Seminarians in Honduras for Exchange Program

Archdiocese of Cincinnati seminarians Jonathan Jergens, David Morand and Michael Willig will be in Tegucigalpa, Honduras for four weeks as part of the seminary exchange program. While in Honduras they will work on their Spanish language skills, live at the seminary and visit urban and rural parishes and missions. They will also have an opportunity to meet with Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez and both clergy and lay leaders.

Reflecting on the origin and importance of this program, Father Benedict D. O’Cinnsealaigh said, “Pope Saint John Paul II asked for greater familiarity and cooperation between the Church in North and South America. We at the seminary felt we could best respond to his call by helping future priests, in the Western Hemisphere, have an opportunity to meet each other and have an experience of the local churches, culture, and societies. It has been a very enriching program. Anything that helps our priests grow in their knowledge and appreciation of the richness and universality of Catholicism is enriching for everyone they serve.”

The seminary exchange program began in 2002. Every year seminarians from Mount St. Mary’s/The Athenaeum go to Honduras during the summer and seminarians from Seminario Mayor Nuestra Senora de Suyapa (Our Lady of Suyapa Seminary) come to Cincinnati for the month of January.

This seminary exchange program, running now for 16 years, has been completely sustained by the generosity of donors to this particular project. We thank all the donors who helped to make this opportunity available to our seminarians.

Photo Credit (left to right): Archdiocese of Cincinnati seminarians Michael Willig, David Morand and Jonathan Jergens in Honduras.