On the 30th of October 1835, the young John Bosco set out to enter the Seminary in the town of Chieri, Northern Italy. He did so with the words of his mother in his heart: “My dear John, you have put on the priestly habit, I feel all the happiness that any mother could feel in her son’s good fortune. Do remember this, however: it’s not the habit that honours your state, but the practice of virtue”.
Writing in 1968, the Catholic theologian, Karl Rahner discusses the qualities that will form the ‘priesthood’ of the future. The priests of the future will be persons who involve themselves in the hard lives of their brothers and sisters and who can be trusted and counted on. The real success of priesthood will lie in being able to vanish into the mystery of God. Like John the Baptist, the call to priesthood is the gift of being able to live: “Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He[Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
Addressing a seminar (2022) to launch a new strategy the development of the National Seminary in Maynooth, Co. Kildare the former Taoiseach, Mr John Bruton stated that we need educated priests and religious in our world today. These are called to work alongside an educated Catholic laity who together spread the message of Faith while working to form genuine Christian communities.
Recent articles in the religious media have been expressing hope for the future of the church in Ireland as this year 21 seminarians began their first of a six-year journey to the diocesan priesthood.
For us Salesians committed to community and vowed religious life, the journey is somewhat different from that of a Diocesan priest. Our journey begins with a period of introduction to the Salesian way of life known as the Pre-novitiate. This is followed by a more intense year of accompaniment and discernment called the Novitiate after which first temporary vows are taken. It is at this point that we begin our formal studies.
Studies for us are a mix of professional training and preparation for the pastoral, spiritual and religious life. Our Religious Constitutions remind us that the religious and apostolic nature of the Salesian calling dictates the specific direction our formation must take, a direction necessary for the life and unity of the Congregation (Salesian Constitution 97). Constitution 98 states that enlightened by the person of Christ and his Gospel, the Salesian commits to a formation process that is lifelong.
Worldwide the Salesian have 166 houses of formation. Our formation house in Ireland, known as the St Catherines Centre, is located on the North Campus of the Maynooth University. This community is made up of many nationalities, including Irish Salesians.
Over the last five years, the house has welcomed students from Malta, Poland, Nigeria, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Angola, Vietnam, East Timor, India, and Zimbabwe. The current Rector (Animator) of the community is Fr Cyril Odia, himself a Nigerian Salesian who came to Ireland 12 years ago to support the work of the Irish Province.
For him a core part of the formation process in a Congregation that is present in 134 countries is learning to live as an international community that has the opportunity to access academic disciplines while having a pastoral outreach within the local culture. St Catherines while being a formation House also acts as a ‘drop in’ centre for all university students and opens it chapel daily for the celebration of the sacraments and private. The community is also involved with the chaplaincy services in local secondary schools and is part the Maynooth parish youth ministry team. In his words it is “The dynamics of our living together are constantly enriched as the Salesian Brothers deepen their theological and cultural knowledge” which helps “to refine narrow-mindedness and overcome prejudices and multicultural challenges’ while supporting “human formation and integration”.
A lot has changed since that morning of October 30th, 1835 when John Bosco walked the few miles to the Seminary in Chieri. On entering the courtyard of the seminary, he notices a motto on the sundial on the south wall: ‘The hours drag on for those who are sad, fly for those who are happy’. John resolved to make this his motto for his years in seminary and would leave the seminary on May 26th, 1841, stating “my six years at seminary was a happy period”.
I invite you to join in offering this as a prayer for those studying in seminaries across the world; that their time in studies and communities of formation is a happy one, enabling them to bring that happiness to their future ministries.