As September’s newsletter is published we are just beginning a new formation year at Oscott.
As with all places of education, this is an exciting time for us, as we prepare to welcome new seminarians and staff to form a community of formation for the year ahead.
This year we are blessed to welcome seven new seminarians. Alongside those who are sponsored by their diocese, we are pleased to have one seminarian joining us from the York Oratory and one from the Ukrainian Eparchy. We believe that ultimately it is God who brings us together as a community of formation and it is in this context that seminarians grow in deeper discernment, formation, and commitment to the Catholic priesthood. We thank God for the families, friends, and members of the Church who have encouraged and supported these men on their journey of faith and discernment so far and for the vocation directors, bishops and religious superiors who have formally recognised the signs of a priestly vocation. We are aware that there are so many people beyond the immediate seminary community who, through their prayer and example, will play a significant part in this work of initial seminary formation.
Pope St John Paul II saw the seminary as a continuation in the Church of the apostolic community gathered around Jesus, listening to his word, proceeding to the Easter experience, awaiting the gift of the Spirit. He observed that there is a sense in which the pages of the Gospel continue to be enfleshed in every seminary in our own time! Like the first apostles who were chosen by Jesus to spend time with him so that they could be transformed for mission, our seminary community includes men of different character and temperament; each of us with particular patterns of strengths and weaknesses. Each arrives at Oscott with God given gifts, experience of life, previous study, skills and interests that they have developed. Pope Benedict XVI describes beautifully the precious gift that is each person: “Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed. Each of us is loved. Each of us is necessary.”
As the community settles during these first weeks of the term, it will be a source of inspiration and encouragement for us to be celebrating the priestly ordination of two deacons who completed their seminary formation last year. Please pray for us all at Oscott and for Deacon Christopher Igwe who will be ordained for the Diocese of Motherwell on 3rd September and for Paul Chisnall who will be ordained for the Diocese of Salford on 27th September.
Canon Michael Dolman
