If Joshua Dyke had to describe his first year of seminary so far, he might say “life changing.”

Dyke, originally from Minnesota and a parishioner at Sunbury St. John Neumann Church, is a seminarian for the Diocese of Columbus in the propaedeutic (preliminary) stage of seminary.

He said he did not know what to expect initially but has been pleasantly surprised.

“It changed my life,” Dyke said. “That’s the main thing I want to home in on: how much better I feel. I feel so at peace. This is probably the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.”

Dyke began his first year of seminary in August 2023 at the Pontifical College Josephinum after what he described as a “heavy knocking at the door” that began about a year and a half ago. Dyke said he tried to avoid answering the door, but the knocking persisted.

He somewhat reluctantly entered seminary, but now says, “I should have answered the door years ago. This is great.”

Dyke is one of 16 new seminarians in the Diocese of Columbus this year. The men, known as propaedudes, are spending their first year of seminary primarily in prayer and discernment.

An additional year of seminary was recently instituted by the Vatican that focuses on discernment. The Holy See changed seminary formation to include a series of stages based on spiritual formation rather than academics.

Because of the increase in the of men entering seminary this year, the Diocese of Columbus is calling on the faithful to offer prayerful and monetary support. The diocese launched “A Good and Growing Need” campaign to raise funds for seminary formation.

The faithful can make a donation online now at www.ColumbusCatholicGiving.org/Seminarian-Support-Fund. A second collection will be taken at Masses throughout the diocese during the weekend of Feb. 24-25.

For Dyke, choosing to answer God’s call has been well worth it. He said he has grown significantly through the amount of time he spends in prayer each day in seminary.

“The more I’m here, I’m like, ‘Wow,’ just the beauty of it all – through the sacraments, through all the prayer, watching priests perform their duties every day – it really opens up your eyes to the call,” he said.

“It feels amazing, and it just opens up more and more of your eyes to see what you really want. Right now, I feel like my heart’s really calling me to the priesthood.”

In the propaedeutic stage, Dyke said, he spends much of his time in prayer and reflection. He said spending time reflecting has helped him discern his purpose for being in seminary and his path forward. 

This stage enables men to discern their vocation – if it is to the priesthood – and what God is calling them to do. In addition, Dyke said, “I’m all around just a better man because I’m in seminary, and you don’t get a lot of opportunities like that elsewhere.”

Men in the propaedeutic stage begin each day at 6:45 a.m. with morning prayer, which is part of the Liturgy of the Hours, and Mass. After breakfast, Dyke said, he has his first class.

Men in the propaedeutic stage take several classes. At the Josephinum, the propaedudes’ three classes cover Christian prayer, writing and Catholic customs, and priestly celibacy, Dyke said.

After morning class, there is free time to visit the chapel and read. The propaedeutic stage is based heavily on prayer and reading.

Dyke said “I Want to See God: A Practical Synthesis of Carmelite Spirituality” by Blessed Father Marie-Eugene of the Child Jesus is a book that teaches what prayer is and how to pray while offering direction to develop a more spiritual and prayerful life.

The men also read “The Art of Praying: The Principles and Methods of Christian Prayer” by Romano Guardini, which, Dyke said, explores “why we pray,” how prayer is different in every person and community, and discusses developing a relationship with God through prayer.

In his free time, Dyke is reading “The Confessions” by St. Augustine as well as other books written about or by saints. He said spiritual reading has opened his life to God and leaves him feeling inspired, uplifted and at peace.

The propaedudes pray the rosary together every day before lunch. In the afternoon, their free time can be used for prayer, homework and reading. Several of them exercise in the gym on campus during this time.

Afterward, they spend time in Lectio Divina, a type of prayer that includes a slow, rhythmic reading and praying of a Scripture passage, and they pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet in community. 

The chaplet is followed by their second class of the day, and then the men gather for a Holy Hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament. They also have evening prayer, which is part of the Liturgy of the Hours, and pray the Angelus in community daily.

“I’ve developed such a great prayer life through the Liturgy of the Hours, through the Rosary,” Dyke said. “You get these deep, intimate connections with our Lord in the Eucharist, Our Lady, and through that, you get all these deep connections with your brother seminarians and with everyone around you. Your entire life changes just based on prayer.”

Dinner with brother seminarians is an opportunity for fraternity and provides a chance to discuss the day’s events.

Afterward, they spend the evening together often at the pool or lounge on campus. Dyke said it is a good time to relax before all of the men gather for night prayer at 9 p.m.

Praying in community, he said, builds up the “liveliness” of prayer and also enhances the fraternity.

On Sundays, the men begin the day with a holy hour at 9 a.m. followed by Mass at 10 a.m. in St. Turibius Chapel. 

Men in the propaedeutic stage typically gather for Mass and prayer during the week in the St. Pius X Chapel located in the Josephinum’s college building.

“We get to go into the huge chapel – Turibius – and there’s incense, and there’s a huge procession, and all the priests are there, and everyone’s in their cassocks,” Dyke said. “The propaedeutic men have to be in suits.

“It’s just gorgeous, and the organ’s going super loud, super lovely, super beautiful, and it’s just this beautiful Mass with all the readings and all the priests. It’s heaven on earth.”

After Mass and Sunday brunch, they have the rest of the day off. Sometimes, Dyke said, they go fishing or hiking together, but many stay on campus.

In the propaedeutic stage, the men also practice detoxing from the culture. They do not use their phones or social media regularly. Dyke said they check email on their phones periodically, but they set their cell phone aside during the day and do not keep it with them.

“We’re detoxing and giving up more of our lives to actually be talking to each other, talking to the Lord more, and I think that’s been so, so helpful,” he said. “I wish everyone did that.”

The propaedeutic stage is designed for a man to reflect on himself and who he is, his relationship with God and to focus on what God wants for him rather than what others want, Dyke said. By putting their cell phones aside, the men can discern their calling more clearly.

And they have recognized a difference in not using their cell phones regularly.

“Collectively, as the propaedeutic men, we’ve always been like, ‘This is awful,’ just being on your phones all day, on your screens, not getting anything done,” he said. “We all call it like ‘poison,’ just the stuff that doesn’t make you feel good, and it’s just this echo chamber of sadness and anger and immorality.”

The men meet regularly with a spiritual director and formation director. Spiritual direction helps to maximize their time in seminary, Dyke said. The spiritual director offers guidance on prayer and their vocation.

If the men are upset about something on a given day or during the week, the spiritual director can help them identify or pinpoint why they might be feeling that way, he said. They go to their spiritual director for confession, too.

The formation director helps them set and achieve goals for discernment and to become better men.

To support Dyke and all seminarians, visit www.ColumbusCatholicGiving.org/Seminarian-Support-Fund.