The Big Vote

One of the rather stressful part of being in the Seminary is the annual vote. Every year the faculty of the Seminary vote on each seminarian. We joke that it is "Survivor Seminary Edition." Over our entire time at the Seminary each seminarian is assigned a faculty mentor. The mentor meets with the seminarian on a regular basis and evaluated progress, etc... The mentor is also tasked with relaying any concerns that the faculty have when each Seminarian is discussed and is the seminarian's advocate in faculty meetings. Near the conclusion of each year the faculty vote on whether a seminarian can continue in formation for the next year. The faculty can ask a seminarian to leave, can recommend them for continuance in formation, or continuance with some concerns. It is generally considered that your second year of Theology is the critical year, as they will sometimes need to let people go. I am happy to report that I was voted on for the next year without any concerns. Because of the uncertainty of the entire process, the big votes can be stressful even when you know you are all set.