T4 Welcome Back Vespers and Banquet

The NDS community welcomed back the fourth theology class with Solemn Vespers and a banquet on October 21. The T4 seminarians participate in 5 month internship as deacons or those preparing for diaconate ordination from May until mid-October. NDS is the only seminary in the United States that provides this extended pastoral internship evaluating and assessing pastoral skills as the men prepare for ordination in the last year of seminary formation. The evening began with Solemn Vespers with the rector drawing the Sunday gospel that day to exhort the community to exercise fraternal correction prudently and with charity. Following prayer, the community enjoyed an outdoor reception before going into the main auditorium for a banquet which features toasts, addresses, and prime rib. The evening closed out with the traditional “welcome back video” humorously tracing the events of the past months since the T4 men have been away. We are grateful for the blessings that the T4 received during their internships, and we look forward to the graces of this upcoming year.