During this past summer Holy Trinity Seminary marked the passing of two of its previous rectors from this life into eternity.  Rev. Msgr. Charles B. King, P.A., the second rector of Holy Trinity Seminary (1968-1969), died on June 1, 2011, after living with cancer for the past several years.  Msgr. King was 79 years of age.  He was born on November 5, 1931, in Wichita Falls, Texas, graduated from Georgetown University, and studied at the North American College before being ordained in December 1956 for the Diocese of Dallas-Fort Worth.  Besides serving first as the vice rector and then as the rector at Holy Trinity Seminary, Monsignor King served faithfully and happily as a pastor in many parishes throughout the Dioceses of Dallas and Fort Worth.  He also was noted for his dedication to ecumenism and to inter-faith dialogue.  During the past several years, he had remained a friend of Holy Trinity Seminary by, among other things, hosting a golf outing as one of the prize packages for the Seminary’s annual Welcome Dinner.

On September 4, 2011, Rev. Msgr. Charles W. Elmer, P.A. passed from this life into eternity while living in retirement in Houston, Texas.  Monsignor Elmer was 88 years of age.  Monsignor Elmer served as the fifth rector of Holy Trinity Seminary (1982-1988).  He had also previously served as a spiritual director at Holy Trinity Seminary.  Monsignor Elmer was born on May 19, 1923, in Aurora, Wisconsin.  He served in the United States Army during World War II and achieved the rank of Colonel in the Army Reserve.  After the War, he attended St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee and then the North American College in Rome.  He was ordained for the Diocese of Marquette, Michigan, on December 20, 1952.  He would subsequently transfer to the Diocese of Austin for health reasons.  Besides serving at Holy Trinity Seminary, much of his priestly service was dedicated to the formation of seminarians and priests at such institutions as St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston, and the Casa Santa Maria and North American College in Rome.  A Vigil service will be held for Monsignor Elmer at 7:00 PM on September 8, 2011, at St. Mary’s Seminary Chapel in Houston, Texas.  The Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated at St. Mary’s Seminary Chapel in Houston, Texas, at 11:00 AM on Friday, September 9, 2011.

Please join the alumni, faculty, staff, and seminarians of Holy Trinity Seminary in praying for the repose of the souls of these good priests and past rectors and for the consolation of their families and loved ones.  Eternal rest, grant unto them, Oh Lord.  Let perpetual light shine upon them.  May they rest in peace.

On Sunday, August 21, 2011 Holy Trinity Seminary welcomed 34 new seminarians into its program of formation.  This number included 20 undergraduate seminarians and 14 pre-theologians.  The addition of these new seminarians brings the total enrollment to 67 seminarians, the largest number in over 15 years.  Among these new seminarians are included young men representing dioceses that are new or returning to Holy Trinity Seminary: Charleston, South Carolina, Great Falls-Billings, Montana, and Tulsa, Oklahoma.  The Diocese of Dallas is represented this year at Holy Trinity Seminary by 16 seminarians, its largest number in recent years, coming from parishes across the Diocese.  Please join us in welcoming this year’s enrollment of seminarians by attending the annual Holy Trinity Seminary Welcome Dinner to be held at the Fairmont Hotel on Saturday, October 1, 2011 at 5:00 PM.  Tickets are available on this website or by calling 972-438-2212.

Bishop Daniel Flores is the Sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Brownsville. He studied at the University of Dallas, and Holy Trinity Seminary, completing a BA in Philosophy in 1983 and Masters of Divinity in 1987.  He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Corpus Christi on January 30, 1988 and served in various capacities, including Secretary to the Bishop, Vice Chancellor and Director of Vocations. He was assigned to further study at the Casa Santa Maria in Rome in 1997 and completed work on doctoral dissertation in Sacred Theology at the Angelicum in 2000. In 2001, he was assigned to serve as a Formation Director for graduate level seminarians at St. Mary’s Seminary, Houston, Texas in the Diocese of Galveston-Houston, and Adjunct Professor for the University of St. Thomas School of Theology.  In Sept 2005 he was assigned Rector of Corpus Christi Cathedral, while retaining assignment as Vice-Rector of Saint Mary’s Seminary in Houston. October of 2006 he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit; was ordained in Detroit on November 29, 2006. He became the Cardinal’s Liaison for Hispanic Affairs with Regional Responsibilities for parishes in the Archdiocese of Detroit; Adjunct Professor at Sacred Heart School of Theology, Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit, Michigan.  He was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Brownsville on December 9, 2009.

