Gaylord Diocesan Watch has learned that Deacon Chris Nowak has been deleted from the Diocesan listing as a seminarian. In the latest issue of Faith Along Michigan’s 45th Parallel, the Diocesan quarterly magazine, an article highlighting the seminarians was notable for the absence of this senior seminarian. No announcement was given or reason was listed on the Diocesan website as to why this occurred.
This is concerning for many reasons. Among them is the interest Nowak displayed in the Latin Mass. Is he yet another “traditional” priest in training that is canned for being too “orthodox”? Another is the disappearance of Nowak just three months before his scheduled ordination. If he was not a candidate for ordination, why did it take this long to figure that out? One source has stated that Nowak had a disagreement with Bishop Raica and that he still has strong aspirations to be a priest. Yet another big concern is the cost of seminary education, which can exceed $40,000 per year per seminarian. Who is paying for this? If the seminarian does not end up being ordained, or worse yet, leaves the priesthood, does he have any financial responsibility to pay back his training? If the diocese removes a seminarian after paying his way for four or more years, are the faithful of the diocese who foot the bill for these seminarians not entitled to an explanation as to why their money has been spent in this way? Where is the transparency and the accountability?
If you have any information as to the mysterious abrupt non-ordination to the priesthood of Chris Nowak, please contact us. We would like to see more good priests and seminarians, not less, for our Diocese.