St. Joseph&#039;s Workshop Formation House

April 1, 2021

by Janet Marcel

The diocesan Office of Vocations is one step closer to implementing a new concept in the formation of men who desire to study for the priesthood with the purchase of a House of Formation that will be called “Saint Joseph’s Workshop.” This house, which is located a couple of blocks from Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, will be a place where men who are discerning a priestly vocation will begin their journey before going to the seminary for formal academic and priestly formation.

“Pope Francis announced that the program for priestly formation has changed and he is now calling for a propaedeutic year, in which men who are considering the priesthood will go to a ‘house of formation,’ before they go to the actual seminary,” says Bishop Shelton J. Fabre. “Here, they will be able to establish some of the routines and rules of life they will need, so they are not so ‘shocked’ when they get to the seminary. That can remove any anxiety they might have about their discernment and help them to focus on whether or not God is calling them to the priesthood.”

Father John David Matherne, diocesan director of the Office of Vocations, says, “Over the last year there has been a lot of conversation about a need we have for the formation of our seminarians. We recognized that in order to bring seminarian formation to the next level, we need to answer a certain call to have a place where we can house men in the diocese so they can get to know the diocese better, get to know themselves better, and get to know the Lord better. The diocese now has a house where our seminarians can spend their first year getting a good foundation for spiritual and human formation.”

Father Mitchel Semar, diocesan director of the Office of Seminarians, is looking forward to giving these men an opportunity to grow in their human and spiritual formation in a way that’s separate from the intellectual rigors of the seminary. “It’s hard to discern God’s call in the midst of external pressures. I’m super excited that they will have the freedom to grow here personally, but also in relationship with others. And, I believe that after a year (or two) in this house, we will be more confident and they will be more confident that God is actually calling them to take the next step to formal seminary training. And a lot of their discernment will already be done before they even get to the seminary,” says the priest.

Father Matherne says the diocese is leading the way in vocational discernment and in the formation of its seminarians. “We’re answering the call of the church. The best way to build up a good priest is to set a good foundation and that’s what this house is about. It’s a commitment from our diocese … to have good, healthy men who are ready to serve our church parishes in a profound and beautiful way.”
For more information about the new Formation House, go to www.htdiocese.org/formationhouse or call the diocesan Office of Vocations at (985)850-3129.