The Collar: A Year Inside a Catholic Seminary

by Jonathan Englert

What does it mean to take up God’s work? What motivates a man in these times to leave the secular for the spiritual life? In The Collar, Jonathan Englert finds the answers in the journey of five men toward the priesthood at Milwaukee’s Sacred Heart Seminary. Like many modern seminarians these men have chosen a “second career” as priests. With unprecedented access to this closed world, Englert introduces us to a divorced father and avid hunter from Wyoming, an ex-salesman and Marine with ADHD, a recently widowed father of four, a blind musician, and a fifth-year pupil close to ordination. With wit and sometimes heartbreaking candor, they face the challenges of priestly life -- from the traditional hurdles of obedience and chastity to the modern day skepticism of their friends and families.

320 pages, Paperback

Published April 10, 2007