ministry in the church. This philosophy continues today.

REQUIREMENTS TO PURSUE PRIESTHOOD?

While the seminary continues to provide opportunities for students to explore the possibility of priesthood or religious life, it does not require a commitment to pursue holy orders.

The school's mission makes this point clear: St. Lawrence exists "to provide a foundation of faith and an opportunity to enrich Christian beliefs while developing the mind socially, academically and spiritually in order to be productive citizens in today's ever-changing world."

Capuchin Fr. Dennis Druggan, seminary rector whose role is akin to high school principal, said the school's spiritual formation program is the crux of its existence.

"Our spiritual formation program drives the rest of our programs," he said. "The idea is that a young boy will discern while he's here ... how God might be calling him.

"I always tell the young people who visit us, if they are sure God was calling them to be a priest, this is not the school for them... because they need to give it time as they mature, to be sure whatever calling they have is authentic," the rector added. "A 14-year-old doesn't have enough life experience to discern marriage, religious life or priesthood."

By the time they graduate, some men do choose to continue seminary studies. Out of last year's 50 graduates, five men chose to continue their seminary studies, said Druggan, and about 15 are continuing in a formal discernment process.

"There seems to be a trend," said the rector. "A lot of young men are not sure what they want to do. They go to college and afterward go into a major seminary. This year we have a half-dozen students starting theology who have graduated from here in the 1990s."

SPIRITUAL FORMATION

Prayer and worship are experiences students become well acquainted with during their four years at St. Lawrence. "There is an intensive program for students to assume various liturgical ministries," said Druggan. "They become readers, Communion ministers, lectors, hospitality ministers and music ministers."

A second component of this experience involves daily morning and evening prayer, some of which are led by students.

"Sophomores through seniors have a spiritual mentor," said Druggan. Students meet with these mentors at least once each quarter.

Another part of the ministry program involves students participating in ministry outside the school. "They go to a soup kitchen in Milwaukee, cook meals in Fond du Lac for the homeless, and at a women's shelter," added Druggan. Required ministry hours range from five hours for freshmen to at least 30 hours for seniors.

DIVERSE ETHNIC MIX

The student population consists of a diverse ethnic mix. Once dominated by students of European ancestry, St. Lawrence today also includes Asian, Hispanic and African Americans.

This culturally diverse environment is something in which the school takes pride.

"We don't have quotas, but we move from neighborhood to neighborhood recruiting and we like to have the demographics of the school reflect the church's population," said Druggan. He noted that the school's makeup is about one-third caucasian, one-third Hispanic and one-third Asian.

This ethnic mix is reflected in the Sunday liturgies.

"We try to integrate other peoples' traditions and cultures into the worship of the school," said Druggan. "At any given Mass we might have hymns sung in Spanish, the penetential rites sung in Hmong and the Lamb of God sung in Vietnamese."

SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS

Although no student is turned away due to financial problems, St. Lawrence requires that young men be practicing Catholics and maintain at least a C average.

"It's a college preparatory program. Everything is geared toward preparing them for college," said Druggan. "Students have to maintain a 2.0 GPA or better. If they don't after two semesters, we usually invite them to go home because they need academic help we're not able to provide."

Required study hall periods and a required freshman guidance program make these situations rare, added Druggan. "All the freshmen are given a senior sponsor before they get here, so seniors can help the freshmen acclamate to the environment."

About 95 percent of St. Lawrence graduates go on to college.

The school estimates the cost of educating and housing each student is about $15,000 per year. A large endowment fund financed by alumni and benefactors lowers tuition costs to about $4,500 each year.

Making the decision to send a young boy off to high school is a difficult one for all parents, said Druggan. But those who do choose St. Lawrence become supporters of the school and encourage others to consider it for their sons.

"Seventy percent (of the student body) knows someone or is related to someone," said Druggan. "I think that speaks well for the school."

Admitting that St. Lawrence "is a hard place to understand," Druggan said that at least 80 percent of parents who make a weekend visit to the school decide to enroll their sons there.

"When we talk about the program, what we're trying to convey is that it's been around for a long time and it's probably worthwhile to at least take a look at," said Druggan.

To learn more about St. Lawrence Seminary, visit their Web site at http://www.stlawrence.edu. or call the admissions office at 920-753-3911 ext. 335.

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2000