A tradition that walks beside St. Mark Seminary seminarians
Allison Mosier
09/01/2026
For more than 80 years, the St. Mark Seminary Auxiliary has quietly accompanied future priests through prayer, friendship and unwavering support.
Every spring, more than 400 people gather at St. Mark Catholic Center for one of the Diocese of Erie’s most anticipated traditions, the annual St. Mark Seminary Auxiliary Card Party. Guests enjoy dinner, fellowship and raffles, filling the gymnasium with laughter while raising thousands of dollars to support priestly formation.
For the members of the St. Mark Seminary Auxiliary, however, the Card Party is simply the most visible expression of something much greater. What visitors see in a single evening represents more than 80 years of prayer, friendship and steadfast support for the men preparing to become priests.
Founded in 1945 by the late Bishop John Mark Gannon, the auxiliary was created to assist the bishop and seminary in providing priests for the Church. Today, more than 240 members continue that mission through a threefold commitment: spiritual, charitable and educational, supporting seminarians not only through fundraising, but through personal relationships that often last long after ordination.
“The Card Party is our most visible event, but it's only one part of who we are,” said Alice Ballentine, president of the St. Mark Seminary Auxiliary. “Our mission is to support these men spiritually, personally and practically throughout their formation. We want every seminarian to know there is a community that believes in him, prays for him and walks beside him as he follows God’s call.”
Those relationships begin before courses ever start.
Each August, auxiliary members welcome seminarians and their families as they arrive at St. Mark Seminary. They help parents settle into the unfamiliar experience of leaving a son at seminary and reassure them that, while he may be far from home, he will not be alone.
What begins with a handshake during move-in often becomes a friendship that lasts through ordination and beyond.
Throughout the year, auxiliary members and seminarians gather monthly for Mass, dinner and fellowship. Rather than sitting with the same people each meeting, seminarians intentionally move from table to table, getting to know members personally. They share stories of their discernment, reflect on mission experiences and speak about the ways God is working in their lives. Auxiliary members, in turn, remember birthdays, send Christmas gifts, pray faithfully for each seminarian by name and celebrate milestones along the journey to the priesthood.
“We hope every seminarian immediately feels welcomed and at home,” Ballentine said. “Even though they're away from their families, we want them to know they’re surrounded by people who care about them, support them and are praying for them.”
For Kathy Holland and her daughter, Katy Gregory, those relationships began years ago when Kathy's son, and Katy's brother, Father Kevin Holland, entered St. Mark Seminary.
They joined the auxiliary simply to support someone they loved.
They stayed because they came to love an entire generation of seminarians.
“We joined because Kevin was here,” Gregory said. “What kept us here were the seminarians. You begin to know them as individuals, not just as future priests. You celebrate the little victories with them, pray through the difficult moments and watch God work in their lives. Before long, they become part of your family.”
Holland has watched that story repeat itself many times over.
“I’ll see priests serving throughout the diocese, and I remember when they were first-year seminarians,” she said. “Watching them become the priests God is calling them to be is one of the greatest blessings. Much like our own children, we want the very best for them.”
That sense of family extends beyond the Diocese of Erie. St. Mark Seminary currently forms seminarians from the Pennsylvania dioceses of Erie and Greensburg; Buffalo, New York; and Kalamazoo, Michigan. Regardless of where they will one day serve, every seminarian is welcomed in the same way.
“Supporting all of them reflects the universality of the Church,” Ballentine said. “While they’re here, they’re part of our family. Many stay in touch long after they return to their home dioceses because those friendships don’t end when they leave St. Mark.”
The generosity of auxiliary members also opens doors to experiences that shape seminarians in profound ways. Through the annual Card Party and other fundraising efforts, the auxiliary has helped make possible mission trips to Guatemala, a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe and, most recently, a pilgrimage to Italy during the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.
For the seminarians, Rome was far more than another destination.
Crossing the threshold of St. Peter’s Basilica during the Jubilee Year became a deeply personal moment of grace. As they passed through the Holy Door, a symbol of entering more deeply into God’s mercy and renewing one’s commitment to Christ, they did so as men discerning a lifetime of service to the Church.
Thousands of miles from Erie, they found themselves thinking about home.
They thought about the people who had prayed for them, encouraged them and believed in them long before they boarded a plane for Italy.
For Joseph Preston, a seminarian for the Diocese of Erie, the pilgrimage became a defining moment in his vocation.
“The pilgrimage to Rome during the Holy Year set my vocation on fire,” Preston said. “Being in the presence of the Successor of Peter, Pope Leo XIV, really put my vocation into the perspective of the universal Church. I saw the height and grandeur of the call.”
The experience also deepened his appreciation for the people who quietly made it possible.
“I grew in appreciation of my vocation as a gift – something I have received from others, something I could have never brought about on my own,” he said. “The auxiliary members are, in a real way, mothers and fathers of my vocation.”
Father Scott Jabo, rector of St. Mark Seminary and moderator of the auxiliary, said experiences like the jubilee pilgrimage remind seminarians that formation happens far beyond the classroom.
“Formation certainly happens through study and prayer,” Father Jabo said, “but it also happens through encounters with the universal Church and through the faithful who accompany these men every step of the way. The auxiliary reminds our seminarians that they are never discerning alone.”
Preston sees that accompaniment every time he attends an auxiliary meeting.
“I am inspired by the tireless work put forth by the officers of the auxiliary to make the Card Party possible,” he said. “Their selfless devotion to us seminarians is a school where we can learn how to be priests who labor selflessly for the good of our people.”
Prayer is never taken for granted. “Fervent prayer is one of the most powerful gifts one can give,” Preston said. “I am incredibly thankful for the prayers of the members of the auxiliary. When God nudges my heart closer to Him, I believe it is often in response to their requests for holy and devoted priests.”
For Ballentine, supporting vocations is not simply another volunteer opportunity — it is a calling shared by the entire Church.
“My Catholic faith is one of the most important parts of my life,” she said. “Supporting vocations is one of the most fulfilling things I do because the future of our Church depends on encouraging those whom God is calling. That’s not just the work of priests or religious. It’s all of our responsibility.”
Every April, the Card Party fills the gymnasium with conversation, laughter and extraordinary generosity. By the end of the evening, the raffle baskets have been claimed, the decorations packed away and plans quietly begin for another year.
The real work of the auxiliary, however, continues long after the last guest has gone home.
There are birthdays to remember. New seminarians to welcome. Families to reassure. Christmas gifts to wrap. Cookies to bake for Quo Vadis Days. Countless prayers to offer.
Years later, those seminarians will stand at the altar as priests, carrying with them lessons learned in the classroom, the chapel and the friendships that quietly sustained them along the way.
Preston perhaps said it best: “The auxiliary members are, in a real way, mothers and fathers of my vocation.”
For more than 80 years, that has been the true legacy of the St. Mark Seminary Auxiliary. It is a tradition that does far more than support seminarians; it walks beside them.
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