Fr. Stephen Burr has spent half his life living, studying, working and ministering at Sacred Heart Major Seminary.
“With my time here as a student and as full-time faculty, I’ve lived in this building for 25 years, and I’m about to turn 50,” said Fr. Burr, rector and president of Sacred Heart since 2021.
At the end of June, Fr. Burr will move out of the seminary to begin his next assignment. He will return to parish life as part of the team of priests at St. Regis, St. Owen, Holy Name, and Our Lady Queen of Martyrs parishes, primarily serving at St. Regis Parish in Bloomfield Hills.
On July 1, Fr. Kevin Creagh, CM, will succeed Fr. Burr as rector and president of Sacred Heart.
From seminarian to faculty advisor
Fr. Burr first stepped into the seminary in 1995 as a second-year college seminarian. Former Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron was Fr. Burr’s rector for the entirety of his time there.
Looking back on his formation at Sacred Heart, Fr. Burr sees a difference in today’s seminarians.
That difference, he says, is courage.
“A man coming into the seminary today is facing a more non-Christian world. Anyone coming in now is much more courageous than I was,” Fr. Burr said. “When I entered seminary, my family and friends thought it was the most wonderful thing.”
Today, he said, many young men entering the seminary come from families who are unchurched, and who don’t support or understand their vocation.
“In some cases, their family and friends might go to church, but they ask the man entering the seminary, ‘Why do you want to waste your life?’” Fr. Burr said.
Fr. Burr admires the young men who discern priesthood today.
“They are men who are saying publicly that they love the Lord, even though many are not being supported in the same way I was by family and friends,” Fr. Burr said. “They’re a faithful and courageous group.”
In 2002, Fr. Burr was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit. During his time as associate pastor at the Church of the Divine Child in Dearborn, he was appointed part-time formation advisor to undergraduate seminarians at Sacred Heart.
He accepted his first full-time faculty position in 2008 as director of undergraduate pastoral formation. Fr. Burr became interim vice rector in 2013, then vice rector and dean of seminarian formation in 2017. While acting as vice rector, he completed his Doctor of Ministry degree through The Catholic University of America and also served as pastor of Presentation/Our Lady of Victory Parish in Detroit.
A new role
Fr. Burr remembers the day he was asked to meet with then-Archbishop Vigneron in 2021.
“When he asked me to step into the role of rector, I remember thinking, ‘What are you asking of me now, Lord?’” Fr. Burr recalled. “The archbishop was very kind and asked me to pray with it. After some prayer, I responded that I would be honored to take it on.”
Fr. Burr is the 14th rector of Sacred Heart, which was founded in 1919.
“I always wanted to be a parish priest — that’s been the call — but I loved being a seminary formator. It’s been a passion of mine,” Fr. Burr said. “I’ve loved working with the men over the years, and I’ve loved being their priest.”
The rector acts as the pastor of the seminary and the chief administrator of Sacred Heart, overseeing the administration of the institution as well as the human, spiritual, pastoral and intellectual formation of the men discerning priesthood.
“As the rector, I am the pastor and father here, not only to the seminarians but to the priests, faculty and lay staff,” Fr. Burr said. “I also serve as the president of the college and the graduate school. I report to the bishops of all the sponsoring dioceses and make recommendations about how each seminarian is doing in his formation process leading toward ordination.”
Ninety-two seminarians are in formation at Sacred Heart, representing 11 dioceses and three religious communities. Sacred Heart also has nearly 300 additional students exploring ways to enrich their faith and prepare for ministry roles.
Joys and challenges
When Fr. Burr became rector on July 1, 2021, his first challenge awaited him: the ongoing safety protocols brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Masking and social distancing were polarizing to students, faculty and friends of the seminary. Fr. Burr worked to balance the desire to return fully to classroom learning with the obligation to protect students at Sacred Heart based on ever-changing information.
“It was hard to be in leadership then, especially as a new rector,” Fr. Burr said. “You can only lead with the information you have, and at the time, we didn’t have much.”
A second challenge was the implementation of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ updated Program of Priestly Formation (PPF) in 2022. The PPF established four stages for seminarian formation: propaedeutic, discipleship, configuration, and vocational synthesis.
Fr. Burr formed two committees to develop the propaedeutic program for Sacred Heart: one to address curriculum changes and another to explore residential options for propaedeutic men. In the end, Fr. Burr and the committee determined that renovating an area at Sacred Heart would best serve the seminarians.
Fr. Burr also led the seminary through two accreditation reviews in which Sacred Heart was recognized as a model institution among other colleges.
