Posted on 06/04/2006 4:19:04 PM PDT by warriorforourlady
June 3, 2006
Continued growth for Australian seminaries
Sydney, Jun. 02, 2006 (CNA) - The number of seminarians in Australia has sharply increased in recent years and Church officials are attributing it to effective leadership, challenging spiritual and academic formation and a focus on shaping good and holy priests, says an article by Michael Gilchrist in the June issue of AD2000.
The Seminary of the Good Shepherd in Sydney, for example, has 44 seminarians, more than double the number of five years ago. Thirty of these men are in formation for the Archdiocese of Sydney. There are also 18 students at the recently established Redemptoris Mater Seminary run by the Neocatechumenate, a movement in the Church founded in 1968.
(Excerpt) Read more at theindiancatholic.com ...
Continued growth for Australian seminaries
Sydney, Jun. 02, 2006 (CNA) - The number of seminarians in Australia has sharply increased in recent years and Church officials are attributing it to effective leadership, challenging spiritual and academic formation and a focus on shaping good and holy priests, says an article by Michael Gilchrist in the June issue of AD2000.
The Seminary of the Good Shepherd in Sydney, for example, has 44 seminarians, more than double the number of five years ago. Thirty of these men are in formation for the Archdiocese of Sydney. There are also 18 students at the recently established Redemptoris Mater Seminary run by the Neocatechumenate, a movement in the Church founded in 1968.
The St Charles Seminary in Perth has 20 students this year. Eight new priests were ordained for the archdiocese in December. Numbers have also increased in Melbourne, where there are now 35 seminarians at Corpus Christi. Even the small Diocese of Wagga Wagga has 12 men studying for the priesthood.
Gilchrist attributes the increase in Sydney and Melbourne, in part, to Cardinal George Pell, who had served in Melbourne and continues to serve Sydney. A similar increase occurred in Melbourne a few years ago after the cardinal implemented reforms at the seminary.
Gilchrist also attributes the increase to a successful vocations program, which has two seminarians visiting a parish each weekend and giving testimony at the end of mass. A Vocations Retreat Weekend is held for those who are considering the priesthood.
Community prayer life is an important component of the seminary. In Sydney, the seminary has a daily Rule of Life. The men pray the Divine Office together in the chapel for morning, evening and night prayers, along with daily mass. A half hour of meditation is scheduled after morning prayer.
Three-quarters of an hour of Eucharistic Adoration takes place every night and an hour of Eucharistic Adoration each Sunday afternoon. Silence is required after 10:30 p.m. until after morning Mass the next day and all conversations, phone calls, and TV watching have to stop by 10:30pm.
An annual retreat is held for the whole seminary community and days of reflection are set aside.
Seminarians are expected to make a regular confession.
Academic formation is designed to nurture and inspire the personal faith of the seminarian and to presents unambiguously the truth of the Catholic Church captured in the Scriptures and the Tradition.
It focuses on the formation of a Catholic mind, a heightened moral conscience and a deep knowledge of the Word of God as living word.
But the overall goal is to produce good and holy priests.
Continued growth for Australian Seminaries Ping!
Please Freepmail me if you want on or off
Continued growth for Australian seminaries bump
>>>The number of seminarians in Australia has sharply increased in recent years and Church officials are attributing it to effective leadership<<<
God bless Cardinal Pell. Our Cardinals could learn a lot from him.
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**Gilchrist also attributes the increase to a successful vocations program, which has two seminarians visiting a parish each weekend and giving testimony at the end of mass.**
Sounds like a wonderful idea!
Gee just think what could have been done if the Holy Ghost helped out in the calling.
Continued growth for Australian seminaries bump
It is obvious that the Holy Ghost was instrumental in the calling of these Seminarians. It does not have to be expressly stated.
Cardinal Pell has always been my favorite Cardinal and Catholic Leader. He is known as the "Defender of the Catholic Faith Down-Under".
11And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:
12And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
13And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
In our noisy, busy, wealth-distracted First World societies, listening to a 'small still voice' does not come easily. Indeed, it requires some encouragement; it's a very countercultural thing.
Great to hear that now if one was to give credit to man for the works of the Holy Ghost one may run into a problem. Mark 3:29
You may be interested in this fact. I strongly believe that the United States of America has far more practicing Christians and Catholics than Australia and New Zealand put together.
I know this to be true because I have friends living in those countries as well as relatives.
It seems that Godlessness and Pagan Views and Values are very widespread in Australia and New Zealand.
That is why I strongly believe that Cardinal Pell and Archbishop Denis Hart of Melbourne are doing a fantastic and excellent job given these circumstances.
For eg. Only 7-10% of all Australian Catholics attend Mass on Sunday. This information is available on a number of Orthodox and other Catholic Web Sites.
Both Australia and New Zealand in my opinion are in urgent need of evangelization just as Europe is.
Amen to what you have said.
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