Catholic Diocese of Wichita
CV NEWS FEED // Seminarians at the St. Joseph House of Formation in Wichita, Kansas, are blending intellectual study with practical skills by participating in woodworking classes designed to provide a break from their rigorous philosophy studies.
Fr. Chad Arnold, the director of the House of Formation, invited David Graver, a former high school religion teacher turned full-time woodworker, to lead the monthly classes at his shop, the Diocese of Wichita reported.
Ten of the 43 seminarians at the House of Formation are taking part in the classes, where they learn essential woodworking skills, including shop safety and the use of basic equipment.
Recently, students participated in a meaningful project that involved attaching a corpus of Jesus to a cross, prompting reflection on the Catechism’s teaching about personal sin.
“It was a sobering experience to reflect on the Catechism quote that, ‘It is you who have crucified him and crucify him still, when you delight in your vices and sins,’” Graver said.
Graver emphasized the importance of integrating hands-on work with spiritual and intellectual development, noting that this approach grounds the seminarians as they navigate their studies and prayer life and that there’s a “real integration that can happen with the physical trades.”
He later added, “It’s an integration that is healthy and helps ground them.”
