The Joy in the hearts of the Freshers and the triumphant return of the older Seminarians from Apostolic work Experience.
The badge that greets each new seminarian is more than a simple identifier; it is a compact visual theology that summons the wearer to the life of discipleship, community, and humble service.
At its heart lies a bold, solitary cross, the unmistakable sign of Christ’s self‑offering, reminding these freshmen that the vocation is rooted in the sacrificial love that the Gospel proclaims. Encircling the cross are these radiant stars (seminarians), echoing the twelve apostles, a reminder that every seminarian is called to join the apostolic mission of the Church, both as a member of the historic communion and as a future shepherd of the faithful.
The seminary is not merely a building where academic subjects are taught; it is the natural home of the priestly vocation, a living community that shapes the heart and mind of the seminarian. Pope John Paul II reminds us that the major seminary “is the proper home for the formation of candidates for the priesthood… a community established by the bishop to offer… the experience of formation which our Lord provided for the Twelve”1. When seminarians return to this home after a period of external ministry or pastoral work, they re‑enter a space designed for deep friendship, fraternal charity and shared prayer, the very environment that sustains their ongoing conversion and growth.
Liturgical life is the heartbeat of that home. The formation of seminarians “must be rooted in the Church’s liturgy… so that the sacred liturgy… opens up for the students the source of the Christian mystery and thus nourishes their spiritual lives”2. By returning to the seminary, they are welcomed again into the daily celebration of the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours, which continually draw them into the paschal mystery and deepen their interior prayer. This immersion transforms the ordinary week into a “spiritual journey” where every Sunday and feast becomes a true celebration of joy.
Discipline and reverence for the Word complete this picture. John Paul II stresses that seminarians must be “trained above all in God’s word… in an atmosphere of recollection” so that their formation is grounded in the sacred deposit of doctrine5. Returning to the seminary restores the seminarians to a place where this atmosphere is intentionally cultivated, enabling them to guard the truth entrusted by the Holy Spirit5.
WELCOME BACK ELDER BROTHERS
Welcome home, dear brothers, to the place that is truly your natural home—the seminary, where the journey of priestly formation continues in the light of Christ’s love. Here, as Pope John Paul II reminds us, the major seminary “is the proper home for the formation of candidates for the priesthood… a community established by the bishop to offer the experience of formation which our Lord provided for the Twelve”.
In this house of prayer you will again gather around the altar, celebrating the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours, the very “source and summit of Christian life” that sustains our interior communion with God. Each daily prayer, each Mass, draws us deeper into the mystery of Christ and renews the fire of the Holy Spirit within us.
The seminary is also a “conspiracy of relationships” that helps us recover from the distortions of the world and grow in holiness together. Through the guidance of our formators, the fraternal support of your peers, and the witness of seasoned priests, you will find a network of charity that invites you to entrust yourself anew to the Spirit.
