Al Allen says joining the seminary in his late 50s has been a fulfillment of a calling he’s had since he was very young.

HALES CORNER, Wis. — Seminarian Albert “Al” Allen believes he is proof positive that important life events happen in God’s time. At 59, Allen is in his first year of theological studies at Sacred Heart School of Theology at Hales Corner, Wis., and he’s also the oldest seminarian of the Springfield diocese.

Allen had just completed his first year of studies in the diaconate program and was on summer retreat when Father Christopher House, vocations director the Springfield diocese, told him that he had been accepted to be a seminarian.

“You know, when I went through the interview process for the diaconate I talked about how entering the priesthood had always been in the back of my mind. It was just a feeling that I’ve had since I was very young — that I was supposed to be a priest, but somehow that never happened,” Allen said, noting that his age was now working against him.

“I came from a large family — there were 13 of us — so going to school after high school just wasn’t in the cards. You had to get a job and help out,” he said, explaining that he came to Springfield for work in 1972 and joined St. Patrick Parish (which is now part of the St. Katharine Drexel Parish) where he immediately felt at home.

“Anyway, there were just a lot of obstacles, but even through all of them, I still had that feeling,” he said. “I was in my late 50s when I eventually entered the diaconate program with the class that will be ordained in 2012.”

Allen said he is the only one of his siblings who didn’t marry. “You know, a time or two I came very close to tying the knot,” he said about marriage. “But somehow it never worked out that way. …  I think that, too, was part of God’s plan for me.

“So, when Father (House) told me they had reconsidered and I could enter the seminary in August, that was quite a pleasant surprise,” said Allen. “I was just as happy as I could be.” Happy and busy, as it turns out, with just a few weeks to take leave of his job with the State of Illinois, close up his house and decide what to do about his many volunteer duties.

“There were a lot of things to think about. I was extremely involved in my parish and had been on the parish council and the parish finance council. I had also been the head of the St. Katharine Drexel fish fries for two years,” he said, noting that he helped out at the fish fries over his recent spring break. “But I had also been a Scoutmaster for 35 years. I think that was the toughest thing to do — making the break from that.” 

It didn’t take Allen long to discover that the life of a seminarian is busy and the days are long but fulfilling — filled with prayer, studying and, of course, daily Mass.

“Sacred Heart is geared toward what they call a ‘second vocation.’ They realize that you have a lot of life experience. Still, I am taking 17 hours of classes along with my formation time. We are encouraged to remain active in the local parishes in Milwaukee, so we do that.

 “I find it challenging, as does everyone,” he said of the reading, research and writing that are required of seminarians. “The reading assignments are unbelievable — hundreds of pages a week.” Additionally, he and a few of the other seminarians have also formed a choir to provide music for the Masses.

 Allen knows that his age at ordination will coincide with the age when many folks would be beginning their retirement years. “If everything stays on track, I’ll be 62, just about when people think about retiring,” he said. “But there’s more to life than being retired.

“I feel so good answering God’s call after almost a lifetime and I am so grateful that the diocese is so supportive of the seminarians. In fact, I’m kind of like a kid with a new lease on life. I have a desire and a love of people and I feel like God has been kind to me for a reason,” he said. “I can’t wait to be a priest and I’m itching to be out there to be a servant for God’s people.”