If you can’t find the seminarians from the Diocese of Kalamazoo in the chapel or a classroom at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, you might want to check the kitchen. The men enjoy making meals together to relax and share fraternity, led by Kalamazoo pre-theology student Hector Saldarriaga. Saldarriaga is originally from Colombia, where he spent 11 years as a cook.
“When I cook (at the seminary), it is something wonderful since you do not cook for a stranger but for those who are your family, and that is how I consider my brother seminarians,” Saldarriaga said.
Four seminarians from the Diocese of Kalamazoo are studying at Sacred Heart; a fifth is taking a pastoral year. The four men meet weekly for group lunches or outings and maintain a tradition of “fiesta night” at the end of each semester.
“In my first few years as Bishop of Kalamazoo, we had young men in several different seminaries,” said Kalamazoo Bishop Most Rev. Paul J. Bradley in a statement to Mosaic. “I have systematically and consciously determined that Sacred Heart is the only Major Seminary for our men to be formed. Having them be together forms a life-long fraternity; having them geographically nearby allows them opportunities to participate in major diocesan events and liturgical celebrations.”
The Kalamazoo diocese is located in the southwest corner of Michigan, about a two-hour drive from Detroit.
As a young man growing up in Colombia, Saldarriaga never imagined he would find himself at a seminary in Detroit, Michigan. Being a priest for the Diocese of Kalamazoo was suggested to him by an Italian priest and a group of Colombian religious Sisters whom he met on a mission trip to Italy. Saldarriaga traveled to Michigan in 2019 for an interview with Bishop Bradley and began his studies at Sacred Heart in September 2021.
At first, he doubted his ability to adapt and to perform academically, given that he is still learning English.
“The doubts very soon vanished since everything in the seminary revolves around the love and mercy of God. Because these two aspects prevail, human limitations disappear. It is in the love of God that one speaks a single language and where all those who at first you saw as a group of strangers become your family, the Sacred Heart community,” said Saldarriaga.
Jack Pfeiffer is a third-year theology student at the seminary. He grew up in the Kalamazoo diocese and has spent nearly five years at Sacred Heart after completing his undergraduate degree at Michigan State University.
“I had no idea what to expect going into seminary,” said Pfeiffer. “What surprised me is how prayerful it was, focusing on that daily holy hour for all of us. It’s been transformative over the years to my spiritual life and every aspect of my life.”
Pfeiffer also points to the brotherhood with Saldarriaga and his fellow seminarians.
“All of the brothers here support each other on the walk of holiness,” he said. “Knowing that I’m surrounded by other men who are also giving their whole selves for Jesus and wanting to become saints is one of the biggest blessings of being here. It’s a unique experience to be surrounded by people who have one common goal.”
At the same time, Pfeiffer and Saldarriaga appreciate the academic formation.
“Sacred Heart has a reputation for being academically blessed and rigorous. We have first-class educators here,” Pfeiffer said. “I also really respect our priest faculty and the way they embrace the role of fatherhood, both encouraging us and also challenging us.”
Bishop Bradley is confident in the formation and education his seminarians consistently receive at Sacred Heart, noting that the emphasis on the New Evangelization has been important in helping seminarians understand how to meet people in all circumstances of faith development.
“Even in those cases when young men have ‘discerned out’ of the priestly formation program, I have felt confident that the seminary formators have been guiding them to the decision that is what is consistent with God’s will for those individuals,” said Bishop Bradley. “The program of human, spiritual, academic and pastoral formation is balanced, sound, and consistent with the ‘mind of the Church’ in the 21st century.”
Throughout his time at Sacred Heart, Pfeiffer has embraced opportunities to encounter and bring Christ to others. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, seminarians were tasked with creating a Zoom class for their home parish. He spent the semester studying the spirituality of the saints and how to pray like a saint, then presented what he learned via Zoom.
“I was really excited to be able to share that with parishioners in my home diocese,” Pfeiffer said.
After his first year at the seminary, Pfeiffer and his classmates spent four weeks in Guatemala learning Spanish. He was inspired by the story of Blessed Stanley Rother, an American priest and missionary who was martyred in Guatemala. When Pfeiffer returned to serve at a parish in the Kalamazoo diocese for the rest of the summer, he engaged his newfound desire to minister to the underserved as he interacted with migrant workers and the thriving Hispanic community there.
Fr. José Haro, Vocations Director for the diocese, attended Sacred Heart and was ordained in 2016.
“I see Sacred Heart giving us priests with a desire and willingness to bring the Gospel to everyone they meet,” said Fr. Haro. “I think the desire to evangelize is in the heart of every man at Sacred Heart.”
As for the Kalamazoo seminarians’ time spent cooking in the Sacred Heart kitchen, they’ve found it’s a good way to make friends with men from other dioceses. After all, Saldarriaga contends that the second most-visited place in the seminary after the chapel is the refectory (dining room).
“The language of cooking, like that of love, does not need to be interpreted, just lived and experienced,” said Saldarriaga. “An example to finish is our Lord Jesus Christ, who, at the time of instituting the priesthood, decided to do it with a dinner and surrounded by his best friends, his disciples.
LEFT TO RIGHT: Jack Pfeiffer, Hector Saldarriaga, Andy Schmidt, and Deacon Jacob Thomas. PHOTO CREDIT: Jack Pfeiffer