Gifts etc. for seminarians?

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vester444

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Hi all,

I met a seminarian this last month that was awesome. He seriously is one of the coolest people I’ve met and he really did help me one day (when no priest was around) and I think it was divine providence that we meet. He met my husband and daughter last week.

He is going back to the seminary and so we wont see him until maybe December or again in May when he takes his vows, etc.

Is it a stupid thought to want to send him something just to encourage him? I dont know what that would be? Is it like friends sending you cookies or a goodie basket at college? haha! I just want to do some nice things for him, not only because he helped me out, but because he is really nice and I want to encourage him as he heads down this final stretch to becoming a WONDERFUL priest.

Thoughts? let me know!

Vester
 
Sure, nothing at all wrong with sending a seminarian a gift and a letter of encouragement, thanking him for his help to you. As for what kind of gift it depends on the seminarian; for the most part it would be the sorts of things that could be used by any college student.
 
vester444 said:
Hi all,

I met a seminarian this last month that was awesome. He seriously is one of the coolest people I’ve met and he really did help me one day (when no priest was around) and I think it was divine providence that we meet. He met my husband and daughter last week.

He is going back to the seminary and so we wont see him until maybe December or again in May when he takes his vows, etc.

Is it a stupid thought to want to send him something just to encourage him? I dont know what that would be? Is it like friends sending you cookies or a goodie basket at college? haha! I just want to do some nice things for him, not only because he helped me out, but because he is really nice and I want to encourage him as he heads down this final stretch to becoming a WONDERFUL priest.

Thoughts? let me know!

Vester
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I think the best present you can give him is your daily prayers. I don’t think it would be a good idea for you to send him a present. You don’t want to distract him with your feminine attention. If you are old enough to be his grandmother and rich enough to sponsor him in school by paying his tuition, that is a different subject.
 
I think a simple card thanking him for his help and telling him that you shall be praying for him would suffice quite nicely.
 
vester444 said:
Hi all,

I met a seminarian this last month that was awesome. He seriously is one of the coolest people I’ve met and he really did help me one day (when no priest was around) and I think it was divine providence that we meet. He met my husband and daughter last week.

He is going back to the seminary and so we wont see him until maybe December or again in May when he takes his vows, etc.

Is it a stupid thought to want to send him something just to encourage him? I dont know what that would be? Is it like friends sending you cookies or a goodie basket at college? haha! I just want to do some nice things for him, not only because he helped me out, but because he is really nice and I want to encourage him as he heads down this final stretch to becoming a WONDERFUL priest.

Thoughts? let me know!

Vester
Click to expand...
As a Friar in formation, I have always found it very encouraging to receive letters, cards, ect. from people that I have met. It is always wonderful to know that people are praying for you, and creating new friendships is vital to the life of any priest or religious!
 
For the record, ummm…I dont think I’m giving him 'feminine" attention - I mean, I am a girl and therefore inherently feminine haha - but he just met my husband and daughter - and the thing he counseled me about was about how much I love them, and am afraid to lose them to a disease or whatever because I love them so much, so I think that there is no danger of (ahem) feminine distraction. That would be wrong on many levels…I"m married, hes going to be a priest, etc etc haha.

Ok - well, maybe I’ll send him a card, and maybe a book or something on the Saints or something like that. I just want to be so supportive and appreciative because wow, we need good priests and I just want to be encouraging. 🙂

Vester
 
what we do here is send gifts of food that can be enjoyed by the whole school, since our seminary is run on a tight budget and every such gift is appreciated and used.
 
haha. Thats funny. I thought about sending cookies and muffins for everyone but then I thought that might seem sort of “girlfriend-y” so I didnt haha!

