Commit Your Way to the Lord
When I reflect upon my time at Conception Seminary College, I am filled with utmost gratitude for the constant outpourings of God’s grace upon my brothers and me as we prepare to lay down our lives at the service of Christ.
Upon entering the seminary, I viewed my own formation as something I had to do by my own power. The holiest priests I knew were in absolute control of their formation, but this impression of mine was so far from the truth. In reality, we men are transformed by our participation with God’s grace, which He constantly desires to give to us, so that we may be transformed into the men He desires us to be. By being connected and in tune with the Lord and His workings in this life, we can entrust our destiny to the Father. We can be confident that our God will take care of us regardless of what happens.
There is an antiphon from the Liturgy of the Hours that speaks beautifully to this, “Surrender to God, and He will do everything for you.” In realizing how true this statement is through formation, I was relieved of a large amount of pressure that I placed on myself because in our work and in all of your lives, God is ultimately in control. We have to participate with His grace and allow Him to do the heavy lifting. This is ultimately what He desires for us. What He wants for our lives is infinitely better than we could ever imagine.
— Dominick Denney, Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
Top left: Joseph Allen receives his diploma. Top right: Bishop Rice lines up next to Fr. Victor and Fr. Paul, two seminary leaders whom he ordained as deacon ten years ago. Bottom left: Graduates rejoice with confetti. Bottom right: Liam Murphy celebrates with his mother.
On Saturday, May 14, Conception Seminary College graduated nine students from four dioceses, including eight men with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and one with a Bachelor of Philosophical and Theological Studies; Rendon Chambers, Joseph Allen, Ryan Cortez, Liam Murphy, Dominick Denney, Noah Huddleston, Xavier Schmidt, Samuel Ogden, and Andrew Todd.
*article found in Summer 2022 issue of Tower Topics
