For the first time in two years, St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, one of America’s historic seminaries, held its annual gala Sept. 18 on the plaza of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles.
The pandemic prevented the seminary from holding its traditional celebration in 2020. Instead, a virtual gala was created.
Three seminary alumni were honored at the gala: Monsignor James Forsen, pastor of Visitation Parish in Westchester and former archdiocesan vocations director; the Rev. Patrick Mullen, pastor of Padre Serra Parish in Camarillo and former faculty member of St. John’s; and Monsignor Timothy Nichols, pastor of St. John Vianney Parish in Hacienda Heights.
All have served the church through parish life, diocesan leadership and education.
Two Catholic lay leaders, Chris and Laura Meissner, were presented the Evangelii Gaudium award at the gala for their dedication to the church.
Since its inception in 1939, St. John’s Seminary has prepared more than 1,250 men ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles as well as for other dioceses in the United States and other countries.
St. John’s Seminary offers programs for those interested in becoming a priest, deacon, theologian or lay minister, a non-ordained pastoral priest that serves the Catholic Church.
Presently, St. John’s serves 93 seminarians. The rector of the seminary is the Rev. Marco Durazo, former St. John seminarian and professor.
In the last 50 years, St. John’s has included women as professors, administrators and theology students.