Despite the fact he’s been at Seton for half a school year, Seminarian Cornelius Deep has left a big impact on the school. In one way or the other, nearly the entire school has come into contact with Cornelius, whether that’s in their lunch period, in theology class, after school in the chapel, or even on the sidelines during their sports season. Cornelius makes it his mission to meet the students where they’re at, finding what they’re interested in and trying to engage in similar activities. Before becoming the 9th and 10th grade theology teacher, Cornelius spent most of his day sitting in the cafeteria moving from table to table trying to engage with different students of all different grades. After school he spends his time in the chapel with his students praying the Rosary and after he usually attends one of the school’s sport practices/games. 

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Cardboard cutouts of seminarians, Cornelius Deep and Joseph Ryan displayed in gray print

When asked what he likes most about Seton, Cornelius said: “Well of course the first thing I have to say is, it’s impressive that so many students at Seton use the chapel. The chapel is being used not just after school, but also throughout the day. Whenever I pop in there I see people there, I find it impressive, at least from my point of view.” Cornelius states that apart from the work in the chapel and the overall practice of the Catholic faith he sees at Seton, he’s impressed by the school support at extracurricular activities. To Cornelius, the school spirit is not something he expected to see: “Every home game this year there was a substantial amount of students standing the whole time during the game [Basketball]. I think having a school spirit like that is maybe not something you see at every school.” Cornelius makes an effort to show his support for the Seton Catholic name whenever he can. He shows up to the practices, he goes to the games, he attends the school’s theater productions, and makes sure to attend all the retreats we do at Seton.

Cornelius is astonished by the work the Lord has done through him stating that “[his] faith has been strengthened throughout this year because the things that the Lord is doing in this school through [him] has shown that the Lord is real and he’s alive and he’s active and he’s doing things…There’s no way in a high school people are coming to the chapel to pray after school, people are kneeling at Mass, people are welcoming this person in a roman collar at their lunch table, certain things that are happening that just wouldn’t normally happen at a high school.” One of Cornelius proudest accomplishments is the work he and his students do in the chapel after school. Everyday after school at 3, Cornelius, staff, and students pray the Rosary. Whether it’s the Sorrowful, Luminous, Joyful, or Glorious Mysteries, Cornelius looks forward to helping students find the Lord. Cornelius states that despite what others may think he doesn’t have a “long term goal” or a weekly “set goal” to achieve. He says: “I’m just looking for the Lord to see what He wants to do each day.” His main goal, if any, is to help people find the Lord and the importance of going to the chapel to find the Lord.

Unfortunately for the Seton community, Cornelius is not here to stay. After this school year he heads back to the Seminarian in Maryland for two years. On the first Saturday of June, in 2026, he will be ordained a priest of the diocese of Syracuse, God-willing: “My hope is that I can come back here and be a teacher and/or a chaplain with the school,” he stated. Fortunately, he will have breaks during his time in the Seminary and plans to come back and visit: “I’m not going to abandon the people, they’ll see me once in a while, they just won’t see me as much as they did this year,” he assured. 

When asked for any final statements he’d like to share Cornelius stated: “The most fruitful human activity you can do is to receive the Lord’s love in your prayer- never stop praying.” Apart from that Cornelius expresses his genuine gratitude for being here at Seton. He fully expects that sometime in the future when he’s reflecting on his pastoral year that: “My first thought will be [his] time here at Seton.” Cornelius will continue to roam around the school helping any way he can and would love to see students continue to come to the Chapel after school. When he is officially ordained to be a priest of the diocese of Syracuse, his hope is that he can get a lot of people from Seton to come and watch as he takes the final step into a new chapter of his life.