Bishop Kevin Farrell has appointed Father Keith Koehl to the position of Vice Rector of Holy Trinity Seminary effective January 1, 2012. Father Koehl, a native of LaGrange, Texas, is a priest of the Diocese of Austin. 

Father Koehl holds a Bachelor of Music (Emphasis in Education) from The University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Divinity degree from the University of St, Thomas in Houston, Texas. Father Koehl attended Holy Trinity Seminary from August 1990 through May 1992 as a pre-theologian. He attended major seminary at St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston, Texas. Father Koehl was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Austin on May 24, 1997.

Father Koehl has most recently served from 2006 until now as the pastor of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Hutto, Texas. While there he guided and oversaw the establishment of a new site for the church and parish offices as the parish grew to over 600 families. His previous assignments have included parochial vicar at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Austin (1997-2001) and parochial vicar at St. Mary’s Catholic Center and Campus Ministry at Texas A&M University in College Station (2001-2006).

In announcing Bishop Farrell’s appointment of Father Koehl, Holy Trinity Rector Monsignor Michael Olson stated, “Father Koehl comes to us with solid experience as a good parish priest and as a kind and effective pastor. I have known and respected Father Koehl for many years and I am grateful to him for his generosity in saying ‘yes’ to serve as the Vice Rector of Holy Trinity Seminary. I am grateful to Bishop Farrell for appointing Father Koehl and I am especially grateful to Bishop Joe Vasquez for his generosity in permitting Father Koehl to leave parish ministry for the sake of seminary formation. Father Koehl brings with him a happiness and joy in his 14 years of priestly ministry. I am delighted to welcome him to Holy Trinity Seminary.”

Members of the Serra Club from throughout North Texas gathered at Holy Trinity Seminary on March 26, 2011 for Mass and Brunch to initiate preparation for this summer’s Vocation Awareness Program (VAP) to be held at Holy Trinity Seminary from June 24 through June 26, 2011. The VAP has become an annual event at Holy Trinity Seminary for young men and women between the ages of 18 and 40 to gather under the sponsorship of Serra in order to inquire into priesthood and religious life with diocesan and religious vocation directors and representatives from around North Texas.

The weekend includes time for meditation and prayer, sacramental confession, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and Mass. This prayer time is supplemented by presentations, panel discussions, question and answer sessions, one on one personal conferences with priests, sisters, and brothers who serve as the staff for the VAP. There is no cost for attendance. Anyone interested in participating in the VAP should contact Fr. Rudy Garcia, Vocation Director of the Diocese of Dallas (rgarcia@cathdal.org) or Fr. Kyle Walterscheid, Vocation Director of the Diocese of Fort Worth (kwalterscheid@fwdioc.org).

The long standing tradition of live meditations on the Stations of the Cross was conceived many years ago by seminarians who wanted to give back to the students of the university in a spiritual way. Later it was opened to everyone who wanted to experience this prayerful and powerful event.

It has thus become a way of spiritual preparation for the upcoming Holy Week for all individuals wishing to attend. This is a seminary sponsored event planned and hosted by the seminarians themselves. Collaboration for the meditation is also supported by the University of Dallas Campus Ministry.

For more info…

The Most Reverend Kevin W. Vann, Bishop of Fort Worth, and the Most Reverend Kevin J. Farrell, Bishop of Dallas, jointly announce that His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI has conferred upon Father Michael Olson, Rector of Holy Trinity Seminary, the Papal honor of Chaplain to His Holiness with the title of Reverend Monsignor. There will be the solemn celebration of Vespers at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Fort Worth on Sunday evening at 7:00 p.m., September 5, 2010, for the blessing and formal conferral of this honor with a reception to follow after the ceremony.

