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Jesus is quoted in the Gospel of Matthew as saying “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me (chapter 25, verse 35).” It’s these type of humbling, sometimes uncomfortable situations that have become a key component of early seminarian formation – aimed at bringing a man outside of himself so he can become better disposed to discern whether God is calling him to the priesthood.

Matt Birk grew up just over a mile down Cretin Avenue from The Saint Paul Seminary. Yet the former NFL center turned Minnesota renaissance man never thought he’d be spending much time inside the seminary’s walls.

Any honest leader will admit it’s a gig that comes with stress. Fr. Joseph Taphorn found one way to manage it: running the various paths and trails Memorial and Elmwood Park in Omaha have to offer.

There are a variety of values naturally developed when we participate in sports – discipline, teamwork, perseverance, and honesty, to name a few. These values are essential on the playing field, but also contribute to the firm foundation of a well-rounded and virtuous life, the kind of life we aspire to develop in our seminarians, deacon candidates and lay students.