Despite some challenges, Fr. Burr wouldn’t trade his time at Sacred Heart for anything.
The joys, he says, far outweighed the trials. Each year, his happiest moment takes place on ordination day.
“Ordination days are so inspiring. They make me so happy, to see a man come to fruition and see the Church celebrating a new priest,” Fr. Burr said. “Being in seminary is a challenge in the deep self-reflection and the discernment, and these men do it so well. Seeing the victory of ordination brings a big smile to my face.”
Fr. Burr has enjoyed working closely as rector with Archbishop-emeritus Vigneron and now with Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger. He considers the relationships with his bishops a special gift that comes with his role.
“I also love teaching,” he said. “I’ve always been assigned to schools, but I never expected to be an educator in addition to being a priest.”
Fr. Burr has taught leadership and administration courses while at Sacred Heart, as well as classes in homiletics, theology, and practicums on the liturgy.
Building up the seminary
In 2024, Sacred Heart launched “Revive, Restore, Rejoice,” an initiative to renovate its 100-year-old auditorium. Fr. Burr oversaw the fundraising and extensive renovation. The project was completed last fall in time for a scholarly conference hosted at Sacred Heart in October.
Having not led a large-scale fundraising effort before, Fr. Burr welcomed the chance to learn. He approached the financial responsibility of the seminary in the same way — as an opportunity.
“I do like things to work in a well-ordered way, and diving into the financial life of the seminary is a way to make it well-ordered,” Fr. Burr said. “I think leaders need to know all the parts of a place and apply the best principles to run their organizations well.”
Fr. Burr secured two Lilly Endowment grants in his time as rector. One grant for $8.9 million will pave the way for the seminary to develop shared ministry programs with St. Mary Seminary in Cleveland, Ohio.
The point of it all
Fr. Burr will miss many things about Sacred Heart, including the fraternity he shares with the other priests on the faculty who reside there.
“To live with so many priests — 13 of us live here now — where else will I ever get that?” Fr. Burr reflected. “It’s been a blessing to know there’s always a brother priest around the corner. I can knock on his door, and we can laugh together or talk about the struggles of ministry.”
Most of all, he’ll miss the seminarians.
“Seminary formation is a different form of fatherhood than parish formation,” he explained. “You’re responsible for these men, and you love them like they’re your sons. You pray with them through challenges and care for them. At the same time, the guys are just fun. They do goofy guy things and they’re interesting to be around.”
The seminarians have inspired Fr. Burr in his own priesthood in the way they seek to be fraternal with one another. Many form fraternal groups to pray and socialize together throughout their time in seminary and beyond.
“They’re making sure that priestly fraternity is going to be part of their lives now and into their priesthood. They’re saying, ‘We’re always going to be attentive to each other,’” Fr. Burr said. “They see the value of priestly fraternity, and it’s inspired me to make sure I have that as I return to parish life.”
Every time he meets with a seminarian, whether it’s because the man is facing a challenge in his life or a joyful moment, Fr. Burr leaves the meeting with a desire to be a better priest.
“In that moment, that seminarian makes me a better priest because he brings me to the Lord in prayer for him,” Fr. Burr said. “So if I’ve been a blessing to the seminarians, which I hope I’ve been, they’ve been that to me a million times over.”
Lessons learned
As a newly ordained priest nearly 24 years ago, Fr. Burr never imagined the path God would set before him, but he’s grateful for it.
“The Lord has been so good to me,” Fr. Burr said. “It’s even easier now to respond generously and say ‘yes’ to whatever God wants than it was when I was a younger priest because He has carried me through some really hard things. I know He’ll do the same in anything He calls me to do in the future.”
Fr. Burr looks forward to returning to the rhythm of parish life in the sacraments, presiding at baptisms, weddings and funerals.
“I’m also excited to preach on a regular basis and communicate God’s word outside the classroom in a way that’s relatable to the daily life of the people of God,” Fr. Burr said.
As for his legacy, Fr. Burr is leaving that up to others to define.
“I would say, if anything, that I hope to be seen as someone who cared for the people of Sacred Heart,” he said. “My efforts here were always to protect them and care for them as pastor, and to lead them into better living with the Lord. If I’ve had a hand in that, it’s a blessing to me.”
When asked if he has any advice for his successor, Fr. Creagh, Fr. Burr didn’t hesitate.
“Love the Sacred Heart community and let them love you back. If you do that, the Lord will do the rest,” said Fr. Burr.