Father James Vasquez, 32 years old, is the sixth of seven children born to Mr. and Mrs. José Vásquez.  Father Vasquez, whose parents are Mexican immigrants, was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas; he is bilingual.  After graduation from a local public high school, Father Vasquez entered the seminary under the sponsorship of the Diocese of Corpus Christi.  He attended and graduated from college seminary in 2000 with a BA in Philosophy from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.   He then completed his graduate studies in theology with an MDiv from the University of St. Thomas while completing his priestly formation at St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston, Texas.  On June 24, 2006 he was ordained to the priesthood in Corpus Christi Cathedral by the Most Reverend Edmond Carmody, then the Bishop of Corpus Christi.  Since Father Vasquez’s ordination he has served as the Director of the Family Life Office for the Diocese of Corpus Christi.  In addition to his position as Family Life Office Director he has most recently served as a member of the faculty of John Paul II High School in Corpus Christi, Texas.  His past parochial assignments include Corpus Christi Cathedral and most recently Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Father Michael Olson, the Rector of Holy Trinity Seminary, stated that he is most grateful for the generosity of Bishop Mulvey in permitting Father Vasquez to come to Dallas to work in this very important and rewarding ministry of priestly formation.  Father Olson added, “I am overjoyed to welcome Father Vasquez to the formation faculty of Holy Trinity Seminary.  I have personally known Father Vasquez since the fall of 2001; he is a very talented and faithful priest and a man of solid character.  I am very grateful for his willingness to serve in the work of priestly formation.”



The “Live-In Weekend” is a time when young men from different walks of life come together to spend the weekend with seminarians discerning for the priesthood as they themselves discern the priesthood.

The visiting men get the opportunity to pray with the seminarians at Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours, Holy Hour, and Benediction for the days that they will stay at the Seminary. They get a taste of the academic formation that all seminarians receive at the University of Dallas as they accompany seminarians up the famous hill to attend Theology and Philosophy classes with them.

The young men who visit for the weekend also get the chance to spend some time and to have fun with the seminarians as they play different sports and games all throughout the weekend. Spending a couple of days at the seminary and listening to the stories of priests and the stories of how men of different walks of life, just like the men visiting, made the choice to become a seminarian come as a prayerful opportunity for the visiting men to open up to God’s call in their lives.

In 2010, on January 21-24, thirteen seminarians from Holy Trinity Seminary will be going to the “March for Life” in Washington D.C.   The “March for Life” is an annual pro-life rally protesting abortion, held in our nation’s capital. Since 1973, Pro-Life supporters from around the country have been rallying and marching in Washington D.C. to witness peacefully, to protest, and to pray on the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. Last year approximately 200,000 people attended this rally.

Several of the seminarians here at Holy Trinity Seminary have even been invited to serve Mass with Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston Houston, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Cardinal DiNardo is the chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop’s Committee on Pro-Life activities and will be the main celebrant and homilist at the Mass.

We ask for your prayers and support- for an end to abortion and for our pilgrimage.

MARCH FOR LIFE PRAYER NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

Our Lady of Guadalupe,
we turn to you who are the protectress of unborn children
and ask that you intercede for us,
so that we may more firmly resolve
to join you in protecting all human life.

Let our prayers be united
to your perpetual motherly intercession
on behalf of those whose lives are threatened,
be they in the womb of their mother,
on the bed of infirmity,
or in the latter years of their life.

May our prayers also be coupled with peaceful action
which witnesses to the goodness and dignity of all human life,
so that our firmness of purpose
may give courage to those who are fearful
and bring light to those who are blinded by sin.

Encourage those who will be involved in the March for Life;
help them to walk closely with God
and to give voice to the cry of the oppressed,
in order to remind out nation
of its commitment to life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness for all people.

O Virgin Mother of God,
present our petitions to your Son
and ask Him to bless us with abundant life.

Amen.