Vester
 
Please send cookies or some sort of treats that everyone can share…we LOVED this when we were novices!! 👍

It is better than a gift just for him, AND, he’ll be “Mr. Popular” for being so nice to share with all of the other guys and for having such great friends who send treats for all! 😉

Rest assured, mail and “college-like” care packages are always a great thing to get when you are away studying for your religious formation. There would be no “weirding-out” feelings if it is a gift for all! 🙂
 
My family adopted a seminarian. We made it clear to him that when he wants he can call on us for anything like a son would do it. We also try to support him with a small stipend or by buying things that he needs. That seems to help him considering that he is from another country and he does not have any close family nearby. Communication and availability is often more important than things and money.
 
Ok maybe I"ll do a care package like that and make it from my husband and daughter and me. I just didnt want it to be like a girlfriend baking cookies for her boyfriend away at school haha! But I’ll make sure to pack a ton in there so that he can share with all his friends, etc. 🙂 I’ll do it later this fall.

Any more suggestions would be appreciated. We dont have a lot of money - so we cant really support him, and frankly I dont think he really needs that - but I just never met anyone my age (mid-30s) who wanted to be a priest, and he will be such a good one that I really want to support him etc.

By the way - can everyone here pray for him too - just while I’m thinking of it - I"m sure he would love that. 🙂 Thanks.

Vester
 
How about doing the food basket and a basket of toiletries with writing paper and envelopes and stamps so that he can write letters to his family and friends, maybe a phone card if he is allowed access to a payphone etc.

It all depends on what the seminary provides them with and what they are allowed.
 
Young women can be very innocent about wanting a special friendship with a young seminarian. I think my flag went up when you called him “cool” and “awesome”.

Yes, I agree that seminarians need lots of encouragement. The ideas about feeding the entire dorm would be much better than sending anything he could “remember you by”. The gift should come from your entire family. I’m glad you made that clear.

I love the way Sister Snowflake put it…“no weirding out feelings” if it is a gift for all.
 
hahah… Well, at 36, I"m neither “young” nor “innocent” haha!

But I guess I see how it could be translated like that - the internet is funny that way.

but in all truth - he is cool and awesome haha!!! 🙂 So sorry if that came across as weird in my first post! 🙂

I just talked to my mom who is going back to Poland and she is going to get him something from Czenstahowa for May when he becomes a Deacon, etc. which I think is a good present 🙂

Thanks for all your help, guys, if you have any more ideas let me know!!!

Vester
 
vester444 said:
I just talked to my mom who is going back to Poland and she is going to get him something from Czenstahowa for May when he becomes a Deacon, etc. which I think is a good present 🙂

Vester
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:tiphat: :getholy: Excellent idea!
 
**
He is going back to the seminary and so we wont see him until maybe December or again in May when he takes his vows, etc. **

**If he’s making vows, then he’s a novice in a religious order, and is at least obliged to observe the spirit of poverty, which means he cannot receive gifts.

Making vows is NOT the same thing as ordination.**
 
There’s nothing wrong with sending a seminarian a little bit of cash for gas, busfare, movie ticket, etc. along with an encouraging note, or cookies, or what-have-you. Cash is always welcome for any college student. If one worries that it may seem like the sender is a potential “seminarian groupie,” send the note with the whole family signing it. Or, if there are others in the parish who appreciated his ministry, let them all contribute and send the package as a group. But do remember your seminiarians! They need all the encouragement they can get!
 
vester444 said:
Hi all,

I met a seminarian this last month that was awesome. He seriously is one of the coolest people I’ve met and he really did help me one day (when no priest was around) and I think it was divine providence that we meet. He met my husband and daughter last week.

He is going back to the seminary and so we wont see him until maybe December or again in May when he takes his vows, etc.

Is it a stupid thought to want to send him something just to encourage him? I dont know what that would be? Is it like friends sending you cookies or a goodie basket at college? haha! I just want to do some nice things for him, not only because he helped me out, but because he is really nice and I want to encourage him as he heads down this final stretch to becoming a WONDERFUL priest.

Thoughts? let me know!

Vester
Click to expand...
Hey, as of Monday I will be a seminarian, and if anyone wanted to give me a gift I would recommend the gift my dad always tells me is the best you can give:

Cash

best gift you can give 😃 (j/k)
 
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